By Adesina Wahab

Teesas Education on Wednesday brought together owners of leading schools, top school managers and stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector to discuss leadership development in children with a focus on the transformative “Leader in Me” programme.

The host, Mr Osayi Izedonmwen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Teesas Education, introduced the Teesas Leader in Me programme which the company delivers in partnership with FranklinCovey Education. He said the Leader in Me programme incorporates The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Justin Permenter, Regional Director of FranklinCovey Education, stressed that globally, there is a shift from the industrial age to the knowledge age.

He shared insights from the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs 2023 Report that suggests that analytical thinking, creative thinking, technological literacy, empathy and active listening, leadership and social influence were some of the skills deemed to be of greatest importance for workers in 2023.

Similarly, McKinsey’s Future of Work Skills Report released in 2023 identified cognitive, interpersonal, self-leadership and digital skills as four categories of skills in demand.

The event included a panel discussion themed: “Implementing socio-emotional leadership development in schools using Leader in Me.”

The session was moderated by Mr. Tom Ighalo, Vice President of Human Resources and Admin, Teesas Education and the panellists were Dr Mrs Femi Ogunsanya, Founder of Oxbridge Tutorial College; Mrs Modupe Adeyinka-Oni, Executive Director of Standard Bearers School; and Mrs Monica Lewis, Head of Schools, Pegasus Schools.

The Leader in Me programme addresses school development in three aspects: culture, leadership and academics, and enhances student development by coaching students to lead themselves and lead others while improving personal effectiveness and interpersonal effectiveness.