- The Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs Ronke Soyombo, has urged teachers to upgrade to the 21st century by becoming class facilitators and coaches, as opposed to being dictators.
The Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs Ronke Soyombo, has urged teachers to upgrade to the 21st century by becoming class facilitators and coaches, as opposed to being dictators.
She gave the advise at the Association for Formidable Educational Development’s maiden African Education Conference held at the University of Lagos, Akoka, last Thursday.
Speaking on the topic, ‘The need for quality and qualitative education’, Soyombo said education should be about teaching children to think, not just read textbooks.
“We all need to go back to the drawing board and ask if we are teaching right. Children should be allowed to take ownership of their learning that would feature research and investigation. It should not be about teaching the child only what we know. We need to let the children take over or else we will keep producing graduates that are not suitable for the workplace and can’t strive to succeed in society because they cannot think for themselves.
“AFED schools keep getting better. Lagos schools are winning prices; we are getting better, however, we need to change the way we teach. We need to join hands with AFED to make education better. Proprietors should strive to be the best in teaching and learning. We are looking to have 21st century teachers who go beyond teaching to becoming facilitators and coaches not dictators, in our schools. So, school owners should work together, learn from each other and stop being an island because this is solely about the future of our children,” the DG said.
Soyombo also called for the use of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication in teaching, as she advised AFED schools to focus on promoting reading and literacy, among other things. “All schools should focus on providing a secured and conducive learning environment. It is also about the safety of schools buildings, not just their beauty.”
On his part, the President of AFED, Mr Emmanuel Orji, said the association was committed to providing education for all as the number of out-of-school children was alarming and every concerned citizen had to be involved.
Orji said, “The association has convoked this august occasion to x-ray the avalanche of problems currently experienced in Nigeria. If this is not addressed, the nation might be heading for a collapse before our very eyes.
“So far, we have brought a lot of improvement to member schools where some states of the federation have allowed collaboration with the association. We, therefore, use this opportunity to share this noble idea and call on the administration of the various states, where this collaboration is lacking, to embrace this clear solution for the collective progress of all.”
The president also disclosed that the association’s plan for the near future. “In the next three years we shall focus on deepening our provision for an all-inclusive education for all. While we are committed to this, the government and other agencies remain the only enabler of operational environment. We, therefore, call on the government to be ready to accommodate the document that may emanate from this august occasion,” orji urged.
