WYCF Sierra Leone Trains 18 Teachers
A child protection agency, We Yone Child Foundation (WYCF) recently organized a five-day intensive training for 18 teachers on improving the standards of teaching in their respective schools at the Orthodox Church compound, Syke Street in Freetown.
Speaking at the ceremony, the facilitator, Elizabeth M. Mawendeh from UBC School in Bo, cautioned teachers not to shout at their pupils during classes but to encourage and treat them equally as their own children.
“A teacher should not be choleric or hot tempered but must be polite and very slow to act,’’ she warned.
Elizabeth Mawendeh also admonished junior teachers to always exhibit good attitudes towards their bosses, adding that teachers should not use a cane to beat a child for intentionally refusing to read or solve a problem but should use an alternative.
She called on school authorities to find means to engage parents on the need to monitor their children to concentrate on their studies.
The facilitator however expressed disappointment over the laggardness of parents to attend Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) meetings out of fear that teachers would demand money from them.
She sensitized colleague teachers to write letters to parents who normally refuse to attend PTA meetings and complain the behaviours of their children, noting that if a pupil is a slow learner, teachers should use pictures or concrete materials to properly pass the message.
The facilitator cited the example of how a pupil that repeated Class IV grabbed first position during the subsequent years as a result of what she called “good mentorship.”
Head of Schools, We Yone Child Foundation, Elizabeth Brewa, called on teachers to not only use their professionalism to impact knowledge positively on the children but they should also be friendly with them and should not refer them to their situation.
Madam Rachael Kweka, who was also a facilitator, asserted that the more we live together the happier we shall be.
She informed teachers that in planning their lessons, they should bear in mind the scheme of work which she said is followed by the forecasts, lesson notes and the subject corner.
The Chief Executive Officer, WYCF, Santigie Bayoh Dumbuya, said they are working in accordance with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and the Freetown City Council (FCC) Education Department to ensure that children acquire the requisite knowledge.
The CEO disclosed that the programme is for teachers to know how they should live with the children in school, adding that some teachers lack the patience to give audience to their pupils thereby depriving them of participating well. He intimated that as a small organization, it is not easy to pay 18 teachers.
Mr. Dumbuya lectured on the deprived children and other areas they are dealing with. He stressed on the vulnerability of the Kroobay Community in Freetown.
One of the participants, Mr. Lansana, promised to implement all what he learned from the training and urged children to be firm in pursuing wisdom. He also spoke on the need to prioritize the welfare of children.
Isatu Bangura from WYCF Primary School in the Kroobay Community admitted that she learned a lot of new things in the training especially on how to manage her classroom. She described the training as beneficial to them as teachers.
By Abdulai M. Kamara
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