By Sunday Elijah
The Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Education District III, Dr. Yinka Ayandele, has recommended the use of music therapy for both teaching and non-teaching staff of the District, highlighting the efficacy of music in reducing pain, anxiety, fatigue and depression that come with daily activities and the need to remain mentally alert.
She gave the recommendation in Lagos at the recognition and award ceremony for some staff of the District, who distinguished themselves in different areas, where she presented musical gift items to them.
Speaking on the need for everyone to embrace music therapy, Dr. Ayandele listed the advantages of music therapy to include exploration of thoughts and feelings, as well as improvement in mood and concentration, adding that music therapy also assists in developing coping skills among other advantages.
Dr. Ayandele said that everyone engaged in mental related activities like teachers need to create deliberate time to enjoy the music of their choice as a form of relaxation and reinvigoration.
The award and recognition ceremony, which took place at Lekki Conservation Centre, according to Dr. Ayandele, was a deliberate way of taking the teachers to an entirely different location for direct contact with nature under an atmosphere of fun and relaxation.
The Tutor-General said: “We started activities for the celebration of our teachers by acknowledging the efforts of those teachers, who died while in service, with special prayers. We encouraged students and parents to appreciate our teachers, and the feedback we received from this was quite encouraging. Our teachers were elated and that’s part of what we want to achieve.
“Today, we brought our teachers out of the classroom to see nature. We decided to use the natural habitat of some animals as against using an event hall. Take for instance, some of us were seeing some animals for the first time and we also have different games here as well. The intention, however, is to make our teachers happy by creating a time for them to unwind and catch fun, it’s all about learning.”
Informing participants that the decision to celebrate the teachers and also appreciate their contributions to the education sector in the State was at the instance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dr. Ayandele recognised, appreciated and celebrated the immense roles of teachers in shaping the lives of the leaders of tomorrow across the State.
“This is just a way of saying ‘thank you’ to our teachers for their commitment and passion towards ensuring that knowledge is imparted to students, including instilling good morals in them and for also preparing these students for the future.
“Through the efforts of our teachers and the students, Education District III won several awards and brought laurels to the State. I’m using this medium to celebrate our national awardee, the second runner up, best teacher in Nigeria is from this district and even the best Principal in Lagos State is from this District. What else can we ask for from these teachers than to celebrate them and make them happy,” she said.
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