In order to improve on the level of road safety education and awareness in schools in Oyo State and the country in general, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Oyo State sector, in collaboration with the Oyo State Model Education Interventions (OYOMESI) has organized a Train the Trainers Workshop for teachers in basic schools.
While giving his keynote address at the programme held at the Federal Cooperative College, Eleyele, for teachers in primary and junior school sections, the zonal Commanding Officer, RS11 Headquarters, Osogbo, Commander Gbenga Shobowale Oke, disclosed that organizing a workshop like this was long overdue.
He established that since the infusion of road safety education into the basic school’s curriculum in March 2012, the teachers had not been trained.
Commander Gbenga Oke stated that FRSC has mapped out strategies to execute the programme in order to entrench road safety culture in school children by training their teachers, who will in turn train the children.
While declaring the workshop open, the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Education, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi, noted that teaching is one of the demanding vocations in the world, and in order for teachers to fulfill their important roles with excellence, they need trainings, motivation as well as regular mental, emotional and spiritual rejuvenation.
“To prove that educational system is recognised as pertinent to the development of the state, region or society, the entire society must recognize the importance of teachers, and this should often be evidenced by the resources spent on teachers’ capacity building.”
Dr Akin-Alabi further stated that the workshop was about building an effective model and mechanism that would develop and enhance the teachers’ capacity and provide them avenues for professional development.
She explained that the strand 3 of OYOMESI is aimed towards bridging the gap and provide a structured teachers’ continuing professional development and Incentive programme that would be implemented to World’s best practices, and supporting the state government’s intentions of building a legacy in education and achieve the SDG 4.
“The training needs of teachers in Oyo State are truly daunting. This is why OYOMESI is teaming up with organisations such as the FRSC to conduct the capacity workshop on Road Safety Education for teachers in all the 33 LGAs of the state.
“OYOMESI acts as a bridge to sustainable developments in the education sector and welcomes such collaborative activities from other government organisations, non-governmental organizations and Private sector companies.
“Recently, the Oyo State government announced a collaboration with Microsoft and Signal Alliance to roll out the biggest Microsoft Imagine Academy in Africa. This step has increased access to all pupils (private and public) in the state,” Dr Akin-Alabi submitted.
In her welcome address, the Oyo State Sector Commander, FRSC, Cecelia Alao, explained that it is part of responsibilities of the organization to ensure road traffic crash in the state is reduced to the barest minimum through the use of educational tools, enforcement and stakeholders’ collaboration.
She added that FRSC is determined to ensure that youths are imbibed with safe road culture and enhanced behavioral modification through the use of approaches of curriculum and co-curriculum to structure and infuse safety education in schools.
Commander Alao commended the State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi for creating a laudable vision for the benefit of future leaders of the state through the Oyo State Model Education System Interventions (OYOMESI) initiative.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
