Teaching: Respected but Vulnerable Profession

TEACHING: RESPECTED BUT VULNERABLE PROFESSION

No doubt, every right thinking person eagerly wishes to know what he/she does not or is yet to know. Such attribute can be referred to as ‘Man’s quest for knowledge’.

In the same vein; for anyone to acquire any form of knowledge, he must be taught by someone or something. In a situation whereby the knowledge recipient is being taught by a non-human such as book, internet or as the case may be, it is worth noting that that material or avenue through which he acquired the knowledge was invented by someone or a human.

Someone who imparts knowledge to other person(s), directly or indirectly, is generally referred to as a teacher. In a concise term; a teacher is someone who teaches others better ways of doing something or a better way of living. He can also be described as someone who helps or contributes meaningfully in the uplift of someone else’s educational status/level. In other words, teaching is simply the act of imparting knowledge.

This singular fact has proven to us that anyone can be identified as a teacher, considering the relationship that exists between the persons involved. But it would interest us to acknowledge that, there are those or group of persons who embrace teaching as a profession. This set of people could be regarded as ‘Institutional teachers’.

In most cases, the institutional teachers are the ones that are often recognized as ‘Teachers’ owing to the fact that they are the only persons that bring out their time, energy, resources, and what have you, to the fullness, to ensure that knowledge is fully and duly obtained by its seekers. Among all, anyone who practices teaching or who takes teaching as a profession, must had passed through a certain professional educational training in any recognized higher citadel of learning.

In view of the outstanding impact of the teaching profession in any society, there is no gain reiterating the fact that it is no doubt a respected profession, but it is appalling to observe that the members of the said profession in most countries across the globe are seemingly vulnerable regarding their financial worth.

In several nations, particularly developing ones, it is disheartening to note that this set of people known as teachers whom had contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of the respective nations, are treated poorly or badly as regards payment of salaries and other incentives. It is even more pathetic and disgusting to note that in some quarters, these professionals whom are meant to be the leading class are regarded as second class if not third class citizens.

If the truth must be told, then we all must agree that it is only an insane individual that is yet to comprehend the fact that teachers are the building block of any nation. Needless to say; they remain the rudiments or foundation on which any nation is built.

The civil society and other stakeholders are expected to encourage the teaching profession by ensuring that the following conditions are reached by any employer:

v Good and enticing employment conditions including appropriate contracts, salaries, and prospects for career progression and promotion.

v Conducive and charming work environment.

v High quality pre- and in-service training.

v Effective management to include a teacher’s recruitment and deployment.

The law makers in their oversight function are expected to play a very vital role in respect to this proposal. A strict law regarding teachers’ wellbeing could be enacted with a view to boosting the effectiveness and efficiency of the said professionals in Nigeria.

The international community and various governments need to stand firm and united to support teachers as well as quality learning worldwide, especially in those countries where the highest number of out-of-school children exists. In this regard, they are meant to acknowledge that an education system is only as good as its teachers.

Above all and most importantly, the various existing teachers’ unions or organizations are also required to support their respective governments in the area of maintenance of sanity in our schools. By so doing, anomalies like mediocrity, laxity, apathy, truancy, among other nonchalant attitudes of some teachers would be totally eradicated.

The proposed measure if properly implemented would enable any teacher anywhere in the world to proudly identify him/herself as ‘a Teacher’ regardless of the circumstance.

 

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR
(The Media Ambassador)

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frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056
Twitter: fdnnwaozor   

Bad Governance: Who's to Blame?

BAD GOVERNANCE: WHO’S TO BLAME?

Governance is the process in which the leaders or the public office holders of a given society make and implement decisions with the prime motive of affecting the lives of the citizenry positively. Governance is said to be ‘Bad’ when the outcome is not favourable to the people.  

Good governance is accountable; it is transparent; it follows the rule of law; it is responsive; it is equitable; good governance is effective and efficient; above all, it’s participatory. Any democratic process that bears the reverse of the aforementioned qualities or features is referred to as ‘Bad governance’. 

It is apparent that governance is interwoven with democracy owing to the fact that it is only in a thorough and holistic democratic setting it (governance) can be observed. Surely, democracy begets politics and in the same vein, governance is begotten by politics; there are no two ways about it.

To say that governance has been profoundly abused in the contemporary Nigerian society is merely an understatement. Suffice is to say; the level of decadence in governance in the various developing nations across the globe, particularly Nigeria, cannot be overemphasized.

To say the least; since the emergence of democracy in ‘the Giant of Africa’ sixteen years ago, governance has been perceived by our leaders as an inconsequential tool thereby making the said society seem not unlike a mockery ground. It is no doubt a thing of worry for the concerned elite as well as the patriotic individuals amidst the overwhelming populace.

One may ask; who is actually to be blamed in a nation or society where governance is not taken seriously or where bad governance is generally absorbed as a norm? Indeed, such inquiry could be tagged as a ‘critical and very sensitive’ one, which requires only but an unequivocal response.

In some quarters, bad governance is solely attributed to the corrupt nature of the leaders involved coupled with impunity. Whilst, some are of the opinion that it is a product of extreme insincerity and mediocrity mainly on the side of the members of the legislature. On the other hand, another school of thought is of the view that good governance would remain far-fetched in a country like Nigeria until the country’s electoral umpire becomes thoroughly independent.

Without mincing words; from my perspective, bad governance, which is peculiar to the African society in its entirety, is mostly not unconnected to the uncalled and unwarranted attitude of the followers. Someone who’s interested in further clarification may want to know who ‘the followers’ are. The followers are the electorate or the general public, or those who are not occupying any leadership position. In other words, if you are not a leader, you are definitely a follower.

At this juncture, I put it up to you that the citizens have been the singular cause of their predicament as regards governance. Yes, until the citizenry realize that leadership and followership are interdependent, they will continue to get it wrong. It is high time we understood that without the followers, the leaders cannot perform. Needless to say that, the leaders cannot function without the presence or effort of the followers.

This implies that, much as we presume that power only belongs to the leaders, we ought to also comprehend the fact that the teeming followers have some elements of power, albeit seemly intangible, attached to their personalities. The dichotomy is that; the leaders have the power or immunity to lead while on their part, the followers have the power to sack any leader if the need arises. Of course, the followers rightly possess the power to move ‘Vote of No-confidence’ on any executive office holder or recall any legislator, as the case may be.

It is so pathetic that the followers’ power has been bewildered by various factors such as sycophancy, apathy, vulnerability, and ignorance. It is obvious to the sight of those who are not mentally blind that the aforementioned factors, among others, have been militating against the functionality of the people’s power/immunity.

Most of those who are fully informed have chosen to be sycophants; they go about singing praises or citing eulogies come rain come shine. Some other informed ones are invariably marred by apathy with a silly presumption that the said political cankerworm is indelible. Similarly, another fairly informed class seems defenceless; this set of persons who appear vulnerable could be very powerful if they apply ‘synergy’ but their myopic mindset ostensibly beclouds their sense of reasoning. On the other hand, a certain group among the followers is not in any way aware that power also lies in their hands; unarguably, their ignorant mentality has caused them a tremendous fortune.

The most annoying part is that most of the followers in question don’t know when to tender criticism. They prefer to remain mere spectators over their so called leaders’ derailment. Even, some of them who call themselves ‘activists’ have in one occasion or the other soiled their reputations.

Perhaps, it is needless to reiterate the fact that good governance will remain a mirage in the contemporary African society till the electorate acknowledge fully that leadership and followership are wholly interwoven. Frankly, the followers have been the architect of their recurrent misfortune. In view of this singular fact, the civil society organizations, the media, religious bodies, and what have you, need to intensify awareness on letting the people realize their responsibility towards actualizing good governance. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR
(The Media Ambassador)
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frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056
Twitter: @fdnnwaozor   

  

Alarming Pace of Protracted Diseases

CHECKING THE ALARMING PACE OF PROTRACTED DISEASES

Protracted diseases are diseases or infections that last for a very long time in the body of the carrier, which usually last as long as the patient lives. They include cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis, ulcer, asthma, obesity, pile, brain turmoil, fibroid, tuberculosis, hypertension, stroke, arthritis, rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases, failure of an essential organ such as the liver, kidney, heart, lung, just to mention but a few.

Undoubtedly, in recent times, protracted diseases or chronic infections have been the order of the day that if adequate and drastic measure is not taken towards curbing the menace, it is liable to render the entire labour force of the Nigeria’s population vulnerable in no distant time.

Though, currently the number of patients coping with chronic conditions, particularly for cases involving HIV infection and some malignancies, seems to be growing due to improvements in treatments, but it is worthy to note that the medical morass really constitutes a severe and colossal societal nuisance among mankind.

To say the least; patients with chronic medical conditions may provoke feelings of anxiety and professional inadequacy. The condition in question may also become an emotional burden on the clinician or physician who is exposed to the cumulative suffering and losses experienced by the patients as well as their families and well-wishers.

The psychological trauma attached to the life of anyone suffering from a protracted disease cannot be overemphasized especially when the carrier is not adhering to the appropriate routine as regards treatment. For instance, a study of women with breast cancer discovered that those who sought alternative treatments had higher levels of psychological morbidity; the pursuit of such treatments might thus indicate the patient’s distress rather than their well-being.

More so, recognizing that the condition has progressed and that the patient is approaching the terminal phase of their disease may be distressing for staff who have known the patient well. In this case, the staff or health personnel may be reluctant to relinquish more aggressive treatments. This is more worrisome in a situation involving an elderly or aged person.

Sometimes the side effects of some treatments might lead to anger and frustration. These feelings may be mediated by an emotional reaction to changes in the patient’s body as well as symptoms, but may also be the direct result of the effect of the treatment on the patient’s mood. Similarly, patients who are angry, demanding or resentful may engender powerful feelings of rage in their physicians.

Although adherence to prescribed treatments may improve the course of a protracted disease, the physician cannot confidently promise the patient a greater success. In some diseases such as diabetes, impairment may still occur. Compliance to treatment may be poor even in patients who had undergone an organ transplant. Whichever treatment measure a patient is passing through, there is need to acknowledge that adequate rest, constant physical exercise, or regular intake of clean water, as the case may be, could be helpful.

The worst of all is that, if proper care is not taken, a protracted illness might result to a more delicate situation to include, a more severe impairment, an acute mental disorder, total paralysis, or even the death of the patient, based on the nature of the disease in question. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), survey indicates that protracted disease like cancer caused about 8.2 million deaths or 14.6% of all human deaths in the year 2012: this implies that in near future if a drastic approach is not taken, cancer cases alone might be responsible to over twenty percent (20%) of death rate in the world.

Since most protracted diseases are obviously incurable, it is worth noting that the best approach required towards addressing the anomalies is by avoiding their possible causes, which are mostly behavioural risk factors. Medical analysts are of the view that chronic infections are mainly not unconnected to stress, bad weather condition, poor environment, tobacco intake, alcohol, unprotected sex, consumption of unclean water, inadequate physical exercise, unwholesome diets, untreated infection, lack of regular medical checkup, or drug abuse, as the case may be.

Against this backdrop, there is no gain saying that we are meant to, at all times and at all cost, be extremely mindful of our lifestyle, or whatever we eat or drink. Among all, there is a pressing need for us to see our doctor whenever we notice any abnormality in our body as well as check the expiring date or validity of any drug or food we intend to take. No doubt, this is the only way we can boast of a life free from any health complication. As the saying goes, ‘Prevention is better than cure.’

On the other hand, all the medical experts taking care of patients living with protracted/chronic diseases ought to endeavour to inculcate hopeful mindset in them. They are expected to make the patients understand that they can live as long as they want provided they stick to the rules given to them.

And in our respective capacities, we should let anyone around us that is suffering from such illness or any related predicament to see despair as the worst sin ever. By so doing, we will live to experience a society filled with contented individuals regardless of the circumstance. Think about it!   

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056    
Follow: @fred_nwaozor / @fdnnwaozor