The Katsina State Government has begun a five-day intensive training for 306 teachers to strengthen classroom delivery and address the growing learning crisis in basic education.

The training, anchored on the Learning Lab Approach, is simultaneously taking place in Funtua, Malumfashi and Kankia Local Government Areas.

News Media reports that similar sessions had earlier been conducted in Katsina, Daura and Dutsin-Ma as part of efforts to enhance teachers’ professional capacity across the state.

Speaking during the exercise in Kankia on Wednesday, the Local Government Education Secretary, Hamisu Isah, commended UNICEF for supporting the initiative.

“This training provides an opportunity for teachers to learn from one another and adopt new classroom strategies that boost pupils’ participation and performance,” he said.

Isah added that the programme aligned with the state government’s vision of improving foundational literacy and numeracy through quality teaching at the basic level.

At the Funtua centre, the Education Secretary, Hajiya Maryam Babajo, lauded the state’s Universal Basic Education Board for conducting the training.

According to her, the unwavering commitment by UNICEF and SUBEB to improving the standard of basic education through capacity building for teachers will not go unnoticed.

The Team Lead for Facilitators, Mr Danjuma Yusuf, told NAN that the Learning Lab model promotes learner-centred and inclusive education.

“UNICEF introduced the School-Based Teacher Professional Development (SBTPD) to ensure teachers and education experts receive training directly, rather than through cascaded sessions that often lose impact,” he explained.

According to him, the direct engagement approach ensures teachers gain practical skills that translate to better learning outcomes.

“When teachers teach effectively, learning happens naturally. You’ll see children reading fluently and performing better because they are getting the right instruction,” Yusuf added.