Students and teachers from public secondary schools in Ebonyi State have presented a position paper to government and other stakeholders on ways to enhance teaching and learning in the state.
Contained in the document is a recommendation for the government, through the Ministry of education, to make a law ensuring that teaching approach should be playful, insightful and innovative, in compliance with 21st century teaching module.
Such a law should also be tailored towards abuse free school spaces, equal access to sports and play facilities for all students as well as strict compliance monitoring and transition.
The position paper was an outcome of a 3-day earlier residential capacity building workshop for about 50 selected educators and learners from 10 pilot schools across the state tagged: “Empowering Educators and Young Learners for a Transformative Education in Ebonyi State.”
It was held November 2024 by a youth-led education Advocacy group, Whisper to Humanity Foundation.
The presentation was made on Friday during a one-day follow up event organised by Whisper to Humanity Foundation in collaboration with the State Ministry of Education, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
The event coincided with the International day of Education.
In their presentations, the students identified inadequate infrastructure, outdated teaching methods, gender sterotypes, abuse and limited resources as some of the challenges affecting effective education in the state.
They observed that the issues have resulted in poor learning outcomes, low students motivation and high teacher turnover rates, depriving many learners of their ability to reach their full potentials.
The students solicited for enhanced and prompt payment of teachers salaries, rehabilitation of school structures, proper equipment of School offices, libraries and laboratories; enhanced schools security and curriculum review to integrate digital literacy and the play factor in learning.
In an interview, the Executive Director of Whisper to Humanity Foundation, Maryjacobs Okwuosa said the position paper contained the dream education that young people, students and teachers want for the education system in Ebonyi state.
She noted that her organisation chose the International day of education to lead the learners and educators to share the position paper in order to underscore its importance towards reforming the sector in the state.
She narrated: “For the past five years we have been advocating for a better and quality educational system; a general reform of the education curriculum in Nigeria.
“This campaign has taken us across over 15 states in Nigeria demanding for a review of the curriculum that was made in the past for the past, and looking at the possibility of building something for the 21st century: an education system whereby the children and students are able to stand the taste of time and stand competitions across the globe.”
She explained that her organisation in 2024, picked 10 pilot schools across the senatorial zones in Ebonyi state and built capacities of children and teachers on transformative education, reviewing what a playful education system could be and what it could mean for the state and the kind of possibilities that could come out of it.
Okwuosa added: “Beyond that, in 2025, we are moving to further create play stations in public school spaces for the ten pilot schools to further improve the mindset of young people in thinking and cognitive development.
“We are hoping that in speaking with the teachers and principals today, we are looking forward to a stronger partnership with the community people themselves, old students associations, PTAs, to see how we can have a more sustainable education system that the children will be excited to go to school everyday.”
Director of Schools, Mrs Chinyere Eziulo, who represented the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Paul Awo Nwobasi at the event said the state government, before the campaign, had already taken the bold step in ordering the recruitment of 1000 teachers while the Ministry has been partnering with some NGOs to enhance e-learning and youth development education.
In the area of infrastructure and learning environment, she said the government has commenced the building of 39 Model schools of 22 class room storey buildings across the 13 local government areas of the state, adding that the Ministry is already making efforts to change from the old system of teaching and learning to the child-centered approach.
Two principals, Ogbonnia Nwachi, of Government Secondary school, Afikpo; Pamela Aja Chukwu, of Onicha Model Technical Secondary school and a teacher from Ugwulangwu secondary school Hilary Nwigwe, pledged to continue to advance the child-centred teaching methodology: teaching with empathy, compassion and playfulness in their various schools.
Some students interviewed: Henrieta Imabasi of Izzi High School, Restoration Kenneth of Federal government girls College, Ezzamgbo and Chinemerem Unaigwe of Nnodo Secondary school, Abakaliki, appreciated Whisper to Humanity Foundation for the campaign which they said have positively transformed learning in their schools.
Unaigwe said: “This programme of Whisper to Humanity has done a lot in my school.
“Among other things, bullying has stopped, and our teachers are using a more friendly, playful method in teaching us, and the students, both dull and fast brains are now following up with the teachings because of the new approach.”
International day of education is observed annually on January 24
