Plateau teachers to tackle violent extremism

Secondary school teachers and educators from the five central zones of Plateau State have pledged to tackle violent extremism in their schools through education strategies and relevant tools.

They made the pledge in Pankshin Local Government Area of the state during a capacity building workshop organised by the Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR) in collaboration with Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

A teacher from Government Secondary School Wokkos in Pankshin, Nenmor Gobum, said they have been equipped on how to prevent, handle violent extremism among their students.

He said they will do all it takes to inculcate into the students morality via moral instructions, enlightenment and strategic teachings.

In her remarks, Rose Julius, a Literature in English teacher with Good Shepherd College Pankshin, said she will inculcate into her students the dangers of anger and how to avoid it, noting that a controlled temperament is an important step in preventing violent extremism.

She said she has been equipped on how to curtail bad habits exhibited by students, and that they will boost all their different activities in the school in a manner that the children will be continually coached on moral uprightness and good living.

Meanwhile, a retired educationist, Ajik Yakubu, in a paper presentation, said the main target of the workshop was to equip the teachers because they have found out that violent extremism actually begins from the school before spreading to the larger society.

Yakubu called on teachers to be humble enough to be close to their students so that they can monitor and regulate their activities/habits and mould them into useful instruments in the society.

According to the workshop concept note, the training, which has 100 teachers and educators from 20 schools in Plateau Central zone will aid the establishment and sustainability of peace clubs in the schools as well as build community resilience within secondary schools at grassroots level.