A non-governmental organisation, Action Health Incorporated, in collaboration with the Osun State Government, has organised a three-day training for 45 secondary school teachers in the state focusing on Comprehensive Sexuality Education and the prevention of Female Genital Mutilation.
The training was organised with support from the United Nations Population Fund under the UNFPA-UNICEF joint programme on the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.
Speaking on Wednesday at the exercise held at Osun Government Secretariat in Osogbo, the South-West Gender/FGM Analyst for UNFPA, Mrs Uzoma Ayodeji, said the training was designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to engage students on sexuality education and to accelerate efforts toward ending FGM.
Ayodeji explained that participants, drawn from both public and private schools across the state, would be expected to step down the training in their various schools to reach more students, particularly young girls.
“Teachers are the nurturers of every Nigerian child. They are frontline actors in education, and they are in daily contact with these teenagers.
“In the past, we would bring students out directly for training. Now, we are scaling up by training teachers so they can form school clubs and pass on the same knowledge to all the girls in their schools, not just a selected few,” Ayodeji said.
She noted that since Action Health Incorporated began its intervention in Osun, several initiatives aimed at ending FGM had been implemented, leading to a significant decline in the state’s prevalence rate.
“The impact is visible. We are making progress, and we are hopeful that by 2030, FGM will be completely eradicated in Osun State,” she added.
Ayodeji also called on residents to report perpetrators of FGM to the appropriate authorities, stressing that ending the harmful practice required collective action from all stakeholders.
Earlier in her remarks, Programme Officer, Action Health Incorporated, Fatimah Idris, urged participants to ensure they transfer the knowledge gained to their students and other teachers.
She emphasised that teachers have a critical role to play in the fight against FGM and should treat their students as their own children.
“Your classrooms are the safest spaces these young people have outside their homes. Use that trust to protect them and give them the right information,” Idris said.
Idris added that the organisation would continue to provide support to ensure the teachers effectively deliver the lessons in their schools.
“If we all take ownership of this fight, we will break the cycle of silence and ensure that no girl in Osun suffers the pain and trauma of FGM,” Idris said.
In his goodwill message, the Director of Basic Education in the Osun State Ministry of Education, Mr. Mayowa Oyetunji, encouraged participants to fully engage with the training, stressing that the knowledge and skills acquired would strengthen classroom delivery.
“On behalf of the state government, I want to appreciate Action Health Incorporated for this training. I urged our teachers to use this opportunity to learn, unlearn, and relearn. What you take back to your schools will shape the future of the children under your care,” Oyetunji said.
The reports that Osun state government and collaborating groups have been involved in efforts to rid the state of FGM and promote healthy living among the residents.
As part of such efforts, the residents of Akinlalu in Osun State have officially declared their intention to abandon the harmful practice of female genital mutilation and to report anyone caught engaging in it to security agencies.
A statement by the Programme Officer of Action Health Incorporated, the Non-Governmental organisation which organised the event with the support of the United Nations Population, Fatima Idris, obtained in Osogbo, stated that the programme had in attendance residents and other major stakeholders.
Oba Israel Oluwabusola, the Alakinlalu, speaking on behalf of the community, affirmed their commitment to ending FGM and working with health and law enforcement authorities: