By Etop Ekanem

A Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, Ovu Foundation, at the weekend, organized Workshop for Teachers in Ovu community, Ethiope East local government area of Delta state, with the Theme: Methodology for Analysing and Communicating Difficult Concepts.

The Workshop which was held at Evomec Royal Hotel, Oviorie-Ovu, Ethiope East local government area of Delta state, had participants from Unuame Primary School, Urhodo Primary School Ovu junction Primary School, Okuodi Primary School.

Others are Agbaga Primary School, TEA Salubi Primary School, Ejemeyovwi Primary School, Oviorie Model Primary School, Onokobaro Primary School, Ovu Grammer School, Urhodo Secondary School, Ovioire Secondary School and EKpan-Ovu Secondary School.

The President of the Ovu Foundation and Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh said the foundation came out with this initiative in ensuring that all areas as it concerns education are covered hence the need for this workshop to upgrade the teachers in their teaching skills.

Rim-Rukeh said the essence of the workshop is to ensure that the trainers are trained in their respective disciplines and to impact in them new methodology in teaching, pointing out that the teachers cannot rely on their old method of teaching, hence the foundation had come up with this workshop with guest lecturers from various tertiary institutions to train the trainers.

The Chairman of the Seminar Organizing Committee, Dr. Emmanuel Oniyama, said the workshop is for teachers in primary and secondary schools and that the major subjects are Mathematics and English being the mother and father of all subjects with focus on JSS1 to JSS3.

Oniyama who said the workshop is a refresher course to retrain the teachers on some difficult topics or courses that may be difficult for them to teach now due to the change in time, hence the foundation wants to acquaint them with the new method of teaching so they can go and impact the knowledge on the pupils.

He said this is the first time the foundation will organize this kind of workshop for teachers, but it has been donating teaching materials such as books, uniforms and others to several schools, and scholarship to pupils that were successful in their reading, essay and quiz competitions. 

He said the foundation is building an E-Library where the pupils can also go for reading and carry out research, adding that what the foundation may achieve from the workshop is ensuring that the teachers go back equipped with new method of teaching to solve those difficult mathematics and also do well in English, not only to themselves but to Ovu community and the entire society.

Mr. Emesea Wilfred representing the Chief Inspector of Education, CIE, Ethiope East, Mr. Joseph Ughwujovwo and Mrs Mercy Omouvie, representing Secretary, Local Education Authority, LEA, Mrs. Rose Esiso said he must commend the Ovu Foundation for this laudable steps it has taken in coming up with this workshop for teachers to face the methodology of the present day teaching.

They explained that the workshop will no doubt enhance the performance of the teachers after the workshop, applauding the initiative of the foundation, adding that their attitude and method towards teaching mostly in mathematics will change, appealing to the foundation to extend their hands of fellowship to other areas, advising the teachers to impact the knowledge they have acquired to the pupils.

Dr. Esevosa Obiroro, one of the guest lecturers in English Department, College of Education, Warri, said language has four major skills; Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing, that the idea of using an integrated approach to teaching these four skills in one lesson period may not impact on the pupils the knowledge they intend to acquire.

Obiroro pointed out that the four skills should be taught separately so that the pupils can digest what they have been taught, and this can be achieved if the teachers ensure that the pupils are listening, adding that the teachers had realized that the approach they use in classrooms are old approach and there is need to move towards a model approach for teaching because of the topic he presented, ‘Language Method’.

Dr. Prince Perekeme Peresuode, another lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, College of Education, Warri said one of the fundamental issues raised is that teachers should at all times upgrade their lesson notes, as they cannot continue using same lesson notes for years without looking at the new method of teaching mostly mathematics.

Peresuode advised the teachers to go back and dust their lesson notes and look at other ways they can present a topic in mathematics and should ensure they teach Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division at the primary level using a new method called the numberline, adding that he has given them class work so that as they go back to their various schools they can impact the knowledge on other teachers and the pupils.

Mrs Noren Roseline from Agbadah Primary School Onokobaro and Mrs Josephine from Okuodi Primary School said the foundation has been doing wonderfully and that they have been assisting and providing a lot for both the pupils and their parents who cannot provide for their children and guardians.

The highpoints of the workshop was the presentation of a Certificate of Training to the participants by members of the Ovu Foundation.