By Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi has trained no fewer than 200 teachers in Ekiti North 1 Federal Constituency in the Ekiti state
In a two-day programme, held during the weekend in Oye-Ekiti, with the theme: ‘Strengthening Foundations of Practice’ was in conjunction with NurtureHouse Consulting, the teachers benefitted from a training workshop on modern teaching techniques organized by the member representing Ekiti North 1 Federal Constituency in the state.
Speaking with journalists, Hon. Rotimi said teachers are critical stakeholders in the development of the future generation adding that it is important to equip the teachers to be more effective and efficient.
Rotimi, who was elated by the impact the programme had on the participants, said he was executing the mandate entrusted on him for an inclusive teaching environment to nurture the future generation.
His words: “It is important for me that our teachers, who are critical stakeholders in the development of the future generation have the right skills and techniques to be able to keep abrest of the challenges in the system.
“I thought it was important that we have this capacity development programme to equip our teachers. I’m grateful to God I found a good partner in NurtureHouse Consulting to be able to provide training for our teachers in the past two days.
“The critical areas have been leaving no one behind, which is the central theme for the entire training. We realised that there are different children with learning disabilities, increase in cases like autism and other personality traits.
“For some of our teachers, these things are not very common. They don’t really understand these things. So, it is important that we have professionals come and teach them about this and how have inclusive teaching environment to nurture the future generation.”
While calling on the teachers to be at the frontline in the fight against Gender-Based-Violence, he revealed that he would consult critical stakeholders on the need to establish a special school in his constituency.
“We also realised that Gender-Based-Violence is a big issue in the society and it’s important that we enlist teachers as frontline advocates against GBV. They are the ones that spend a lot of time with the children. They are the ones that can spot children that are visibly disturbed and to make teaching around preventing GBV within our schools.
“By the grace of God that’s one of the things I have in mind for children with special needs. But you realise that as the representative of a constituency, I don’t have the locus standing to do things by myself and a broader context as a representative of the state.
“But what we are doing is eliciting voices of critical stakeholders and if we are able to show that we have a critical consensus around the fact that we need a special school for children with special needs, then I would have business of been able to champion that as a constituency project.
“I’m hoping that I can consult broadly with stakeholders and then we can build a consensus that this one of the things that has to be prioritise. I think it’s desirable for a constituency that has 450,000 people in the population and not having one single special school. I think we need one.”
On the killing of a 200-level Nursing student of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Modupe Atanda Deborah, the lawmaker condemned the dastardly act while demanding that she gets justice.
“It’s a very dastardly act, and very sad one. There is what we call safe space where such should never happen and the school environment is one of them. It’s a very sad development and worrisome.
“Modupe Atanda Deborah gets justice and the perpetrators are brought to book and be able to ensure that we would never have such occurrence. I condemn it and it’s deeply distressing and very sad.
“I stand by the Student Union Government and other stakeholders, as well as the family to extend my deepest condolences and to call again the authorities to ensure that this never happens again.”
Photos from the event:
