Teachers and school managers from ten local government areas of Jigawa State have commended UNICEF, the European Union (EU), and the Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for training 402 caregivers on the use of play-based learning for pre-primary pupils in the state.
Some of the participants in Kiyawa, Birnin Kudu, Kafin Hausa, and Hadejia local government areas expressed gratitude to the sponsors and organizers for equipping them with new teaching skills through the training.
In an interview with the participants in Birnin Kudu on Day 5 of the training, Malam Umar Isyaku, a head teacher at Zango Primary School, said the training was an eye opener.
According to him, “The training made us realise that we were teaching the children the wrong way but the new teaching skills enable them learn by themselves.”
Malama Sa’adatu Adamu, a female participant from Kauyen Maigwaram Primary school, also said that she learnt new skills on not only teaching her students at Early Child, but children in general.
“I have learnt that children at early age learn better through playful activities and even choose their carrier though their kind of plays and their choice of toys,” she explained.
She however, appealed to the organisers of the training, to expand it for the full involvement of other schools across Jigawa state.
In Kiyawa local government, some of the participants said the training was life changing and as it highlighted a means of self learning, as far as children are concerned.
Malam Usman Abubakar, a teacher, expressed gratitude to UNICEF, EU and SUBEB for the training.
According to him, “We highly appreciate them because they have rebounded our skills by putting us through the revised curriculum for ECCE.
“Through the training, we realised that we were teaching the wrong way and enforcing technical products of our education to the children, which was not suitable for them,” he stressed.
At Kafin Hausa training centre, one of the participants, Malam Isa Waliyy from Kafin hausa Kudu primary school in the area, said the training exposed them to the revised curriculum.
He said, “I learnt a lot about circle time and variety of learning areas for children, which has to do with the way their minds operate.
“I also realised the importance of letting the children learn through play as its the best way to allow them learn as against our old method of teaching under strict guidance and monitoring,” he explained.
In Hadejia local government training centre, a participant, Mr Babayo Shuaibu, applauded the training, saying it was a new experience for the teachers, who are eager to return to school with their new teaching skills.
Radio Nigeria reports that, the 5 Day training was part of UNICEF’s implementation of Education and Youth Empowerment Project funded by the European Union with the aim of increasing the number of boys and girls benefiting from safe and inclusive education.
COV/USMAN MZ
