From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Ifeanyi Enukorah is a British certified teacher trainer. He has been presenting and facilitating workshop since 2005 to audiences in South Africa, Kenya and other countries of the world. In this interview, he explained the need for improved condition of service of teachers in Nigeria.
You have had memorable experience in teachers’ and youths development. Please tell us more about it
Yes I am a teacher and trainer. In fact, I am a trained and certified British Council facilitator and trainer. I used to be a school teacher but I later moved deeper into the education services some years back by engaging training of school teachers and heads. This was just to ensure that school environment becomes better, operate and maintain global standards so that kids could also learn in a friendly environment and become global citizens.
In the last six years, I have been privileged to train above 8,500 private and public school teachers and leaders. But aside that, I do some consultancy for some international companies like Virgin Atlantic Airways, Maersk Shipping Nigeria and several others
What informed your decision to quit teaching and venture into life and career coaching?
I was passionate about teaching, but I love to see people maximize their potentials, by helping them uproot the spirit of fear, and encourage them to launch out to take up new challenges and conquer new grounds. Specifically, teachers and youths are my key area of focus. They need to develop their skills and capacities, and as well appreciate themselves in order to be relevant in socio-economic discussions in Nigeria. There are lots of potentials in Nigeria but people don’t really see them and those that claim to see them don’t know how to tap into them. Most times, they focus on government to set up policies and standards, but they fail to realize and play their part of the bargain. So, they must begin to build their capacities and believe in themselves. By this, they should look inwards to see the hidden treasures and maximize them. For example, I used to work with the British Council Nigeria, but one day in 2010, I woke up and decided to take the risk of setting up my own company. It was not easy for me at the early days, but because I was determined, committed and success found me. Now, I found joy, peace and happiness doing what I love, and that had opened several doors for me. I have had course to travel to several countries of the world either training the people or consulting.
What are you major career achievements.
My greatest achievement was exposing the secrets of career and academic success to the people who are desirous of making a mark in the teaching profession. I can describe my achievements as broad and vast. I have received series of striking testimonies and feedbacks from teachers and school heads regarding the usefulness and impact of my training to their continued self and organisational growth and development. Interestingly, I recently received a testimony from a teacher in Reagent School, Abuja, who attended my training sponsored by the British Council in time past. After the class, she returned to the school and applied the principles that I shared. Amazingly, when foreign supervisors visited the school for validation, they scored her above her contemporaries. That was amazing! She told them that the knowledge was acquired from my training she attended. I felt fulfilled and encouraged when I receive such feedbacks. It might interest you to know that my training is not limited to private schools alone. I have had course to train public school teachers and school heads as well, and the result was reflected in their leadership and teaching performance, as well as the academic exploits of the students.
What could you say is the major challenge of the teaching profession in Nigeria?
There are quite a number of challenges that could be responsible for the lost passion in teaching. The effect of that was the obvious drop in quality of teachers, as well as academic performance of children. However, one of the major challenges that I could see was the issue of teachers’ appreciation. Teachers are not appreciated in Nigeria as it is the case in developed countries where they are treated as mini gods. The profession is highly respected in many developed countries because they recognize their immense contribution to the development of the society. Governments of such nations provide adequate care for teachers and respect their decisions. Such dignified treatment and respect increased the thirst of younger generations to venture into the profession. In such countries, you will be amazed to see kids wake up and decide to venture into teaching profession, because it is a noble profession that is respected by the entire society. Another major challenge is remuneration. It is absurd that teachers have to embark on industrial action before government could pay their salaries and other entitlement, which, in most cases cannot even give them better life. I have said several times that teachers do the hardest job and not doctors or any other profession. And I can defend the statement anywhere in the world. For instance, teachers spent longer hours with kids than we parents do. While you are at work or business, they commit to taking good care of the kids until when you return. But on the contrary, teachers themselves must learn how to appreciate and celebrate themselves, because they hardly do that to each other, and that is one of my life goal, to make them realize the nobility in the teaching profession and appreciate each other.
You have listed some of the challenges, do you have the solutions?
Of course the solutions have been highlighted several times in different fora, but I can still revisit them. To achieve a durable solution to these problems, there must be a change of mind, re-orientation and paradigm shift in the minds of the policy makers, the education managers, teachers and parents. It is a collective effort of all to have a better and stronger education system in Nigeria that would not only impact theoretical knowledge on our children, but arm them with practical tools and knowledge that would make them global citizens that would be willing and adequately equipped to make significant impact on socio-economic discussion across the world. Leaders must also learn how to show appreciation to their former teachers. Imagine the joy and fulfillment of a teacher if a governor, president and other captains of industry openly talk about them and appreciate them for the amazing impact they had on their lives. That would motivate younger generation to develop passion for the teaching profession. There is no doubt that the society would collapse if teachers are remove from the society, because without education, no society thrives. In summary, policy change, attitudes and improved remuneration of teachers, particularly at the public school levels are the keys to boosting the reputation of teaching profession.
What could you see as obstacles regarding youth development and dream realization?
Youth underdevelopment has a link with the kind of education we receive in Nigeria. For instance, the education system of developed countries trains their youths to be self-reliant, critical thinkers, creative, and independent in every area of life. But in Nigeria, our education system trains us to read and pass exams. So, students graduate with nothing but a paper called “certificate”. Many of the graduates cannot confidently express themselves either verbally or in written form, not to contribute constructively to socio-economic discussions. When they graduate and are confronted with real life challenges, they fail to proffer solutions to it. That is one of the major obstacles. Secondly, the policy framework of government ought to be reviewed. It is a shame to have ministry of youth development that is doing nothing to better the lives of youths. Ideally, the ministry ought to be in the vanguard for policies that would enhance self discovery and encourage potential entrepreneurs to take bold steps and enjoy the backup of the government through the Ministry of Youth Development. Also, there is need for proper re-orientation and change of mindset of the youths, pushing their minds away from white-collar jobs to entrepreneurship and private business establishment.
Having travelled wide, what could you spot in the governance system of those countries that made them different from ours?
The differences are much, especially in developed western countries, because their leaders and systems are committed to serving the interest of the people instead of individual. South Africa is an African country, but with a whole lot of innovations and paradigm shift in the teachers and youth development programmes. The case is same in developed western countries. Over there, they have the content and they know how to deliver it so that kids could easily learn and apply the knowledge when and where necessary. You will observe that, from the point of teacher recruitment, curriculum development, teaching and remuneration, serious attention is given to professionalism and skills, as well as ability to effectively deliver. For instance, young people in some of the developed countries are taught to be bold, courageous and take risks. They are not be afraid to make mistakes unlike the case in Nigeria where any child that fails WAEC or JAMB is termed “Olodo”, instead of feeding that same child with words of encouragement and possibly finding solutions to the poor academic performance. Over there, kids fail exams and the parents, relative or even a friend rise up with encouragement to make a better preparation next time. But in Nigeria, people fail and they are afraid of trying again, and that has been the bane of our academic and business exploits.