A total of 300 secondary school students in Kwara State have been equipped with essential skills in problem-solving, leadership, entrepreneurship, and design (PLED) thinking to tackle real-world challenges within their communities, as reported by Nigerian Tribune.

This was made possible through a 10-day training programme organised by a non-profit organisation, Pristine SACC Education and Technology Initiative, at five public schools in the Ilorin West local government area of the state.

The participating schools include Government Day Secondary School, Adeta, Baboko Community School, Mandate Senior Secondary School, Government Day Senior Secondary School, Adewole, and Government High School, Ilorin. The programme aimed to empower students with the skills and knowledge needed to address pressing issues in their communities.

The Director of the Programme of Pristine SACC, Sodiq Ajala, said the PLED programme aimed to cultivate a proactive and innovative mindset among secondary students, equipping them with practical skills and tools to solve community challenges creatively.

“Through structured training sessions, the programme introduced students to the basics of problem-solving, design thinking, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

“We also incorporated group exercises, where the participating students worked in teams to engage in problem-solving activities and also brainstorm on innovative ideas to tackle hypothetical challenges in their schools and local communities,” he said.

One of the trainers, Awwal Adediji, who emphasised the need for young people to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, guided the students on identifying business opportunities within their communities and how to apply design thinking to solve local issues.

At the end of the training, the students pledged to apply the new knowledge and skills they have acquired in their schools and communities.

Also speaking, one of the participants said that, “the programme has inspired us to think critically about the issues around us and come up with creative solutions to solve them.”

The programme manager of Pristine SACC, Hassan Shuaib, who expressed optimism about the lasting influence the PLED programme would have on the students' attitudes and behaviours, urged government and educators to introduce such capacity building initiative into school activities.