PEACE CORPS PASSING OUT PARADE5

• Report rights infringement
• published: 04 Jul 2013
• views: 566

Education in Nigeria is lagging behind those of other countries of the world. Even in Africa, smaller countries like Ghana and Benin Republic are exciting the fancy of many Nigerians who send their wards there to acquire tertiary education. But the reason is not far-fetched. Since the civil war broke out in Nigeria in the late 1960s, the education system in the country has been facing serious challenges. It started with brain drain -- when Nigeria's best brains left its shores for the West, for personal safety and job security. The resultant effect is unenviable students' performance. The situation was made worse by other factors like inadequate infrastructure and lack of funding. In Lagos, many children and youths of school age roam the streets when they are supposed to be in the classrooms -- either hawking to help their parents or doing other things they are not supposed to. To arrest this ugly development and to promote the Child Rights Act, Lagos State government recently inducted Special Discipline Corps for schools environmental advocacy. On the objective of the project, Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Fatai Olukoga, said the state government was seeking those who would join it to sustain education in Lagos. He explained that education is free in the state for children from ages one to nine, adding that truancy and unauthorised absence in schools are not allowed. The inductees included Deacon Musa David, CEO, Kind David Schools; Gbadamosi Teniola, Task force chairman, Badagry Local Government Area; Adebola Kosoko, Oloja of Lagos; Oduntan Rasheed, an educationalist; Lape Oshodi, a chieftain of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN); Agbesanwa Adetokunbo, Senior Special Assistant on Schools Environmental Advocacy; and Wahab Alawiye-King, Chairman, Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Education. Olukoga's words: "When you pass through school, you must allow the school to pass through you. When you drop out, you become bus conductor, untrained artisan. To solve this truancy, the centre is a welcome development. In our neighbourhood, if you see any child roaming around by 8.30 a.m., it means there is no discipline corps around. All local government areas (LGAs) and local council development areas (LCDAs) will be adequately taken care of within the next few months." While appreciating the inductees, he advised them to handle the children with love, kindness and high level of discipline: "Talk to them, and with your words, you will make the children go back to school. Cajole them so that they will love to go to school." Commending the initiative, state chairman and Deputy Commandant General, Nigerian Legion, Col. Femi Oguntade said the centre was established to arrest the threats on educational systems and the rising waves of indiscipline, examination malpractice and insecurity in schools. According to him, it was established to build the bridge across cultures, to promote cross-cultural activities, tolerance, discipline and peace; and to help in monitoring students, to check truancy in primary and post-primary institutions. He, therefore, said the Legion would continue to be at the service of the centre to give necessary support. WIN, an acronym for "What Is New" is a comprehensive multimedia services package for maximum news distribution across several media channels via WIN TV, exclusively dedicated for New Media production and Broadcasting. This Channel Features FESTOUR, #TRENDY ISSUES, WHO IS WHO, BUSINESS & COMMERCE and other Playlist. Do Subscribe for updates.