iLEAD Fellowship

The conversation about teacher motivation has been on the front burner for as long as possible. Enormous research supports that teachers need some level of encouragement for them to be able to stay motivated and inspired (How Virtual Community of Practice Enhances Teacher Competencies - kindly visit www.leapafrica.org/report to read.). Other reports posit that motivated teachers are likely to pass it on to their students, improving students' academic outcomes.

Mrs Olatundun is a teacher in the iLEAD Fellowship at Army Government Secondary School, Asokoro, Abuja. She monitors and mentors iLEAD students through the entire one-year programme cycle. As part of the programme element, Mrs Tundun was part of the teachers trained in LEAP Africa's Leadership and Life Skills curriculum. The LEAP Africa iLEAD fellowship sponsored by Citi Foundation provides a platform for select teachers to have the opportunity to gain the necessary skills and knowledge required to advance their careers and support the development of their students.

For over 20 years, Mrs Tundun has nurtured a passion for becoming a change agent in her students and society. However, she did not have the requisite knowledge and opportunity to explore her love within her community. According to her, the iLEAD Fellowship is a fantastic opportunity to achieve her dreams of becoming a positive force finally.

After the Training of Trainers (ToT), which takes participants through modules like Leadership, Art and Act of Leadership, Creative Teaching Methods, etc., Mrs Tundun describes her experience as impactful. "After the training, I felt like I could conquer the world. I felt like I could do anything I set my heart to do," says Mrs Tundun. Appraising the ToT further, Mrs Tundun stated that the training is the best she has attended in her 20 years of teaching experience. “Society provides you with little opportunity to explore and become what you want to be as a woman.

After attending the LEAP, Africa training expanded my mental capacity to aspire for more and do more. Now, I have an unquenched hunger for reading and solving problems. I now know that I am not just a woman; I am a force for positive change.”

Only better Teachers can produce Better Students and, consequently, a Better Society.

Mrs Tundun now teaches leadership skills in a small group in her church. She has also developed a renewed passion for community development. Recently, she donated some of her children’s old clothes to the less privileged in a small community in Abuja, and she hopes to do even more.

Your support will continue to enable us empower more teachers to become forces for community change.

Thank you for your usual unwavering support.