Libraries
By Modupe Adeloye
Ibadan, July 12, 2018 (NAN) Dr Fadekemi Oyewusi, of the Centre for Educational Media Resource Studies, University of Ibadan has urged policy makers in education sector to make library reading time compulsory into the nation’s school system .
Oyewusi said that libraries have critical role to play in the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as young people are given access to information without dichotomy and discrimination.
Oyewusi spoke at the university on Thursday, while delivering a faculty lecture entitled: “New Wine in an Old Wine Skin: The trajectory of school libraries in Nigeria”.
She also recommended that school library should be made compulsory for the registration of school.
“Having a school library in every school in Nigeria, can only happen if there is legislation from government as it is the case in tertiary institutions where causes are not accredited if the University library is in bad shape.”
According to her, reading habits among Nigerian children and all over the world are on the decline.
“There is a need for the government to build and equip libraries for primary and secondary schools and make it attractive with adequate funding,’’ Oyewusi said.
She said that most people including adults are not aware that they could go to the library in order to get supportive literature that would help them with their problems and lead them to new knowledge.
“So, reading is part of nation building, thus bringing back the school library with adequate and timely resources like print and multimedia and electronic will help to promote confidence in children.
“Information given by hard working teachers can only be turned into knowledge with the help of other learning resources available in the library,” she said.
Oyewusi, however, said that the establishment of school libraries in all geopolitical zones in Nigeria would also minimize unrest among the younger generation.
“This is because they will get involved in using their creativeness to better the Nigerian society rather than bringing turbulence”.
She called on government at all levels to make available an annual budget for adequate funding of school libraries, to make it more inviting such that students would love to visit and read. (NAN)
MAM/ENN
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Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu
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