• Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact
Premium Times Opinion
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
No Result
View All Result
Premium Times Opinion
Home Issues of the Day Hussaina Audu

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, By Hussaina Audu

by Hussaina Audu
December 1, 2014
Reading Time: 3 mins read
3

Two events this week formulated my train of thought for this piece.

First of all, on Wednesday, the Federal Executive Council approved the sum of N9.2 billion for the purchase of cooking stoves and wonder bags under the National Clean Cooking Scheme. Never mind that before Wednesday, we had not heard of any such scheme and that there is no mention of this scheme on the Ministry of Environment’s website.

Never mind that this spending does not appear to have been budgeted for, or that “While the FEC said the essence of approving the N9.2 billion is to mitigate the impact of climate change on the one hand, President Goodluck Jonathan has tacitly refused to assent to a Bill seeking to establish a Climate Change Commission in the country. A harmonised version of the Bill was sent to the president since December 2010 but four years after, he is yet to assent to it.” (http://leadership.ng/business/392166/budgetary-allocation-fgs-n9-2bn-stoves)
Never mind.

Secondly, a couple of days ago, I attended a workshop on education which described some innovative tools that are being used in Asia, Europe and America to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning in STEM subjects and also in literacy. As a reflective practitioner, I’m always looking for ways to be more effective and as this workshop was going on, I had one light bulb moment after another.

This is what Nigeria needs! There is hope for us after all! With the right tools, and the requisite training for teachers, and of course, proper incentives, we could turn our failures into successes in as little as ten years.
So, I decided to look for more information. I would look at the website of our Ministry of Education, and find out what we were doing to address our recent national academic failures. Maybe I could write a paper to the Minister and make some suggestions. I would also look at Singapore and the United Kingdom’s websites and see what they were doing as well.

The very first images you see on the homepage of Singapore’s Ministry of Education are of students: sprinters participating in ASEAN School Games, learners celebrating the results of their primary school leaving certificate, another group of learners doing simulation exercises to understand what it’s like to be old, or blind, so these young designers of the future can come up with creative and innovative solutions to the challenges the elderly and the blind face; and special education needs students participating in a programme to help them make the transition from school to the work place. You get an immediate feel of what is happening in education in Singapore. You know education is about the learners and that they are being equipped to become compassionate problem solvers. You know that every section of society is catered for – the old, the young, the physically challenged. No one is left out.

When you go to the homepage of UK’s Department for Education, you see children – in the classroom, on the football pitch, on the playground, and some early years children having a meal. You will also see a picture of what appears to be a staff meeting taking place in the library. Again, you get a feel that education is about the academic development, health and wellbeing, and social welfare of the learners. Educators are in the background, planning. They do not dominate; they undergird the system.

Now access the homepage of the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria. You will see the Federal Ministry of Education building, a picture of the Minister of Education shaking the President, then another view of the building, then the Minister flanked by staff of the Ministry(?), the Minister holding a microphone, and the Minister in the board room with some staff.

You tell me. What does this say about our education in this country? What does it say about the future of this country?

9.2billion naira to import stoves and wonderbags. How about investing that money into education? Perhaps we wouldn’t have to import wonder stoves and wonder bags because we would have creative and innovative designers on our own soil to make them.

But then, maybe if 9.2billion were to be given to the Ministry of Education it would go towards the beautification of the building? Someone has to get a contract. Oh well, as I said earlier, never mind.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Previous Post

Political Science and the Sickness of the Nigerian State, By Jibrin Ibrahim,

Next Post

Governor Fashola’s call for amendment of Judges appointment procedure, By Jiti Ogunye

Related Posts

No Content Available
Next Post
Governor Fashola’s call for amendment of Judges appointment procedure, By Jiti Ogunye

Governor Fashola's call for amendment of Judges appointment procedure, By Jiti Ogunye

The Time To Say “No More”, By Femi Fani-Kayode

Gator Meat, Negroes and the Stench Of Ferguson, By Femi Fani-Kayode

Editorial

  • EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

    EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

  • EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

    EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

  • EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

    EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

  • EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

    EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

  • EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

    EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

Subscribe to our Opinion articles via email

Enter your email address to get notifications of new opinion articles as they are published.

Join 526,543 other subscribers

Most Popular

  • The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Women Prohibited For Men To Marry In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Women Prohibited For Men To Marry In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Showing Gratitude To Allah For His Bounties, Blessings and Favours, By Murtadha Gusau
    Showing Gratitude To Allah For His Bounties, Blessings and Favours, By Murtadha Gusau
  • You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau
    You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Importance Of Keeping Secrets In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Importance Of Keeping Secrets In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Podcasts

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.