The Call To Love Initiative (Call2Luv), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has urged a renewed push for teacher certification and stronger support for low-cost schools serving underserved communities.

Founder of Call2Luv, Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, made the call at the organisation’s 15th anniversary and inauguration of the Affordable and Inclusive Education Index (AIEI) on Saturday in Lagos.

Ms Akingbohungbe said the event signalled a shift from direct intervention to evidence-driven system reform.

She said the reform aimed at strengthening teachers and improving learning outcomes for children in low-income communities.

She noted that the initiative was built on a simple conviction that every child deserved access to quality education and dignity.

Ms Akingbohungbe urged stakeholders to act on evidence and invest in teachers and students.

Earlier, chairman of the 15th Anniversary Planning Committee, Abiola Salami, described education as the foundation of opportunity and called for urgent support for teacher accreditation and student development programmes.

“Education is the oxygen of opportunity,” he said.

Mr Salami also noted that the organisation had reached 2,000 children, trained 500 teachers, and supported 22 low-cost schools in its mission to transform lives beyond statistics.

He urged partners and donors to support the teacher accreditation and summer camp initiatives, emphasising that there were moments in life when applause was not enough.

“This moment demands commitment beyond convenience, giving beyond comfort, and action beyond admiration,” he said.

Also speaking, Ronke Soyombo, registrar and chief executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), said the initiative’s Education Observatory and AIEI would strengthen evidence-based decision-making in Nigeria’s education system.

Ms Soyombo said the data-driven approach was critical to improving learning outcomes and supporting low-cost schools.

“We cannot fix what we cannot measure,” Ms Soyombo said.

She reiterated the federal government’s commitment to teacher certification, noting that by December 2027 all teachers in classrooms must be licensed.

While stressing the importance of keeping children in school and supporting teachers with professional training, she said the street was not a classroom.

Ms Soyombo said that the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway would allow teachers without education degrees to undergo a six-month hybrid certification programme.

She further said efforts were ongoing to secure funding to sponsor at least 100,000 teachers nationwide.

The AIEI pilot findings presented at the event showed that 95.3 per cent of teachers reported that students struggled to pay school fees, while 61.5 per cent of teachers were uncertified, but 93.3 per cent expressed willingness to obtain certification.

The anniversary also highlighted the human story behind the initiative, captured in a documentary that traced its origin to a young boy named Sunday, a hard-of-hearing car wash attendant who struggled to raise money for his examinations.

The documentary showed how the initiative evolved from supporting vulnerable children and orphanages to running summer camps, teacher training programmes, and school improvement projects. 

(NAN)