Group calls for volunteer teachers
By Chinedu Ozordi (NEXT Reporter) March 16, 2010 11:50PM
Visible Impact, a social enterprise which aims to tackle social and environmental challenges, has called for volunteers who will prepare Lagos State senior secondary students for the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) by tutoring them in Mathematics and English Language.
Concerned with the high failure rate of Lagos public school students in the last external examinations held in our country, the organisation launched Project Raise One Million, an initiative which seeks to encourage one million tutors who will volunteer to teach the students in preparation for the JAMB UTME and SSCE.
“Volunteer teachers may be the only hope the students have to do well this year,” said Fela Durotoye, chief executive officer of Visible Impact and initiator of the project.
The students need help
Project Manager, Mikael Johnson, who has already begun teaching Mathematics at the Surulere Girls Secondary School, has pointed out that the results of recent mock examinations in the state indicate high failure rates, and appealed for volunteers to reverse the trend.
“The students are very receptive and charged up to conquer their exams, but they need help,” he said. “We have started several learning centres in District Four, helping students with basic topics. We are focused on the core subjects, English and Mathematics, and we need people who can help get these students ready.”
The project is partnering with the Lagos State Education District 4. Another partner is the Dr. Ken Katas Youth Foundation, a youth-empowerment nongovernmental organisation, which has been running the project with students from the eastern part of the country.
How to volunteer
“The learning centres include Surulere Girls Secondary School, Government College, Eric Moore School and other schools in District Four, Lagos State,” said Seun Salami, a programme manager in the organisation, in an email. “The Fast Track Program will run for an intensive four-week period to get students ready for WAEC.
The program basically focuses on taking the students through the past questions, as there is limited time before the commencement of their examination. (The) program runs from March 9, 2010 to April 20, 2010. To volunteer as a tutor, please go to www.projectraise.org, click on the Raise 1Million tab and go to the volunteer page, or write to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.”
The 2009 results of external examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the National Association of Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB), indicated a high failure rate among Lagos public school students.
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