By Jutha Gupah Maiduguri
The Presidential Committee for North-East Initiatives (PCNI) in partnership with Yobe State Government is to train 372 teachers in capacity building, four years after Boko Haram insurgency that claimed many lives and property. The insurgency that commenced in 2012 had also destroyed many schools with the “displacement and traumatizing” of many teachers across the state. Addressing participants on Wednesday at the workshop in Damaturu, the training officer of PCNI, Faith Anifowoshe said the five-day workshop was to increase capacities of affected teachers that were traumatized and displaced by Boko Haram. In the first quarter of 2018, PCNI also trained 300 teachers in the neighbouring state of Adamawa on trauma control among teachers, pupils and students. According to her, PCNI is in Yobe commence a capacity building of 372 primary school teachers who were displaced, devastated; and disintegrated by insurgency between 2012 and 2015. She said the training will enable school children obtain the required knowledge after many of them were forced out of schools for four years. Her words: “At the end of this programme, we hope that the teachers will be fully equipped to overcome the challenges of teaching in the post-insurgency period. According to her, education in the North-East and even before the crisis is backwards; compared to other parts of the country. “The education backwardness of the insurgency affected region, particularly Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states were worst and compounded by activities of insurgents,” said Anifowoshe. Dr. Ali Ibrahim of Yobe State University, a resource person also said the major aim of the training workshop; was to improve the teaching and learning capacity of teachers and students. He said it is being achieved through various modules developed by the University. According to him, the modules include; Psycho Social Support (PSS), Conflicts and Disaster Risk Management (CDRM) and Pedagogy of Teaching. The participants also expressed their appreciation and pledged to utilize the skills acquire at the training workshop.
