The Permanent Secretary, Enugu State Post Primary Schools Management Board, PPSMB, Dr. Favour Ugwuanyi mni, made the assertion while declaring open a one day workshop on "leadership, Conflict Management Skills and Financial prudence" for teachers in Awgu Education Zone.

She explained that the workshop organized by the PPSMB in collaboration with the principal consultant from National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Jos, Plateau State was to ensure quality assurance in teaching and learning in the state.

Dr. Ugwuanyi mni, urged the teachers from public secondary schools in Awgu, Aninri and Orji-River local Government Areas to pay utmost attention to all that they would be taught at the workshop to meet the expectations of the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the education sector.

The Perm. Sec. expressed the hope that at the end of the workshop, the teachers would be properly equipped to confront all the conflicts they encountered now and others that would confront them in their various schools with ease and those conflicts would "be a forgone story". She maintained that conflicts were inevitable. "Where you have human beings, you must have conflict", Dr. Ugwuanyi stated.

In a lecture, the Principal Consultant, NIPSS, Prof. Sola Adeyanju mni, said that the workshop would provide the teachers with the fundamentals of leadership, expose them to skills needed for conflict management and financial prudence as well as get them to appreciate the importance of teaching.

He defined a leader as "someone who is in a position to harness human and/or material resources to achieve a common goal". According to him, "A leader is the one who knows the way, Goes the way and shows the way."

On conflicts, Prof. Adeyanju stated that it could be violent or nonviolent; it could be as a result of unpredictable event or unforeseeable consequences of some events that had been considered a potential risk.

The Principal consultant gave lack of basic necessities of life, frustration accumulated over a long period of time and poor or wrong communication as some of the key drivers of conflict in the society.

He told the teachers that the first steps to take when there was crisis was to communicate, inform, be as open and sincere as possible and correct any misinformation promptly.

He also identified two types of peace- positive and negative, and urged the teachers to endeavor to promote positive peace in their schools at all times.

Prof. Adeyanju reminded them that whatever behavior they displayed before students was what the students would imbibe, telling them to always embrace discipline, cleanliness, promptness, decency, fairness and firmness while creating conducive atmosphere for smooth teacher/parent relationship.

Similar workshops/trainings had been held for directors at the PPSMB headquarters Enugu, Chief Supervising Principals (CSPs), Principals and Vice Principals across the state while that of teachers will continue in the remaining 5 education zones of Agbani, Enugu, UDI, Nsukka and Obollo-Afor.