The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Katsina State government has trained 60 junior and senior secondary school science teachers on climate change.
While addressing the participants, the UNICEF Focal Person, State Ministry of Education, Hajiya Binta Abdulmumini, said the essence of the training was to enlighten the teachers on climate change and its relevance to education.
She charged participants to step down the training to at least 100 students and other teachers in their respective schools in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change in the state.
She said teachers were selected across six UNICEF’s intervention local governments of Kankara, Ingawa, Baure, Jibia, Kankia, and Rimi as part of efforts to mitigate the effect of climate change in the state.
According to her, “The ultimate goal for this training is for these teachers and their students to be able to live with climate change: know how to adapt and how to be innovative to bring about their own mitigation measures.”
Dr. Ummi Khalthum Mohammed, the resource person for the training, called on the participants to include climate change in their school curriculum and effectively teach children about its implications.
Consequently, she urged the state government and all stakeholders to provide an enabling environment for “these children so that they can learn effectively in their respective schools.”
She added: “If the children are effectively equipped about climate change when announcements are made on whether we are going to have extreme temperatures or heavy rainfall already, they are prepared to deal with it.
“So, unnecessary deaths, diseases, or calamities can easily be avoided especially when it has to do with the welfare of the children. It will also sensitise the government and all stakeholders to provide an enabling environment for these children so that they can learn effectively.”
