• ‘Why educators must focus on social, emotional components of learning’
As Nigeria joins other nations of the world to celebrate International Day of Education today, stakeholders have stressed the need to transform the sector, especially as the world prepares to navigate the post-COVID-19 era.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), mental recovery from the pandemic is only possible when education is back on track.
UNESCO said this year’s theme, ‘Changing Course, Transforming Education’, harps on why education must be recovered.
As a result, the stakeholders called for more focus on social and emotional components of learning to revive education.
Following the impact of COVID- 19 on the sector, they said it is imperative to give attention to the physical and mental health of children and educators.
This, they said, is due to stress-related events associated with the pandemic, which have impacted learning trajectory.
Uchechukwu Michael Ginika, Secretary of Mother’s Love Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, said there’s need to look into growing concerns of reduced physical and social interactions permeating the new generation school system in Nigeria.
Speaking on, ‘Beyond Academic Achievement: Social and Emotional Learning in Enhancing Quality of School Life’, Ginika explained that the theme centred on the overall quality of life of the Nigerian child.
He noted that social and emotional learning helps a child adjust to demands arising from developmental changes and societal expectations.
At the school level, he said educators and school managers must understand the importance of unstructured play and extra-curricular activities in ensuring children grow in cognitive, social and emotional domains of development.
Ginika also stressed the need for key actors in government to review existing policies and enforce them, to enable educational institutions deliver on their mandate to the Nigerian child.
On his part, Head, Corporate Communications and Strategy, Skool Media, Mr. Sola Oluwadare, said all hands must be on deck towards changing the course of education to make it a tool for transforming the society.
He said a transformed education will give birth to a transformed society. To promote this, Oluwadare said the group is working on a one-stop-shop application called, ‘Exam Padi’, which will address challenges students face in preparation for examinations.
MEANWHILE, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has lamented that millions of Nigerian children have never set foot in a classroom. “At least 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, the highest rate in the world,” it said.
In a message to commemorate the Day, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said: “Perhaps, equally tragic is the high number of children who make it into a classroom but never make the transition from primary school to secondary school, thereby cutting off their chances for a secure future.”
He added: “As we celebrate the International Day of Education today, amid concerns in much of the world about the impact of COVID-19 on education, we must take a close look at what is happening to our children in Nigeria, and the opportunities they are missing out on when they lack education.
“We need to look towards communities – leaders, parents, teachers and caregivers – and together, find the best strategies to ensure that all children enroll into school, have access to continuous learning and ensure they emerge with quality skills that equip them for a prosperous future.”
