Policies
Enugu, May 24, 2018 (NAN) A don with the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Dr. Chinedu Aguba has urged policy makers to revisit educational policies to boost standard of education in Nigeria.
Aguba, who is the Head, Department of Educational Management in ESUT, disclosed this in Enugu on Thursday during the `Readers Are Leaders Mentorship/Award Ceremony’ organised by the Coal City Literary Forum, Enugu.
The don, who spoke on the topic: ‘Youth and Democracy: The place of reading and writing’, said that the educational system in the country had been classified as one of the worst in the world.
He said that policy makers needed to revisit educational policies, adding that it was embarrassing that Nigeria ranked 152 out of 188 nations in literacy level.
“A recent literacy rating by UNESCO classified Nigeria’s educational system as one of the worst,” he said.
The university lecturer also decried the effect of drug abuse on learning outcome.
He expressed worry that young people had given in to drug abuse and other societal ills which had affected reading and writing.
The educationist called on governments at all levels to rise to the challenge of setting up strong institutions with a view to curbing the menace.
Aguba said that the event was apt “because without reading and writing, civilization will be stagnated.
“I strongly believe that Nigerian youths can make meaningful contributions to national building,” he said.
The don said that Nigeria must make elaborate plans for the future in order to get it right.
In his remarks, Prof Bartho Okolo, the Chairman of the occasion and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) also commended the organizers of the event for its move to rekindle reading and writing culture among students.
Okolo appealed to students at the event to take their studies seriously so as to achieve quality life.
Earlier in an address of welcome, the President, Coal City Literary Forum, Mrs Adaobi Nwoye said that the group was worried by the decline in reading and writing culture among students.
Nwoye said that the club was at the fore front of rekindling the skills among students.
“Since inception, the forum has consistently organised literary evening where creative talents are harvested and nurtured.
“We have held several creative writing workshops and seminars and provided start-up funds to talented writers to publish their creative works,” she said.
Nwoye said that as part of the forum’s mandate to get students in the state reading again, “we have set up reading clubs in several secondary schools, particularly in public schools”.
She said that efforts made by the forum in that regard was, however, hampered by funding, adding that they desired to take the campaign beyond the frontiers of Enugu city.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was sponsored by Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to promote reading and writing culture in schools.
Some of the recipients of the award included the overall best student in Nigeria in the 2017 West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC), Miss Cynthia Ali.
The rest are the former Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Prof Cyprian Onyeji, Chancellor of the Coal City University, Enugu, Mr Chinedu Ani, and Mrs Nuzo Eziechi who received Leadership Role Model Awards. (NAN)
EOA/MNA
Edited by Maureen Atuonwu