Oladapo Omitogun's Blog

I teach in a low-income farming community called Joga Orile, a small village in the part of Yewa North Ogun state, Nigeria. When I got to this community, I realize that the community only has one public primary school among many private schools. But when checking the private schools here, the numbers of pupils are not many compare to my school but there is this challenge of limited resources to satisfy the large pool of pupils that most times can't afford to buy learning materials like notebooks, textbooks, rulers, etc. At some times in my fellowship here as a Teach For Nigeria fellow I am glad to have received support from friends and some civil society organizations to come to help curb this challenge. I know there is more work to be done and I will never stop until I drive for better innovation and policies to be designed and implemented to battle this problem. I'm almost getting to the end of my fellowship here in this community and I will like to share 5 things I lear...

The Teacher and Learner Paradox. At times the roles of teacher and learner are not always clearly defined or mutually exclusive. In many situations, the teacher is also a learner, and the learner is also a teacher. As a teacher is okay to feel pride in the subject matter we teach. But it is wrong to believe that our job is only to impart knowledge to our pupils. On one hand, a teacher is expected to have expertise in a particular subject area and to impart that knowledge to their pupils. However, in the process of teaching, the teacher often gains new insights and learns new things about the subject matter or from the learner He/She teaches.  At the start of my career as a Teach For Nigeria  fellow teaching in a public primary school. I was somehow drawn back to the opportunity of teaching in a primary class, as I wanted a secondary class, thinking the primary class will not be a challenging experience for me.  So far if I must say the experience has humbled m...

In life I believe we should be having a self-reflection and introspection on our personal growth and development. However, some questions may be challenging or uncomfortable to ask, and it's up to us as individual to decide whether or not we want to confront them. Here are some potentially difficult questions that we may want to ask ourselves: What are my biggest fears, and how are they holding me back? What are the negative patterns or habits that I need to break to achieve my goals? Am I living up to my potential, or am I settling for less than I deserve? What is my purpose in life, and how can I align my actions with my values and beliefs? What mistakes have I made in the past, and what lessons can I learn from them? Am I taking care of my physical, emotional, and mental health, or am I neglecting myself? What impact am I having on the people around me, and how can I improve my relationships? How can I challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone and ...

One aspect of life that I never get tired of preaching about is the concept of self-love . Self-love is an essential component of a fulfilling life, and it's crucial to learn to love yourself even when others may not. When you love yourself, you're more likely to have positive relationships, make better decisions, and enjoy a sense of inner peace and contentment. It's important to remember that not everyone will appreciate or accept you for whom you are, and that's okay. People have their own beliefs, preferences, and biases that can influence how they view others. However, it's essential to focus on your own self-worth and not let the opinions of others define your sense of self. Learning to love yourself takes time and practice. It’s an everyday struggle that I myself have to deal with, especially at the start of my career and involvement with friends and strangers. It involves acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, embracing your imperfections, and trea...

At every point in time in your career growth, there's always a need to identify or discover someone or a group of people I consider to be midfielder(s).  These people I called the midfielder(s) mostly have the influencing power to help you finish a goal you have set in motion to achieve.  They are an important element to help you in your pursuit of achieving success, sometimes they are powerful to make your career, life or purpose pursuit an easy one.  They can be found at every point of our life and work progress.  They know you and you can find them in the environment where you reside, workplace, schools and even fun places.  They can have a negative or positive impact on your personal or career progress.  Midfielders travel the greatest distance to help you achieve a goal and even support you both morally and financially. Not only do you have to set a goal but you must play it in motion because only when you start something from somewhere that the midfie...

Why I Joined Fight Against Education Inequity In Nigeria —Oladapo Omitogun, Teach For Nigeria Fellow MY INTERVIEW WITH KINGSLEY ALUMONA OF THE NIGERIAN TRIBUNE on Oct 8, 2022 Oladapo Omitogun is a digital skill professional, youth/children development specialist, Teach for Nigeria Fellow, and founder of Next Digital Talent Initiative. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, he speaks about his passion to develop young people and to fight education inequity in the country. HOW would you describe the kind of person you are and the things you are passionate about? I am a digital skills professional with over five years of experience in developing youth and children with lifelong and digital literacy skills. I’m passionate about developing the education sector by creating 21st-century tech skills and opportunities for young people to thrive and to contribute to their immediate communities. You studied Economics and Education, How is the skills/experience of economics and educati...

I made the list for the 2021 Opportunities Hub 100 Most Influential Young People. © Opportunities Hub This is a testament to my work at Next Digital Talent and the drive to always do more! It's an honour to be listed among other great change makers touching lives positively. © Opportunities Hub I was nominated, after months of consideration, in the end, the selection came out approved.  I dedicate this award to every young people driving change in the world, for not looking at the status quo, and still upholding their values and driving resilience. You can find the announcement here: https://opportunitieshub.org/2022/09/14/100-most-influential-young-africans-2020-list-announced/