Teach for Nigeria to build network of 20,000 leaders by 2031

Teach for Nigeria (TFN) has expressed its commitment to building a network of 20,000 leaders by 2031 in commemoration of the group’s 5th anniversary.

Folawe Omikunle, the chief executive officer of Teach for Nigeria in her opening remarks at the anniversary celebration disclosed that the group is projecting to build a network of 20,000 leaders in the next 10years.

Omikunle explained that the vision of the organisation is to ensure that, one day, every Nigerian child has access to an excellent education. Hence Teach for Nigeria remains 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,” she said.

Alero Ayida-Otobo, board member and co-founder of Teach for Nigeria, speaking at the media parley on Thursday, February 10, took the audience through the memory lane of how the group came to be.

“Teach for Nigeria was conceptualised 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.

Read also: Teach for Nigeria celebrates 5yrs of lasting educational impact

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,” Ayida-Otobo said.

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

Gbenga Oyebode, chairman of Teach for Nigeria commenting on the anniversary further explained that the group’s five years existence is focused on helping children with vulnerable backgrounds.

“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 is 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 catalyse the transformational change we want for all children in Nigeria. A successful nation is one that equips it is children with the right skills to navigate a constantly changing world,” Oyebode noted.

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 116percent while literacy has grown by over 60percent.

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.

Joy Abara, head of recruitment, selection, and matriculation 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, and encouraged all young leaders to consider applying.

Teach for Nigeria will prioritise social-emotional learning for students as well as other non-academic outcomes such as collaboration, communication, growth mindset, and self-awareness.

Launched in 2017, Teach for Nigeria has been working in tandem with the 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.

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.

Abdullahi Ibrahim, an alumnus of the fellowship programme, said the skills he garnered during his 2-year commitment have 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. Moreover, Abdullahi revealed that the initiative has trained more than 4,000 teachers in Northern Nigeria.