Lifelong Learning and Capacity Development Limited, in partnership with Ashoka Africa, has urged teachers to become agents of change by instilling values of empathy, initiative, and collaboration in their students to tackle real-life challenges.
The call was made during a one-day capacity-building programme held on Wednesday in Osogbo, Osun State, for 62 senior secondary school teachers selected from across the 30 local government areas of the state.
The training workshop, themed “The Changemaker Teachers: Time for Change,” is part of the Changemaker Teachers Activation Programme (CTEACH), aimed at equipping educators to mentor students in leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Mr. Biola Abimbola, Executive Chairman of Lifelong Learning and Capacity Development Limited, said the programme is designed to empower teachers to help students develop empathy, take initiative, and work collaboratively to address societal challenges.
“In Lifelong Learning and Capacity Development Limited and Ashoka, we believe everyone can be a changemaker. But teachers are the first changemakers at the school level. Every reformer, innovator, and nation-builder was once guided by a teacher,” Abimbola said.
He emphasized that teachers’ influence extends far beyond the classroom and that the vision of the CTEACH programme is to build a network of educators who model and multiply changemaking principles.
Mrs. Angelou Ezeilo, Co-President of Ashoka Africa, explained that the initiative trains teachers who will, in turn, train others to become changemakers. Speaking on the theme “CTEACH’s Impact on the Education Landscape in Nigeria,” she said the programme ensures that students internalize values like empathy, creativity, teamwork, and leadership.
“We are creating spaces where these values are not just topics but habits that students imbibe. Our goal is to help teachers inspire young people to take initiative and build communities where everyone feels empowered to make a difference,” Ezeilo said.
Also speaking, Mr. Dipo Eluwole, Osun Commissioner for Education, commended Lifelong Learning and Ashoka Africa for the initiative. Represented by Mrs. Adeoye Abidemi, Executive Secretary of the Osogbo Zonal Inspector of Education, Eluwole said the training is timely, as teachers play a critical role in shaping future leaders and restoring values in society.
“The programme equips teachers to confront moral decadence, cybercrime, examination malpractices, cultism, and other social vices that threaten the nation’s future. Education, as the foundation of national development, must emphasize both academic and moral excellence,” he said.
