…Announces open calls for applications to its 2-year fellowship programme, targeting young change-makers committed to tackling Nigeria’s foundational learning challenge in underserved primary schools.
FRI 11 FEB, 2022-theGBJournal- Teach For Nigeria (TFN), a non-profit organisation focused on improving foundational learning outcomes and life opportunities for low-income children commemorated its fifth anniversary on Wednesday 9 February 2022.
Launched in 2017, Teach for Nigeria has been working in tandem with government, private sector, development partners and young Nigerians to close the foundational learning gaps for children in underserved schools across Nigeria.
To celebrate this key milestone, Teach For Nigeria organized a media parley to highlight the progress achieved to date and share its strategy for the next nine years to solve Nigeria’s education challenge. In attendance were board members, staff, Teach For Nigeria fellowship alumni and members of the press.
Speaking at the media parley, Alero Ayida-Otobo, Board Member and Co-Founder, Teach For Nigeria, said: “Teach For Nigeria was conceptualized in 2014 at the 20th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in a bid to transform the Nation’s education sector given the problems faced by the sector at the time. From inception till now, it has made significant changes and improvements that have not only impacted the sector but improved the future outcomes for children. Teach For Nigeria is a model and prototype of what is possible in the educational space in Nigeria and will continue to raise an army of leaders that understand the educational problems, design the solutions and impact children in their classrooms and beyond.”
In her opening remarks, Folawe Omikunle, CEO, Teach For Nigeria said: “The vision of our organisation is to ensure that, one day, every Nigerian child has access to an excellent education. Hence we remain committed to recruiting cohorts of promising leaders to provide extensive support and teach in communities that are experiencing economic and social injustice. Our solutions are bold and by 2031 we would have built a network of over 20,000 leaders across all geopolitical zones in Nigeria working in deep partnership with local communities to impact over a million students each year.
Equipped with a strong resolve to deepen educational equity across the country, Teach For Nigeria through its fellowship programme and partnerships has continued to improve learning outcomes for children.
According to data captured during the outbreak of the pandemic in its impact assessment report, the numeracy skills of students taught by Teach For Nigeria fellows improved by 116% while literacy has grown by over 60%. More than 600 fellows are impacting over 100,000 primary school students in Lagos, Ogun and more recently, Oyo State. The next 9 years of operations will also focus on prioritizing social-emotional learning to improve the education landscape in Nigeria.
Commenting on the anniversary, Gbenga Oyebode, Chairman of Teach for Nigeria said: “Over the past five years, we have focused on helping children from the most vulnerable backgrounds learn by placing outstanding leaders to teach in classrooms through it’s two-year fellowship. Teach For Nigeria is committed to addressing the complex issues of inequities in education. We will continue to deliver our solutions to catalyze the transformational change we want for all children in Nigeria. A successful nation is one that equips it’s children with the right skills to navigate a constantly changing world.”
Through its 2-year fellowship programme, Teach For Nigeria recruits some of Nigeria’s most dynamic university graduates and professionals from all academic disciplines and career interests to commit two years to teach in schools in low-income communities. To ensure that fellows are equipped with resources to succeed as teachers and leaders, Teach For Nigeria provides ongoing training, support and professional development to ensure that fellows have the skills, mindset, and knowledge needed to approach Nigeria’s educational challenge.
Head of Recruitment, Selection and Matriculation Joy Abara, stated that many Fellows who have gone through the fellowship have continued to leverage their experiences to develop social innovations that are solving challenges hindering learning. She also announced that the 2022 fellowship application opens on Thursday, February 10, 2022, Joy encouraged all young leaders to consider applying.
An alumnus of the fellowship programme, Abdullahi Ibrahim said the skills he garnered during his 2-year commitment has been instrumental in his journey as an entrepreneur. During his fellowship, Abdullahi founded the NoBox initiative, which focuses on ensuring that teachers in public schools are equipped with the requisite skills they need to ensure that all children are carried along in the classroom. Abdullahi added that the initiative has trained more than 4,000 teachers in Northern Nigeria.
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