In a significant milestone, School of Eloquence, Nigeria’s leading public speaking training center, has secured approval from the Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board Education Secretariat to train pupils from ten schools on public speaking.
Patience Essien, the school’s registrar who disclosed this in a press release issued in Lagos said the approval grants the school the privilege to conduct public speaking orientation programs in ten public secondary schools as part of its corporate social responsibility.
According to the press release, the approval was signed by Fatima Gambo Babba, the Director of Co-curricular for the Secretary of the FCT Secondary Education Board, identified the selected public schools to benefit from this educational initiative.
The schools include GSS Garki, MSS Maitama, GSS Apo, GSS Tudunwada, GGSS Dutse, GSS Kubwa, GSS Zuba, GSS Kuje, GDSS Gwagwalada, and GSS Kwali, as outlined in the letter dated 16th February 2024.
Over the past seven years, the School of Eloquence has been steadfast in its CSR commitment known as the “Catch Them Young” program, focusing on public secondary school students in Lagos through its school visits and teaching exercises culminating in the annual Eloquence Cup Public Speaking Competition with participation from the trained public schools.
Dean of the school, Ubong Essien, emphasized that the institution is dedicated to shaping the next generation of eloquent speakers by imparting knowledge and skills in public speaking. Since 2017, the school’s outreach to secondary schools in Lagos has positively impacted hundreds of students across more than 25 schools, fostering the development of their communication abilities.
Essien, a United States Certified Speaking professional, also revealed plans to extend similar CSR training programs to secondary schools across the nation’s six geopolitical zones as the it strives to establish junior Eloquence Clubs in Nigerian secondary schools to sustain the catching them young strategy. He also indicated that the 2024 Eloquence Cup competition, the 6th in the series, will assume a national dimension as it will involve public schools from Lagos and Abuja.
Established in 2006, the School of Eloquence has successfully trained over 2000 individuals from both public and private sectors. The institution has cultivated a thriving community of public speakers, exemplified by the establishment of Eloquence Club chapters in Lagos and Abuja for its adult alums spread across the country and from various walks of life.
