Obasanjo Urges School Principals, Teachers To Champion Character Rebirth Campaign
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called on the principals and teachers in Nigerian schools to champion the character and moral rebirth campaign in Nigeria.
Obasanjo gave the challenge at the orientation programme organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI) for participants at its intensive long-vacation training for school principals for its Advanced Certificate in School Leadership and Management (ACSLM) programme.
He noted that good classroom/academic work without adequate attention to character and moral values of the children could lead to effort in futility.
The former president noted that children spend more time in the care of the schools which are managed by the principals, than in the care of their parents, hence principals and teachers are a powerful force in shaping the lives of children in desired directions.
He said: “Undoubtedly, you are saddled with extraordinary responsibility, and you should discharge this creditably and satisfactorily. This training programme by OOLI has been specially packaged to assist you in achieving this goal.”
In his remarks, Director of OOLI, General Martin Luther Agwai (retd), noted that the training programme was fully aligned with OOLI’s core objective which is to equip leaders at every level with the insight, values, and skills required to drive the needed change in complex environments.
“Through this programme, you are embarking on a journey that is as personal as it is national in its scope. As we respond to the ever-evolving landscape of education, we recognise that the role of school principals is not just about managing classrooms but about steering educational ecosystems. Principals are strategic leaders who must contend with a range of complex demands ranging from governance and school safety to fostering innovation and creating inclusive learning environments.”
In his submission, the facilitator of the course, Prof. Peter Okebukola, informed the participants that they would cover topics that emerged from a national survey of training needs of school principals.
“OOLI deploys the global best practice of first finding out the training needs of potential trainees before developing the training curriculum. This is followed by the development of the training materials and then the implementation of the training programme. That way, OOLI will be meeting the needs of trainees rather than making a guess of what their needs would be.”
