TechOpinion I Growing Apathy Among Nigeria's Science Students

GROWING APATHY AMONG SCIENCE STUDENTS

        

Having taken a painstaking study lately, I acknowledged that there has been a tremendous decline in the rate of seriousness among most science students in various level of learning on the African continent, particularly Nigeria. Such a scenario has over the years served as a nuisance in the field of science and technology, that if drastic approach isn’t taken towards salvaging the lapse, it’s liable to degenerate into an unspeakable crisis in no distant time.

       

It’s noteworthy that development is required in every individual to every nation, in every aspect of human endeavour. And for development to take place, science and tech must go hand in hand. Science is fundamentally noted as the study of knowledge, which is made into a system, and depends on analyzing facts. Tech is the outright application of this scientific knowledge. In other words, tech transforms knowledge from science into reality.

        

The fact is, for any successful economy – especially in today’s quest for knowledge based economies – science and tech are the primary requisites. If any nation relegates the two recipes to the background, the chances of getting itself developed becomes far-fetched, thus stands to be classified as an undeveloped nation. A nation that’s not able to prosper on these grounds would not be able to sustain the lives in it, and might have to depend on other nations for survival alongside other life’s requirements.

        

Taking a close view of the above exegesis, it’s therefore needless to reiterate that any country is supposed to take sciences very seriously as if its whole life depends on it (science). It becomes so pathetic and mind-boggling when realized that Nigeria as a nation is taken aback regarding acquiring of science knowledge, or its implementation. The lingering anomaly, which calls for great concern, can be observed in virtually all existing citadels of learning across the federation regardless of level ranging from primary, secondary, to tertiary.

   

This piece is mainly interested in the level of apathy among the learners. In our primary schools, the pupils are now invariably preoccupied with the notion that science subjects, such as Mathematics and Basic Science, are very difficult to understand owing to the orientation they met in the system. Such a circumstance is usually occasioned by the mode of teaching of the class teacher. Sometimes, fear would be inculcated into the pupils’ mindset by their teacher who would, rather than participate in the teaching as expected, take much time to lay uncalled emphasis on why the pupils should see science subjects as tough and different from others. By so doing, the affected pupils would live to consider sciences as monster, thus would prefer to pay more attention to arts.

        

In the secondary schools, only a few students see subjects like Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry as friendly. Those who detest these subjects had nurtured their mentality with the view that sciences generally are only meant for a certain group of select individuals. Those who mistakenly chose to be in the science department, in the long run tend to lose interest in the field and would want to dissociate themselves from the circle.

        

Funnily enough, in most cases, students would choose to be in science department when they get to the senior section simply because some of their intimate friends or classmates had chosen to be in that field. This aspect of influence remains one of the major attributes of apathy noticed among various science students in most Nigerian secondary schools. This set of learners often becomes dropouts as a result of inability to cope with the studies.

        

Nowadays, virtually none pay good attention to the teachings of Pure Mathematics let alone Additional/Further Mathematics. And most existing science-oriented disciplines, such as Engineering, in the tertiary institutions, basically depend on the knowledge of Further Mathematics on their day-to-day thrive. This has caused enormous decline in the number of persons seeking to study engineering, and other related, courses. The few that managed to secure admission to read these courses, perhaps due to their background, usually fumble as the journey progresses.

        

The way out from this conundrum entails three prime approaches. One, the various primary and secondary schools ought to endeavour to engage qualified teachers that would imbibe the required mindset and knowledge into the pupils and students, as the case may be. Guidance and counselling that has almost gone into extinction should equally be revived in these schools. A functional and viable counselling mechanism would enable the learners to go for only the needful as well as what would be suitable for their future.

        

Parents and guardians, on their part, are expected to pay more attention to whatever their wards do as regards academics. Learning begins from home, thus the needed parental support mustn’t be overlooked. Among all, governments at all levels among other relevant stakeholders should endeavour to provide the required facilities that would enable the affected people to appreciate science’s teachings.

         

For this growing apathy to become a thing of the past, every concerned stakeholder as mentioned above must note that science is the only field that can enable the anticipated economic diversification. Think about it!

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Opinion I Ohakim and His Continuing Continuity Ambition

IF I WERE IN OHAKIM’S SHOES ...

        

The last time I painstakingly checked, 2019 which would mark another interregnum in Nigeria was fast approaching to the delight of the country’s teeming politicians, particularly their likes in Imo State. This implies that both the politicos and the electorate are currently warming up toward embracing the said era, thus can’t wait.

         

Though some of us who earnestly look forward to witnessing such a period may not be opportune to get to that point owing to the intrigues of nature, everyone seems not to be deterred by unfortunate contingencies. Aside the wants of human in general, which often occasion thrive accompanies with deep passion, an average politician in the contemporary Nigerian society is invariably ready to do everything within his/her powers to ensure that whatever his person so desires would be acquired by all means.

        

Lest I digress, though the preamble was consequential, this critique is informed by the ongoing quest among a few political stalwarts in the state to become the governor of the state come 2019. Some of us who are very close to the state’s political circle, and have been keenly observing series of melodramas taking place in the said arena, need not be told of the few Imolites who are desperately awaiting 2019 as well as can sacrifice anything towards ensuring that victory becomes theirs at the polls.

        

If I am not mistaken, the immediate past governor of the state in the person of Chief Ikedi Ohakim is one of these few individuals that are strongly warming up. It would be recalled that Chief Ohakim’s emergence as the Imo governor in 2007 was seemingly miraculous. His victory was occasioned by the lingered impasse between the then Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) flag bearer for the Imo gubernatorial polls, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume.

         

It appeared Chief Obasanjo, being the leader of the then ruling party (PDP), had vowed that Sen. Araraume would never have the taste of the Douglas House irrespective of the circumstance, perhaps as a result of what transpired between the duo when the latter was a serving Senator. This quagmire necessitated Chief Obasanjo’s adoption of one of the relatively unknown candidates for the race, Chief Ohakim who was running under the platform of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) – a party founded by the then governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, thereby causing a huge confusion for Sen. Araraume who had better chances of emerging victorious.

        

Prior to anointing Chief Ohakim to wear the shoes of Sen. Araraume, although under a disguise, the agreement was that the former would decamp to the PDP if he emerged as the governor of the state, and consequently he fulfilled his own part of the deal when he eventually found himself in the Douglas House. Aside decamping from the PPA to the PDP, during his reign as the Imo State governor, it’s worth noting Chief Ohakim was making frantic effort to satisfy a few individuals who could be best described as king makers.  

         

Like any other leadership, it’s noteworthy that Ohakim’s was characterized by several social cum political challenges. Apart from the lingered court proceedings between him and Sen. Araraume at the political angle, which occasioned various distractions, the social plights experienced by him was one of the reasons that gave Chief Rochas Okorocha – the present governor – an upper hand during the 2011 governorship election in the state.

        

Though I’m not here to state his accomplishments and shortcomings while he was the state’s governor, it’s imperative to acknowledge that his four-year tenure, which came as a surprise to millions of onlookers, ended in an unpopular style. Despite his strong intention to continue for a second time in office, it was obvious that over seventy-five per cent (75%) of Imolites wanted him to take a bow, probably due to the misunderstanding that ensued between him and a Catholic priest which was widely politicized. In addition, the popularity of Chief Okorocha who was then his closest rival brought more pains to his continuity aspiration.

         

Coupled with the rumour making the rounds that the Mbano-born politician is still aspiring to return to Douglas House come 2019, penultimate week, one of the dailies confirmed the news. The information had it that, after due consultations, Chief Ohakim had publicly disclosed his interest to vie for the post of the Governor of the Eastern Heartland in 2019. Chief Ohakim who few months ago notified the general public that he had temporarily retired from active partisan politics, equally aspired for the same position in 2015 but never secured a ticket at the primary level, in PDP precisely.

        

One thing that is yet to be clear is the political party the man in question would be vying under. Is it going to be the PDP that failed to secure victory in 2011, rejected him in 2015, and that he chose to temporarily retired from barely few months ago when it needed him most? Will it be the All Progressives Congress (APC) that is already loaded with aspirants noted to be men of unquestionable character; in other words, a party where there is ostensibly no iota of vacancy? Is he going back to the PPA that he relegated to the background when he became the governor of the state in 2007, or considering coming up with a totally different political party? These among many more questions are currently on my thoughtful mind.

         

However, whichever party he may choose to operate under toward actualizing his keen objective, I wish to unequivocally but humbly advise the statesman to have a rethink as regards such an ambition. If I were in his shoes, I would never dream of aspiring for governor, or a second term, again. Not because he had been defeated twice at the polls – both at the primary and secondary levels – or because he is not qualified, but simply owing to the fact that his chances of emerging victorious again are apparently infinitesimal. Someone he calls his good/best friend might not tell him this, but I always stand for the truth and uprightness.

         

First, the APC has seemingly dominated Imo State within a shortest time frame. Secondly, Governor Okorocha seems to remain popular, perhaps as a result of the ongoing free-education in the state, which he has managed to sustain till date. It suffices to say that whosoever that would be vying for the Imo gubernatorial polls come 2019 under the auspices of the APC, or to be anointed by the aforesaid governor, would definitely have an upper hand at the polls.

        

Even if Chief Ohakim eventually decamped to the APC, there’s no up to 10% guarantee that the party’s ticket would be given to him because there are several others who had ab initio worked relentlessly for the party and are equally qualified for the position in question, thus it would be ideal he choose acting as a godfather concerning the awaited election. This is my humble take; I don’t know about you. Think about it!

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Opinion I Imo Poly and the Government's Proposal

IMO POLY AND THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSAL

      

 The last time I checked, there was an ongoing move by the government of Imo State to transform the state’s revered Polytechnic – precisely situated at Umuagwo in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Council – to a degree awarding citadel of learning. The intention was solely occasioned by the present administration’s perception that the ancient institution deserves to be given a lift in all ramifications.

       

 If one says a lift well-deserved, he might not be mistaken. In other words, if someone happens to state that the government’s move is commendable, his opinion shouldn’t be seen as irrational. It suffices to say that the ongoing proposal by the Rescue Mission administration was well calculated, thus deserve applause. One good reason it ought to be tagged a ‘welcome development’ is owing to the obvious fact that Imo State is obviously yearning for additional universities, because more thousands of people from the state are, on a yearly basis, preoccupied with the quest to secure admission in a university.

        

However, it’s imperative to acknowledge that a step might be right but not in the right direction. Though the aim of the Chief Rochas Okorocha-led administration may be genuine and ‘laudable’, it’s pertinent to take some facts into consideration for the interest of education and the state in general. The about-to-be stated observations must be considered closely if the paramount goal of the said move is for the betterment of the Eastern Heartland.

        

It would be recalled that the citadel of learning in question was initially ran as a monotechnic for agricultural studies – then it was known as College of Agriculture – before it was transformed to a polytechnic by the immediate past administration led by Chief Ikedi Ohakim. When it was a monotechnic, it performed tremendously well in the area of agricultural productions and processing that everyone could attest to.

        

It’s mind-boggling that one would hardly locate a monotechnic in most quarters across the country. A monotechnic enables specialization, thus encourages division of labour, which invariably leads to greater productivity. But due to the quest to earn more income via the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) scheme, every government would want to introduce more departments to an existing monotechnic, which can only be possible by transforming it to a polytechnic. It is the same quest that usually warrants transformation from a polytechnic to a university.    

       

But that of Imo state is relatively different because the state is apparently the only place across the federation where education is free ranging from nursery, primary, secondary to tertiary level. This implies that why the government intends to transform the polytechnic is ostensibly as a result of the compelling need for the state to boast of more functional universities coupled with other related reasons.

        

Whatever the actual aim might be, we need to note that polytechnic was invented for a particular purpose. The basic objective that informed the introduction of polytechnic education into the educational system was not unconnected with the rising need to have a platform that would technically impart academic knowledge to its teeming seekers. It’s pathetic that lately this very purpose had been abused in various quarters, not just in Nigeria but across the African continent. This is why currently in the labour market, holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate are often discriminated by employers of labour.

        

Polytechnic was designed to go straight to the point when it calls for impaction of knowledge, technically, compared to the mode of operation of conventional universities. Hence, those calling for polytechnics to be scrapped, or elevated to degree awarding institutions, need to reexamine the reason behind the call. Rather than soliciting for such change, we ought to be more concerned about how to address the ongoing uncalled dichotomy between degree and HND certificates in the labour market. Any HND holder that’s employed in any establishment should commence with Grade Level eight, just as the degree holders are entitled to. Ending the lingering impasse is the only way to address the anomaly, and not to outrightly scrap polytechnics that’s on cause.

       

If the Imo government eventually succeeds in transforming the Imo State Polytechnic, that would create a scenario where the state would no longer boast of any polytechnic; such circumstance wouldn’t unequivocally augur well for any society that truly means well for education, and Imo is not an exception. So, it’s either the government jettison the move, or consider establishing another polytechnic for replacement without much ado. The latter would be very difficult, because we are not unaware of the economic challenges currently faced not just by the state but the country at large. In view of this, I suggest we keep this proposal pending till further notice.

        

Let it not be that I’m against development, but the fact remains that if any targeted meaningful development is channeled inaptly, it may end up generating crisis instead of the intended positive change. To this end, I’m earnestly and humbly appealing to the amiable governor to take a second look at the move. I know his paramount interest is to ensure that every Imolite acquires education with ease, but he equally needs to consider what becomes the fate of the state, education wise, if the anticipated ‘feat’ is actualized.

        

As much as I wish him well and good luck in all his lofty endeavours toward transforming the state, I would want His Excellency to sit down and properly digest this piece that candidly means well for Imolites and the state at large. The piece is only advocating that the needful should be done at all times, and at the right time. Think about it!

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