PUNCH Media Foundation organised a workshop for teachers from select primary and secondary schools across Lagos and Ogun states at the headquarters of PUNCH in Ogun State on 15 & 16 April 2025. The workshop titled Empowering Educators: Effective Communication for 21st‑Century Classrooms aimed to equip educators with practical skills to enhance their classroom experience and improve learning outcomes.
Mr. Dele Aina, Head of Training Directorate, PUNCH Media Foundation, welcomed participants to the training. He highlighted the uniqueness of the event by stating that it was the first of its kind, bringing together teachers to train on effective communication, which lies at the heart of what PMF does. Aina assured the participants that the workshop would equip them with tools that would make them better educators whose impact would be greatly felt in the classrooms and beyond.
To set the tone for the workshop, Mrs. Maureen Popoola, a lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, facilitated the session titled Understanding Student Engagement: Techniques for Clear and Interactive Classroom Communication. Popoola noted that an educator’s power lies in making hard things easy by deploying every possible tactic, including role-play, singing, and quick polls. While she stressed the need for participants to always seek feedback from their students to assess their understanding of the subject matter, she urged them to always strive to impart through their teaching rather than to impress.
Moreover, Mr. Dele Aina, the head of Training at PMF, facilitated the session on emotional intelligence for educators. He indicated that in teaching, being self-aware is just as important as having expertise in the subject matter. He added that an educator who is not aware of themselves could pose a threat to themselves and the students they teach because they are not aware of what they are capable of doing. He led exercises in recognising personal stress signals, inviting teachers to always remember to pause, breathe then respond, and to solicit honest feedback from students to gauge classroom climate.
The workshop also addressed the need for educators to harness digital tools for real classroom connections. Mrs. Abimbola Oluwunmi, Director of Zehrah Montessori School and Founder of the Read Right Foundation, explained that integrating technology into teaching is not about increasing workload, but about streamlining tasks and improving efficiency. Using practical examples, she demonstrated how teachers and administrators can become more productive by embracing digital tools for various purposes including teaching, assessment, communication (with stakeholders including parents and teachers), and resource sharing.
Mental Health and Well-being for Educators and Students was another session taken at the workshop. Dr. Samuel Aladejare, a consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro‑Psychiatric Hospital, Lagos, and Fellow of the West African College of Physicians, did justice to the subject. He reframed mental health as not just about being insane, but being socially and emotionally well. He walked participants through de‑stigmatisation language, which generously involves the use of positive reinforcement to boost the confidence of students and enhance their relationships. Aladejare also stressed the need for participants to prioritise their mental health through leisure, boundaries, mindfulness, and support-seeking, when needed.
Mrs. Isabella Adediji, the Founder and Managing Director of Yellow Tamarind Productions, showed that relationships matter in every classroom engagement. She led active‑listening drills where she noted that empathy helps the teacher relate to the students’ perspectives and helps to validate students’ feelings by acknowledging their emotions. Through paired exercises, teachers practised mirroring student concerns and using the sandwich feedback – praise, correction, and encouragement to deepen trust and spark genuine curiosity.
Mr. Siyanbola Adegoke, CEO of DOSA DANE Consults, opened the classroom conflict resolution session by emphasising that hypocrisy undermines relationships and that high power-distance can damage teacher-student dynamics. He stressed that a teacher’s self-awareness and the way students perceive them significantly influence classroom communication and impact. Speaking further, Adegoke described conflict as a hidden opportunity to promote empathy and unity. He highlighted common classroom tensions such as miscommunication, resource struggles, and inconsistent teaching. He also demonstrated practical ways to resolve disputes respectfully.
The workshop did not conclude without participants sharing their reflections. Mrs. Kaka Tawakalitu Adebimpe of Magboro Community High School expressed a boost in confidence to engage all her students more effectively. Mr. Adewusi Love, Head of School, KESBE International School, stated that he would ensure to practise all that he was taught at the workshop for better learning outcomes. Mrs. Agnes Agbo, Head of Vicsum Private Schools, described the workshop content as timely, educational, and impactful, commending the facilitators for their clarity, depth, and commitment to shaping a better future for education in Nigeria.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Rebecca Erureh, PMF’s Head of Programmes and Research, thanked participants for making the workshop a success and described them as the greatest of all time for their efforts in shaping future generations. She hoped the knowledge gained would be applied to strengthen their roles as educators and mentors, encouraged them to share the knowledge with colleagues, and noted PMF’s plan to hold future workshops in schools and other public spaces.
As the workshop ends and participants resume for the third and final term in the session, they carry not just certificates but also the knowledge and skills to drive deeper student engagement, promote enhanced learning, and contribute to correcting the ills in Nigeria’s education system.
