Students at the K-12 level are easily swayed and influenced by adults and the messages which are sent to them. The messages being sent to the them by their school, educators, and parents will quickly and easily influence how they take and use their education. It is crucial for students to be in a productive, challenging school which will strive to bring out the best in each student, not the bare minimum. In Nigeria it is not simply based upon one school being better from another, rather about the government encouraging overall postive performance from its students and not simply waiting for an oppurtunity which may not arise.
This is not the case for students hoping to obtain admission into what is known as “Unity Schools” (in Nigeria). The students who apply to these schools must take an entrance examination, and then wait to hear if they were accepted, sometimes for a couple of months. During this time period the students do not resume school along with their peers, rather than wait to hear if they have been admitted. As the article states students stay at home idle, likely doing nothing productive, and not furthing their education. At the same time these students are idle at home, many teachers (during the months of July and August) were on strike because of the poor conditions and pay of schools: “the dilapidated school structures across the country; the poor living and working conditions of our teachers; and the lack of infrastructure and laboratory facilities in public schools across the country”. While these disheartening issues are present in some of the schools of Nigeria the article claims that many teachers still encourgage and challenge their students to succeed in their course work.
With teachers on strike and students not attending classes, the issue of obtaining knowledge and falling behind in course work becomes a serious issue. The government of Nigeria commits to avoiding and changing illiteracy and yet students are still struggling: “Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy, and to this end, government shall as soon as and when practicable provide: Free compulsory and Universal Primary Education, free secondary education, free university education and free adult literacy programme”. Why then are students struggling to learn and further their basic education? The article explains that one of the problems lies in the fact that students are at home preparing for an entrance examination when they should still be in their classes continuing their basic education. When many of the students are at home preparing for the exam many of them choose not to return to school to finish their education. This causes issues of completion of basic knowledge and learning which is essential to functioning, literate citizens.
It is discouraging to hear about the issues facing many of the students and teachers of Nigeria. Students need to have support from a government which encourages a complete education and a literate society of people. Simply stating that this is their intended goal is not enough, it must be enforced and stressed upon so that students finish their studies and or remain in school.
The Punch: Of Unity Schools resumption and the eradication of illiteracy
Kemi Obasola
November 23, 2008
