By Esther Onyegbula

Curriculum and Instruction expert, Dr. Peter Oyewole, has urged educators across Africa to embrace innovation and inclusivity as tools for shaping the future of learning.

Speaking as keynote speaker at the 2025 Summer Fellowship for Innovative Teaching (SFIT) Awards, held on Saturday, September 6, in Abuja, Dr. Oyewole charged teachers, policymakers, and families to reimagine teaching as a communal act designed to reach every child.

Delivering an address titled “Teaching for Every Child”, he outlined three Universal Design for Learning (UDL)-aligned strategies, Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression, which he said would help educators “make learning matter, make ideas visible, and allow students to show understanding in diverse ways.”

The event, themed “Harnessing Innovation to Shape Our Children’s Future”, was co-hosted by the Murdock-Thompson Center for Teachers (M-TC), USA, and the Intellectual Giants in Africa Foundation (INGAF). It was streamed live to audiences across Africa and the diaspora.

Dr. Oyewole stressed that classrooms of the future must reflect courage, creativity, and care, adding that “every unseen learner deserves a seat at the table of learning.” His call resonated with attendees, many of whom described the keynote as emotionally deep and timely for addressing Africa’s educational challenges.

Other highlights of the ceremony included goodwill messages from Segun Abiri of the Institute of Non-Formal Education Practitioners (INFEP), and William Lavin, President of M-TC. A tribute was delivered by M-TC Board Member, Victor Adegboye, while 2022 SFIT Award winner, Mrs. Senami, made a special presentation.

The ceremony closed with a saxophone performance, leaving the audience in reflective mood.

Since its inception in 1995, the SFIT Awards have celebrated educators who demonstrate courage, creativity, and care in their classrooms. This year’s edition reinforced the platform’s mission to showcase transformative teaching practices that prepare learners for a rapidly changing world.