At least 7,800 secondary school teachers in Enugu State are currently undergoing training in contemporary teaching skills organised by the State Government.
The Executive Chairman, Post Primary School Management Board (PPSMB), Dr Favour Ugwuanyi, said this while declaring the workshop open on Thursday in Enugu.
Ugwuanyi said that the training was meant to build the capacity of the teachers and improve the quality of education in the state.
She said that the teachers were drawn from Nsukka, Obollo Afor, Awgu, Enugu, Udi and Agbani zones.
She said that the training centred specifically on leadership skills, conflict management and use of technological tools.
She also said that the training would equip the participants to adapt to modern day educational system and good parenting.
Ugwuanyi also said that the exercise would further help to improve the performance of the students in the state.
According to her, the zeal and commitment from the teachers made Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to approve the training for them.
“At the end of the workshop, the board is expected to have better teachers that will discharge their duties efficiently and enjoy their profession, passionately,” she said.
The state PPSMB boss also said that the workshop would be used to conduct physical verification aimed at fishing out ghost teachers.
She said that the last head count in the state took place in 2019.
She said that the exercise would help the government to properly identify those that were still in service.
She congratulated the teachers for the brilliant performance of a student from Udi Zone, who emerged the overall best in the 2022 West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) result in the country.
She attributed the feat to the regular evaluation and monitoring exercise embarked upon by the board, in addition to the encouragement by the state government.
“They are not owed salary and promotions are given to qualified teachers without delay, which have helped to motivate the teachers,” Ugwuanyi said.
In a remark, the governor said that the government was considering rural allowance for teachers in rural areas to boost their morale.
He urged teachers to shun absenteeism because of its negative impact on both the students and state.
He warned that his administration would no longer tolerate the habit amongst teachers.
The governor, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Religious Matters, Bishop Chinedu Nwoye, encouraged them to do more for the state.
A resource person, Prof. Shola Adeyaju, delivered a lecture on “Leadership and Conflict Management for teachers in public schools in Enugu State”.
Adeyaju is the Head of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.
He urged the teachers to carry everyone along and learn the best way to handle conflicts anytime they arose.
He further charged them to develop leadership skills to be able to manage and control students.
In another topic, “Building the 21st Century Teachers”, Mr Donald Chukwuanyi said that technology had changed the old educational system and method of learning.
According to Chukwuanyi, learning now can be done using social media tools, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Zoom and YouTube.
He said that 21st Century teachers must, therefore, be dynamic, storytellers and posses the ability to adapt to change.
A cross-section of the participants expressed joy over the training, saying that it had added value to their knowledge.
