Education
When Students Feign Health Conditions
It used to be fun when in
those days, the fear of school teachers was the beginning of a good, intelligent and respectful child (pupil or student).
Parents would at the slightest stubbornness or disobedience exhibited by a child threaten the child with reporting the act to his or her teacher and the child/student would as a matter of necessity repent of his or her actions and never dream of repeating it.
And of course, I could say that the teachers and indeed schools then, were turning out level eyed and headed students who can always be relied on by both parents and teachers anytime, anywhere in almost every aspect of domestic and educational activities.
Students then were hardworking, obedient and true to their duties. The teachers would depend on them for handcrafts like brooms, dusters and even canes which the students, in order to avoid the punishment of the teacher would make available for the teachers even when they know that the cane in particular would function at their detriment.
And it was all from and cordiality between students, teachers and parents irrespective of ethnic group.
Can these be said of being common among the trio-students, teachers and parents considering the era as that of ‘who be who’ in almost every strata?
It has become the in thing among students and even pupils in recent times to have a health condition that would impede the least punishment on them by their teachers despite their faults. They hide under such conditions to perform all manner of arrogance, disrespectfulness and pride yet, being above the law of the teacher and or school and even more so when the question comes ‘do you know my parents? Thus, it is better still to feign it even when it is not there and only God would save that teacher that would defy the rules and go ahead to punish the student.
Thus, in today’s scenario, the fear of meting any firm of punishment on a student by a teacher is the beginning of his or her continued earning of daily bread, devoid of threats and harassment from phone calls and thugs.
This was almost the case at the Community Secondary School, Nkpor, Rumuolumeni, Penultimati Thursday when it was news all over the air that a teacher had flogged a student to death.
When The Tide education Desk visited the school, it was discovered that the child/student only feigned having on health condition of epilepsy which would have resulted to death out of a two strokes of the cane by the teacher.
The Principal of the School, Mrs Whiliki-Ichemati J.A. explained that the female students, who is in the Senior Secondary one (SS1) was punished alongside other girls of the class with two strokes of the cane and she pretended having collapsed.
According to her “It is very unfortunate how children today delight in health conditions. When they know that they have such problem, they chose to disrespectfully teachers. This particular student is fond of doing this. She is not the one with the health condition rather it is her sister who is also in the same class with her and this is the fourth time the school had taken them home on such scenarios.
Explaining the cause of the action, Whiliki-Ichemati said “prior to the day of the incident, the teacher entered the class and could not find a duster to dust the board. She singled out all the girls and demanded that each of them bring a duster the following day. On this day, she entered and still there was no duster. The teacher decided to flog each of them with two strokes of the cane at their backs”.
She continued “this student in question came into the class late and met the punishment. When it got to her, she asked that she be glogged her palm but the teacher insisted on her back because of course, you can’t show one love and the others hatred. Having being flogged on her back, she started rolling on the ground”.
“There was an uproar and we all rushed in and tried to calm her. At first, we wanted to fake her to the hospital but on a second thought, decided to watch her and for more than one hour we saw that nothing was wrong with her and no medication was given to her and then, we took her to her house”. Today she is in school hale and hearty. I asked if she was given any medication and the sister said no”.
The Principal said “I was surprised when the mother of the student came and demanding to see the teacher and all of that. In fact, what we see and experienced now in the school system is much that we cannot explain them”.
The question is ‘were the child to be flogged by her own parents with two strokes of the came, would she have to roll on the ground and as far as causing such scene and uproar?
Mrs Ichemati noted with dismay the high level of disobedience and pride exhibited by students all in the name of health conditions and urged parents to ensure that they take proper care of their children before sending them to school or even keep them from school to avoid such threat on teachers and schools.
In a chat with some teachers and principals of some schools in Port Harcourt, The Tide’s Education desk has discovered that flogging of students has died in schools and replaced with picking, cleaning or weeding all in the bid of not failing victim of circumstance.
The truth remains that when students feign or even capitalize on a present health condition to act otherwise in schools and parents stand behind them even to victimizing teachers, the result is indiscipline and social waywardness among our children.
Do you bet this as the nothing today especially amongst the so-called influentials of any given segment?
I’m also tempted to ask ‘in those days when corporal punishment was the order of the day in schools, were there no health conditions among the students?
It is worth pondering on for the good upbrining of our, children.
Lady Godknows Ogbulu
The Executive Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, Alabo David Briggs and his Post Primary Schools Board, counterpart, Dr. Sam Emejuru recently embarked on a joint visit to Model Girls Secondary School, Mbodo Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Arera of Rivers State.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after interacting with the students, Alabo Briggs said both of them were in the school to know how the students are faring, how happy they are, and to also know their areas of need and then take pragmatic decisions that would enhance the wellbeing of the students.
Describing the school as the only boarding school in Rivers State made up of Senior and Junior Secondary, the UBE boss said the visit has actually afforded them the opportunity to know what is lacking in the school, and promised that every machinery would be adequately put in place to ensure that the school is made more attractive and students well taken care of.
He further maintained that the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and staff of the school must rise to the occasion so as to bring back the lost glory of the school and ensure that the students are treated and well handled like their own children.
Corroborating the UBE boss, Dr. Sam Emejuru of the Post Primary School promised that everything possible would be done to reposition the school, and appealed to all concerned to be patient.
During the visit, the two Board chairmen and their members met with the school authorities wherein issues bordering on the school were discreetly ironed out and some good changes made.
Alabo Briggs also gave cash to some of the students that performed well in the essay competition that took place in Port Harcourt.
The students were also given cartons of sanitary pads to mark the International Day of the Girl Child which was celebrated all over the world recently.
By: Akujobi Amadi
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) support programme on report writing for Chief Supervisors and Evaluators of the Local Government Areas took place recently at the UBE Board Headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Addressing the participants, the Board member in charge of Supervision/Monitoring, Chief Nwuke Anucha, described the programme as very interesting and educative as it is aimed at broadening the knowledge of the Chief Supervisors and Evaluators on report writing.
While thanking UBEC for the initiative, Chief Anucha also commended the resource persons who came from UBEC Abuja for doing a good job and appealed to the participants to see the support programme on report writing as an opportunity to do better.
Also speaking, the Board member, Project/Technical, Dr. Walson Ominini described the programme as a good one that all the participants must take seriously for the good of Rivers State.
Ominini used the medium to announce the personnel audit for staff of the Local Government Education Authorities in the three Senatorial zones coming up next week at the Board Headquarters adding that any staff of the LGEA who does not take part in the Audit should regard himself or herself as not being a staff of UBE.
In her vote of thanks, the Director, Quality Assurance, Mrs. Nnenna Osumenya thanked UBEC for the programme, and described it as a welcomed development.
She particularly thanked the Executive Chairman of the Board, Alabo David Briggs and the Board members for giving the programme the needed attention.
By: Akujobi Amadi
In cognizance of the value of reading in educational, career and knowledge pursuits, TotalEnergies Joint Venture(JV) Asset has committed itself to instilling the habit in students of secondary schools to enable them succeed in their academic pursuits and become good leaders of tommorow.
This, it is achieving through its Annual Book Reading and Open Day programme.
This year’s event, organised for Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State,with the theme, ‘The World Is A Maze; Navigate It — Read’ and held at the Event Centre, TotalEnergies Office, PortHarcourt, explored the book, ‘Unexpected Joy At Dawn’ by Ghanaian author, Alex Agyei Agyiri.
Participating schools chosen across Port Harcourt included Government Technical College, PortHarcourt; Bishop Crowther Memorial Secondary School, Rumuobiakani; Oginigba Comprehensive Secondary School; Community Secondary School, Rumuomasi, and Hilltop Prime International College.
Others were Community Secondary School, Amadi-Ama; Government Senior Secondary School, Elekahia; Community Secondary School, Nkpogu; Dietams International Schools; and Community Secondary School, Abuloma.
In his address, the Deputy Managing Director, Joint Venture Asset, TotalEnergies EP, Nigeria Limited, Olivier Cassassoles, said reading habit remains a major essential needed for life’s development in information, direction and character building, and stressed the need for the students, many of whom he said would grow to become leaders to cultivate and sustain the culture.
Cassassoles, who was represented by the Executive Director, JV Asset, PortHarcourt, Obi Imemba, quoted former American President, Barack Obama’s words, “reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible” and stated that “this clearly aligns with the theme of the day and implies that in order to successfully navigate the complexities of life, one needs to read”.
Cassassoles said “as students, many of you will grow to be leaders and leaders need a lot of information to stay relevant. The books you read will shape your future and through them you will find wisdom to make a difference”.
According to him, the book reading event is one that the company holds dear to heart as it promotes the culture of reading among students in Nigeria.
While encouraging the students to make conscientious effort to research good books with themes and characters that align with what they intend to do in future, Cassassoles expressed the hope that the students would commit themselves to a life of reading, adding that “I expect that you will be leaving here with a clearer idea of the career path you want to pursue “.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Ovy Chinedum Chukwuma, described this year’s theme as ‘most appropriate’ at a time when students have abandoned the text book for not only the phone – Whatsapp, Twitter etcetera but other vices.
Represented by the Technical Adviser to the Commissioner, Dr Joy Nwamaka Joseph, Chukwuma noted that reading is an effective tool for engaging students in critical thinking, saying “a student that reads focuses attention on the task at hand, immersing them in information and improving his/her concentration and memory”, insisting that students must read in order to navigate this maze-like world successfully.
The Commissioner commended TotalEnergies for “always seeking to improve the educational standards of our pupils, students, under/post graduates in our institutions and for inspiring them to develop the habit of reading as a life style”.
Earlier, the Country Communications Manager, TotalEnergies, Charles Ebereonwu, revealed that the annual reading event is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) targeted at making the best of future leaders.
In his closing remarks, the Special Adviser, People and Talent Management, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited, Samuel Nkwo, lauded the students for going beyond reading the book to taking lessons there from.
“What has happened here today has given us encouragement that this is a good thing to do and that we should continue to do it” Nkwo said.
Highlights of the event included reading and discussion of the book, ‘Unexpected Joy At Dawn’, questions and answers session and presentation of gift items including school bags, solar lamps, books among others to the students.
By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu