Heads of delegations and chairs of committees, including Accredited Ambassadors of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Relief Fund in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), rose from a maiden edition of the NgEducators and International Human Rights Commission Model United Nations (NgIMUN) Conference 2024, in Enugu, at the weekend, calling on governments at all levels around the world to take the lead in education.
They stressed the need to overcome the urban-rural education gap and also improve access to quality education for rural populations through increased investment and full use of modern technologies, including the establishment of remote education systems and training.
They said: “Education and training should contribute to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth by developing requisite skills, in line with labour market requirements and development needs of countries.”
Their position was contained in the “Enugu Declaration 2024,” rendered by NgIMUN President and Director-General, Global, International Human Rights Commission, Relief Fund Trust, Dr. Tivlumun Ahure, at the end of the conference themed, ‘The development of Education in Developing Countries.’
He said: “We emphasised the need to promote and improve the relevance of teaching and learning, including aligning education policies, curricula, training and teaching, as well as learning approaches with priorities identified in national development strategies.”
They noted that this is also to ensure that educational curricula, methodologies and training yield high levels of literacy, numeracy and life skills.The delegation heads further said that this would also enhance teachers’ training and their continued professional development to improve their pedagogical capacity to conduct student-centred lessons, as well as promote creative and critical thinking.
Meanwhile, they lauded the Smart Schools initiative of the Peter Mbah administration in Enugu State and the allocation of 33 per cent of the state’s 2024 budget to education.
The Smart Green School comprises an interactive digital whiteboard, internet system, robotics and artificial intelligence laboratories, a modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, two science laboratories for primary and junior secondary classes, a hybrid multimedia library, a creative production studio, and 25 inclusive classrooms, among others
