2020-Every Child's Education Matters.   

The NSF (UK) Education Seminar 2020 was held virtually due to the Pandemic situation in the country, on 17th October 2020.  The aim of the seminar was to explore the various issues around the topic – Every Child’s education matters with an emphasis on - Developing a holistic approach to improving young people’s education -push and pull factors.

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Speakers- Dr Yaw Adutwum-Deputy Education Minister, Ghana
Mr Ade Adetosoye (OBE)-Chief Executive London Borough of Bromley
Mrs Toyin Awoseyi, (Rtd)-Perm Sec, TESCOM, Lagos state Min of Education
Ms Ndidi Edozie-Ansah-Regional Education and Wellbeing Manager at Brook Young People
Mr Jared Nehra- Director of Education, Bromley Council

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Answers to Questions raised at the Education Seminar-17/10/20

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Nigerian Children to be seen and not heard.  So how can you encourage critical thinking?
It is impossible to encourage critical thinking under the notion that ‘children should be seen and not heard.  In the first instance, to observe one’s thoughts is to observe one’s speech and other physical expressions.  Critical thinking will require communication and interaction to this end.
In a school setting, critical thinking can be encouraged with open-ended discussions, comparative writing, and problem-solving exercises.  A standardised ‘one size fits all assessment is not suitable, as it belies the creative impact that would normally stem from the student’s ability to think critically about a topic/issue.

Sometimes, the issues/challenges presented by the child are more intrinsic than extrinsic…..Please, explain how?
Intrinsic issues do not start off so.  Children are born almost with a blank slate except for DNA material which determines an individual’s response to stimuli.  However, it’s the child’s social environment that ‘cooks’ moulds/forms/develop the child’s intrinsic qualities/issues.  
As I mentioned in the presentation, there are always mirroring extrinsic factors that explain the child’s challenges/issues and subsequent behaviours. According to psychosocial theory,  external events have an impact on the child's psychological development in that, traumatic mental content resulting from these events is repressed and rooted in the individual’s unconscious, but is unknowingly expressed in the individual’s behaviour (and speech).

How can pedagogy help in providing quality education?
Pedagogy in education can be so varied but it truly underpins the way in which we equip our children, our future, in approaching the world and their lives after leaving school.
All pupils must benefit from the same high expectations. Assumptions, for example, those about lower achievement and poor behaviour of different groups of pupils in schools, are assimilated by pupils and over time the students come to achieve at the level expected of them; thus creating the Pygmalion effect and self-fulfilling prophecy of underachievement and poor behaviour.
 
Effective pedagogies [1]provide for a strong pupil voice, inviting evaluative comments in the classroom. They will focus on teachers’ practice, knowledge and beliefs, with clear long-term goals, built upon prior learning and experience. Teachers should apply a range of techniques and make good use of dialogue and questioning, with embedded assessment for learning.
 
[1] Drawn from NCSL ‘What makes great pedagogy?’, 2012

 Please why are the other old schools not part of the NSF(UK)?
NSF (UK) actively encourages membership across Nigeria. It started predominantly from the SW region and has trebled its membership base since its inception in 2012 and is now in 5 of the 6 geopolitical zones. Though can be a challenge NSF(UK) sees this as an opportunity for growth.

Does this mean that as Old school Associations and NSF(UK)we should move into the realm of activism?
NSF should lobby the Nigerian Government on educational reforms and child protection. This can be done in an enabling manner by NSF going as far as drafting policies and procedures on behalf of the Government. I strongly believe that NSF has qualified lawyers and child protection experts that can take up this challenge.

Explain how designated safeguarding leads can be positioned in Nigerian Schools. Will there be consequences for infringements?
Designated safeguarding leads can be appointed in schools to champion safeguarding issues. Their role is to support and train teachers on safeguarding issues and be responsible for the implementation of safeguarding policies. I do not see the appointment of safeguarding leads as an infringement.

Explain how poor safeguarding can lead to poor education outcomes
A child who is being abused, bullied, or exploited will struggle to concentrate and this will impact their educational outcomes. An environment that is not safe is not conducive to learning.  

How does the sleeping culture of the child impact his or her physical and mental resilience? and why is this sleeping culture?
The sleeping culture is an induced habit inculcated at a very young age in children
It helps to rest their brains and revitalize their bodies
Since it is regimented, sleeping, or napping in kids from kindergarten age, makes such kids grow up energized and ever-ready to face simple daily tasks. Sleep habits/Culture is a form of time management in youths.
Mid-day rest in some children is to calm them down to have enough time to restore energy as in the early afternoon, many bodies are naturally tired. Observing regulated sleeping/napping makes it a culture, therefore it is very impactful, especially in the physical and mental resilience of youths.
 
Is Lagos State reviewing the curriculum to support the development of the resilience of young people going forward?
Yes, the ministry of education Lagos state has reviewed the curriculum of most subjects, the aftermath of the COVID-19 19 pandemic and the emergence of the new normal.

How can NSF aid the Nigerian Government to restructure the School curriculum to ensure positive changes @ least in line with some of the highlighted issues raised in this webinar?
NSF can forward their views on restructuring the school curriculum in Nigeria through the office of the Lagos state Honorable Commissioner for Education.

Education in Nigeria is all about classroom learning, how do we introduce school trips and visit to the airport and museum when the roads are bad and traffic? How do we work around this problem?
School trips out of schools are still ongoing irrespective of the bad roads and traffic that is part of our resilience.

How do we work around the problems of roads, appropriate vehicles and a lot of financial and safety commitments that go with Excursions in public schools?
Lagos state safety commission has very strong advocacy for the safety of school children, especially in terms of their safety on the roads. As per financial commitments, it is a dual responsibility between the school authorities and the parents depending on the sort of excursions to be undertaken.

How have various governments supported numerous less privileged children during the lockdown which has had a serious impact on their education?
Although, a few schools were able to provide a virtual teaching and learning environment but not accessible to many students due to a lack of needed facilities to participate. What is being done to close the gap in their education?

Once again in Lagos state, the Min of Education through various corporate organizations and well-meaning Nigerians procured thousands of transistor radios with extra batteries as well as solar-operated tablets that were distributed to public school students both primary, junior and senior secondary school students especially those in the rural areas to enhance their learning and completion of their curriculum during the lockdown period
This was very impactful as it encouraged the students to be eager to learn while at home. The capacity building of their teachers was also upscaled especially in the use of technology
 

What about the pay for the teachers?
Teachers are been paid even better than non-professionals in the state. They are paid special allowances due to the nature of their job.

Where are the jobs after graduating?
This is a national predicament.

It looks like only secondary schools are part of NSF(UK). What about primary schools?
Primary school is an important stage in a child’s development. In fact, all stages (primary, secondary, and tertiary) are. The segment we have chosen to focus on is the second stage as we believe it is a crucial point in a child’s life journey. So, our membership network is predominantly from this base. However, we do work with local partners to support underserved schools with other initiatives that impact primary schools, such as our UK  book drive literacy campaign where we have delivered 5,000 + books to underserved schools from age 4+ and above across the  6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

How can NSF(UK) aid the Nigerian Government to restructure the School curriculum to ensure positive changes @ least in line with some of the highlighted issues raised in this webinar?
Though based in Europe, NSF(UK) will need to be perceived and comport itself as a vital stakeholder in the Nigerian education sector.  Traditionally we are a source of the vital funding needed for the sector. Our members have been actively raising thousands of pounds in support of education infrastructure, scholarships, and teacher salaries. We now aspire to go a step further by leveraging this to influence education policy in our immediate sphere of influence, our schools, but also with the powers that be, at state and federal government levels. Our various direct initiatives including NEED (NSF(UK) Excellence in Education Development),  Book drive and literacy competition will afford us this opportunity.

What is the follow-up from every one of us after this brilliant seminar to ensure that important issues raised today are addressed fully?
Our education project team will draw up a SMART Corporate action plan that will be fully adopted and implemented internally.