The Queen’s School Enugu Old Girls Association (QSEOGA), Abuja Branch, on Wednesday trained no fewer than 500 teachers and students of the school on re-parenting and core values aimed at preparing students for future leadership.
The training titled “Taking Responsibility for the Future – The Challenge of Re-parenting Our Youths” for teachers and “Core Values for Transformational Leadership” for students was aimed at empowering the school children for task ahead.
Speaking at the event in Enugu, Prof. Ngozi Egbuna, the President, QSEOGA, Abuja Branch, said the initiative was to impact and empower the students, teachers and non academic staff of the school.
She added that the idea was the branch’s little way of giving back to their alma mater, adding that the training was focused on the future of students and responsibilities of teachers in ensuring they changed and rebranded students for a brighter future.
“The branch can change the building, renovate a hostel for them, build road or water but this training is ingrained in them and their psyche for life. You are now ambassadors of leadership development in this school.
“We are going to give prizes from this leadership training to those who showed leadership practically,” she said.
She explained that the exercise was being facilitated by Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Abuja.
The Resource person and Lead Consultant, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Abuja, Dr Solomon Agbonhulu, said teachers’ action and inaction moulded students character and formation, tasking them to inspire and becoming a role model to children.
He urged them to re-parent the children by inculcating core values of honesty, hardwork, discipline, integrity and being God fearing.
“With the abandonment of responsibilities and influence of social media, teachers should be re-parenting these young ones, otherwise, they will choke with social vices like kidnapping, prostitution and others,” he advised.
Agbonhulu equally tasked students on transformational leadership, calling on them to exhibit empathy, courage, integrity, mentoring and support others to bring out needed positive changes in the society.
Another resource person from the foundation, Dr Inya Ode, while advising teachers to see themselves as parents and stewards, urged them to engage in digital learning to be in same space with students.
According to her, it will be difficult for analogue teachers to teach digital students who are ahead of them.
In her remarks, the President, QSEOGA Enugu Branch, Mr Maureen Atuonwu, said the branch had empowered students with various skills stressing that the leadership training would build them.
Thanking the organisers, the Principal of Queen’s School, Enugu, Mrs Felicia Onyeazo, said the school would not take the training for granted and emphasised the need for teamwork among teachers for the formation of students.
Meanwhile, some of the teachers who spoke at the training highlighted poor renumeration, lack of motivation, overcrowded classroom, inadequate personnel, parental interference and government policies as some of the challenges facing them.
The students, on the other side, expressed appreciation to the old girls association for the training.
The Senior Prefect of the school, Onyinyechi Okoroafor, said they would put all they learnt into practice as well as reciprocate the gesture by giving back to the school when they become alumni of the school.