Poland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Joanna Tarnawska, has urged elders and teachers to develop the character of young people and mold future leaders for the development of Nigeria.
The ambassador made these remarks on Tuesday while delivering her lecture titled “How to Effectively Pass Knowledge and Inspire Students in the Contemporary World,” at the 6th Personality Lecture of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) held at the Felele Main campus, Lokoja, Kogi.
Tarnawska emphasized that youths are eager to learn about life and things around them, which calls for caution in passing information to them.
She noted that every well-meaning nation is working towards having well-disciplined, charismatic, and patriotic future leaders who can bring about growth and development.
“This means that elders and teachers must endeavor to inspire the youths or the students, be the guide, and teach them how to look for information and how to get the gist.
“Nowadays, a teacher is not an encyclopedia anymore, but a teacher is a bookmark and a beacon who points to the relevant paragraph.
“Therefore, a teacher must know his or her audience, adapt language and content to the listeners.
“Know your subject matter and be ready to deepen your knowledge continuously as a teacher so as not to lose track,” she advised.
She also pointed out that while discipline is key in training youths or students, it must be done in a moderate manner to avoid negative results.
Earlier, in his remarks, the FUL Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, emphasized the importance of effective teaching and inspirational mentorship in empowering students to become critical thinkers, innovative problem-solvers, and compassionate leaders.
The VC noted that the ambassador’s lecture focused on strategies for inspiring students in today’s world, drawn from Poland’s rich legacy of academic excellence and innovation.
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Akinwumi urged the audience to embrace the spirit of collaboration, innovation, and lifelong learning, and to recommit themselves to empowering the next generation of leaders and innovators.
The lecture was followed by an interactive session where attendees engaged with the ideas presented and reflected on how to shape the future of education.
The event culminated with the ambassador posing questions to the students and the presentation of gifts to those who answered correctly.
Nevertheless, the event was a huge success, and the university community looks forward to future collaborations and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
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