NGO launches tools to teach integrity in schools, trains 2,000 teachers on anti-corruption

Step Up Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has trained nearly 2,000 teachers across 14 states to integrate anti-corruption education into school curriculum.

Speaking at the official launch of new anti-corruption education tools in Abuja on Thursday, Onyinye Ough, the founder of Step Up Nigeria, said the initiative is part of the organisation’s “Catch them young” programme, which targets children aged 6 to 15.

Ough said the organisation developed storybooks, board games, comic series, and animations designed to teach children the dangers and consequences of corruption in engaging, age-appropriate formats.

She added that the organisation has reached over 60,000 children across Nigeria and recorded several success stories from its youth fellowship programme.

“We’ve produced an array of tools and resources for schools to teach anti-corruption education,” she said.

“And we thought that, because there’s been a lot of demand from schools, we keep on getting demand, and not just in Nigeria, but also outside of Nigeria.

“And so we decided that it’s best that we sort of have digital tools where anyone in any part of the world can access our tools.

“This app is like a one-stop shop that has what we’ve produced so far and then some new tools like the comic series.”

Ough noted that the organisation’s advocacy efforts have led to tangible community improvements, including road construction, access to clean water, and the renovation of primary healthcare centres and basic education schools in some parts of the country.

Feranmi Iyanda, programmes manager at Step Up Nigeria, said the initiative was aimed at building a culture of integrity among schoolchildren.

“Our most recent programming is our school integrity certification programme, which we are happy to be launching a website for today,” Iyanda said.

“This will help schools build a culture of integrity. So, we are beefing up their academic integrity and admissions integrity.

“We’re improving their codes of conduct, instilling conflict of interest registers to reduce favoritism and bribery between parents and teachers.

“But, of course, the idea for us is to have a holistic influence on the child. So, we’ve created four storybooks and two comic series to help in this direction.”