EFFURUN/Nigeria: The founding Executive Director of Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative (VREI) and South-South Zonal Coordinator of the Male Feminists Network (MFN), Amb. Pst. Edewor Egedegbe, has called on school workers to demonstrate professionalism, accountability and commitment to their duties to improve service delivery and promote institutional development.
Egedegbe made the call while speaking to the management and staff of Splendid Spring Secondary School, Osubi, during a capacity-building session on the theme, “Building a Professional, Productive and United School Workforce.”
He described professionalism as the consistent application of competence and responsible conduct in the workplace, urging teachers and other school workers to embrace diligence, initiative, respect for institutional policies and effective teamwork.
According to him, the quality of service provided by a school depends largely on the attitude and commitment of its workforce, stressing that every member of staff has a role to play in achieving the institution’s objectives.
Egedegbe also challenged the workers to take ownership of their responsibilities rather than limiting themselves to the duties expressly assigned to them.
He urged them to ensure that their responsibilities were carried out effectively, regardless of their individual positions or work schedules, noting that personal commitment to an organisation could also contribute to individual professional advancement.
“Whatever you push forward also pushes you forward,” he said.
The development expert further encouraged the staff to adopt a solution-oriented approach to workplace challenges.
Rather than merely drawing attention to problems, he said employees should be willing to contribute ideas and practical solutions, adding that taking ownership of the school’s success would help build a stronger and more productive workforce.
Egedegbe expressed appreciation to the school management for the opportunity to interact with the staff and commended the workers for their participation in the training.
At another engagement with teachers of Kingdom Heritage Model School (KHMS), Uti Road, Egedegbe spoke on “Professionalism in Action,” focusing on accountability, discipline, competence and character as key elements of effective professional practice.
He explained accountability as the willingness to accept responsibility for tasks and actions entrusted to an individual.
According to him, professionals should resist the tendency to shift blame when things go wrong, but should instead acknowledge their responsibilities and take appropriate steps to correct mistakes.
“Discipline is required as a professional to enable you to do what is required and not what you like. You don’t need to shout to make a mark. Correct without humiliating,” he said.
On competence, Egedegbe urged the teachers to continually develop their knowledge and skills, stressing that professionals must remain committed to learning and improving their capacity.
He, however, noted that competence alone was not sufficient, emphasising the importance of character in determining how individuals use the opportunities that come their way.
According to him, while competence can open doors, character plays an important role in determining how far a person can progress after gaining access to those opportunities.
He also urged the teachers to engage in regular self-examination and recognise the influence they exert on their students beyond classroom instruction.
Egedegbe noted that teachers were not only responsible for imparting academic knowledge but also for helping to shape values and character, stressing that their personal conduct could serve as an important lesson to the younger generation.
He said the professional standards and behaviour demonstrated by educators would ultimately have implications for the kind of society future generations would inherit.
