Education

By Musa Idris Panshekara

The commercialisation of job offers is one of Nigeria’s most familiar new faces of corruption. But, on the other hand, there is a constant increase in the numbers of graduates each year produced from different universities and colleges around the country.

Let me begin by citing the Hadith of the Beloved Prophet S.A.W, where he said: “Whoever’s main concern becomes the Hereafter, Allah will make things well for him, and will make richness to dwell in his heart. And the world will come to him despite its unwillingness. And whoever’s main concern becomes this world, Allah will scatter his affairs and will place poverty between his eyes; also, the world will not come to him, except what was written for him.”

You cannot run and surpass your shadow, and you are constantly walking with your preordainment. Let me narrate a brief story of my previous jobs. When I finished my diploma, I worked with two companies. The first one was immediately after the completion of my diploma.

I met with someone and told him that I had finished my diploma. Therefore, if there was any job opportunity, I was available. He answered that he would contact me whenever he got a vacancy. Meanwhile,  I continued with my menial job (tailoring). After some months, I got a call from my friend that, that man asked him to ask me if I have experience of a particular job “he mentioned one working experience, whether I can or not?” I quickly responded, indeed! In sum, I successfully conducted an interview and got the job.

Moreover, a few months later, I got a call from my teacher. He informed me that his friend asked him to find someone who has a certificate in Agricultural science. I replied that I have diplomas in Animal production technology, a certificate in Laboratory science technology, and basic computer skills. He asked me to submit my credentials like that. Some months went by again. Then, I got a call that I should come for an interview. I finally secured the job. I left the present one and switched to the new one. Eventually, I quit the job and went back to school for my HND.

Similarly, after I finished my HND before going for NYSC, a friend of mine (whom we did SIWES together in primary health care) called me that his business partner was looking for an experienced laboratory technician at his newly established laboratory. I got this one, too, after an interview and so on.

Money helps make someone happy but does not mean that money will provide one with all kinds of happiness. Unfortunately, misunderstanding how life is makes many people think that money solves all problems. That is why people desperately toil to earn money to feed themselves and their families legitimately or illegitimately, forgetting the transient of worldly possessions.

Consider my story above; two main things helped me secure the jobs. First is my employability. In other words, my experience before coming across the opportunities. Second, my relationship or connection. Therefore, I am saying that acquiring skills makes a person employable.

Buying or selling job offers will not solve your problem forever. So let us free ourselves from corruption and prepare a better life for our posterity.

Musa Idris Panshekara wrote from Kano via pmusaidris@gmail.com.

By Tahir Ibrahim Tahir Talban Bauchi. 

I am an active member of The Habu Mamman Foundation group. So when I came across a message shared by Uncle Habu Mamman himself, it got my rapt attention. Uncle Habu is an Engineer turned politician, along with another Uncle, Nuhu Gidado, former Deputy Governor of Bauchi state and commissioner of education. When I got the audio file, I could feel Uncle Habu’s roaring and infectious laughter, but realising that it was a 45-minute long recording, I knew he meant business. I steadied and listened to it.

It was Dr Tilde’s voice, the Commissioner for Education in Bauchi state. I could feel his pain in his voice, and as he spoke, his breath delivered his anger, yet, in a soft-spoken manner. Dr Tilde was the pioneer Chairman of the Bauchi Special School’s Management Board during the Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu administration of 1999-2007. He was sought after by the administration of M. A. Abubakar Esq. (2015-2019), to which he was unavoidably absent. Present-day Bala Mohammed’s government got his services as the Education Commissioner. 

Dr Tilde’s sterling achievements during the Ahmed Mu’azu Administration have brought us to the current efforts to revamp and revitalise the state of education in Bauchi. He spoke at length of the rot in the system, the poor quality of teachers in the sector, and the corruption that is eating away the resources that would have otherwise helped in uplifting the standard of education in Bauchi. He is battling an entrenched system of corruption that doesn’t care about the children’s future—a system where people get paid for doing no work at all.

It’s a system where school children could not write a sentence, neither could they read one, and if they write a word or sentence, you could not read what they’ve written. During his 45 minute delivery, he reflected on the work done during Ahmed Adamu Mua’zu’s administration. He was always pontificating at what they achieved during that time, how they did it, and the quality of the products they hatched at the time. Finally, he declared that today, if you go to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital in Bauchi, you will meet doctors, lab scientists, pharmacists and many other professionals who are products of the special schools of the Ahmed Mu’azu era. 

During Ahmed Mu’azu’s tenure as governor, primary school students’ enrollment rose from 438,350 to 1.3 million within six years. Before he became governor in 1999, only 279 students passed their WAEC exams with five credits or more. That figure rose to 9000 students under his watch in 2005. His achievements in the education sector in the history of Bauchi state are second to none. The quality of education was simply outstanding. 

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi itself, houses a lot of the infrastructural projects of the Ahmed Mua’zu administration when it was the Bauchi Specialist Hospital. The quality of the wards, laboratories and equipment installed are second to none and are still being utilised today. The Amenity ward stands as a perfect example of the standard of works executed at that time. There is no difference between the National Hospital Abuja and the Amenity division of the Specialist Hospital Bauchi.

Ahmed Mu’azu built over 1000km of intra-state roads and over 230km of urban township roads. His rural development strides saw the electrification of 800 towns and villages, where they were connected to the national grid. The Federal Ministry of Information ranked him as the best governor in rural development, and the second overall best in all areas, in the country. 

Ahmed Mu’azu’s first degree is in Quantity Surveying, and his master’s is in Construction Management. I believe this accounts for his quest for excellence when he delivers his projects. He was recently honoured by the Federal University Wukari with an honorary Doctorate, as Doctor of Science, in recognition of his selfless service and visionary leadership. Additionally, he has five other honorary doctorates from notable institutions: the Federal University of Technology Akure, University of Uyo, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Igbinedion University Benin, and University of Maiduguri.

Ahmed Mu’azu is widely travelled and well-known across the country, with friends and associates in every nook and cranny. So many groups and movements have sprung up, urging him to run for the Presidency. Even though he hasn’t made any declaration yet. He is undoubtedly an administrator with a most enviable track record of excellence in service delivery, filled with legacies from his tenure as Bauchi governor. Dr Tilde got me nostalgic over our unforgettable Mu’azu of Bauchi state.

Tahir is Talban Bauchi and sent this article via talbanbauchi@yahoo.com.

By Ibrahim Musa (BK)

While on teaching service, there are a lot of discoveries I make in the noble profession. In fact, I have seen some reasons why many students cannot do well academically in many schools despite all the efforts and sacrifices teachers make to ensure students’ academic accomplishments that will help them (students) and prepare them for future life.

Teachers are there to make necessary sacrifices in helping students attain quality education that will help them meet their potentials in life and establish a foundation to build their future upon.

However, many teachers have different reasons for being in the classrooms. Some take the teaching job to satisfy their needs with their salary. Some are there just because they cannot get a well-paid job and due to the blow of unemployment. They reluctantly take teaching jobs without the intention of helping students, while some (reasonably few) are there to make sacrifices in assisting students in attaining a good education. Every reason of each teacher will determine whether or not students will get a good education.

I discovered that many teachers are doing one thing very well, which is teaching students in the classrooms but abandoning one other vital thing: research. Thus, All teachers in primary and secondary schools need to teach and engage in research that will help them formulate effective teaching methodologies because students have different needs that require different teaching methodologies that will enable students to meet their educational needs in the classrooms.

Suppose all teachers engage in both teaching and research together. In that case, they will encounter individual differences exhibited by students. With this discovery, they will be able to formulate effective teaching methodologies to help the students to understand the contents of the lessons very well and meet their educational needs.

It is vitally important to note that research is the adequate foundation upon which teaching methodologies are formulated. Therefore, every teacher should not overlook or neglect research because it is beneficial to both students, teachers themselves, and society.

Life is dynamic, and research will help teachers understand the nature, scope, and prospect of every dynamism to determine and design effective teaching methods that match students’ learning paces.

RESEARCH EXPANDS OUR TEACHING PROFESSIONALISM. Therefore, keep on teaching and researching.

Ibrahim Musa BK is an English Language teacher at Government School For the Deaf Malumfashi, Katsina State. He sent this article via musaibrahimbk@gmail.com.

By Aminu Rabiu Kano

If there is one vexing question that has continuously engaged the attention of stakeholders worldwide, it is certainly about the future of a classroom teacher in the ever-changing global world. No doubt, the role of a teacher is critical in building and sustaining a healthy and responsible society. Indeed, the future of any thriving community rests in the teacher’s pivotal role to progressively impart valuable lessons and skills to children. But then the world is fast evolving, from one era to another, thereby altering the modus operandi of several human activities, teaching and learning inclusive.

In the 21st century, the world has witnessed so much transformation in virtually every aspect of human life, with technology leading the way into a more digital world. The change brought upon by the technological revolution has had a tremendous impact on every facet of human interaction. Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has shocked the entire world as physical human interactions were curtailed, thereby bringing a paradigm shift in man’s understanding of his environment.

Specifically, the education sector is affected by the changes constantly happening in and around the world. Naturally, this raises serious questions about the role of a teacher. As globally recognized, a teacher everywhere possesses some latitude of power and influence, which earns him respect in society. But since the world is witnessing tremendous changes that have never been seen before, some urgent questions arise that are pertinent to a teacher’s continued relevance.

On the one hand, a teacher is expected to help students learn by imparting knowledge and setting up a situation in which students can and will learn effectively. While on the other hand, he (teacher) is faced with the daunting task of introducing a novel, pragmatic approach to learning to be at par with changes in the world. While the task is enormous, it is still humanly possible for a teacher to deliver his primary functions while at the same time leading with power and influence.

Research by Kappa Delta Pi (2015) discovered that little value occurs in any classroom without excellent teacher preparation to lead students. This implies that the leadership skills possessed by a particular teacher have a tremendous impact on learning outcomes. A teacher, in this context, is equated with a senior policymaker whose ability to lead the way for progressive policies and handle complex issues has a direct impact on the happiness of a vast number of people.

A teacher is thus not seen as a leader with limited influence and power but a leader of all students, of people large and small. Therefore, teacher leadership is an inescapable reality. In essence, I am saying that in a bid to maintain and even augment their relevance in a changing world, teachers must possess some leadership skills to meet students’ demands.

Secondly, for teachers to remain relevant and influential in a fast-changing world, they must be an agent of change. But in order not to misunderstand change with fashion, a teacher must do some research to be able to glean the source, nature, character, prospects, and challenges of any change mantra. This means understanding the politics of change and collaborating with like minds in pushing for a progressive change in all aspects of human life. By so doing, the teacher extends the reach of his leadership empire beyond the four walls of a classroom.

Thirdly, for a teacher to continue wielding enormous power and influence, he must do all he can to produce students who not only keenly observe but clearly understand what is happening around them. Therefore, the onus is on the teacher to train his students and imbue them with the mindset of identifying problems in their immediate society and investing their efforts towards solving them. In this light, skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving are pivotal.

Finally,  a teacher can only lead with power and influence in a changing world if he is adaptable. Adaptability in this context implies the readiness and ability of the teacher to receive, internalize, support, and promote positive changes. Therefore, as the world moves to a digital era, the teacher must embrace technology to deliver lessons. For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the closure of schools and other institutions of learning, thereby disrupting academic activities. This notwithstanding, in some climes, teachers resorted to using technology for lessons delivery. By way of advice, a teacher must leverage technological gadgets to produce students with a digital mindset.

Aminu Rabiu Kano is a political and public affairs commentator. He can be reached via arabiukano@gmail.com.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

 Subject+ had been + verb in progressive

Past perfect continuous tense represents an ongoing action that started and continued for some time in the past.

Example:

1. Yar’adua had been seeing his doctor for two years before he died in 2009.

2. The students had been waiting for two hours when their lecturer arrived.

3. Muhammad had been teaching for four years when he resigned and joined politics

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

subject+ will/shall + verb (base form)

Functions of the simple future tense

The simple future refers to a time later than now and expresses facts or certainty. In this case, there is no ‘attitude’.

The simple future is used:

• To predict a future event:
  It will rain tomorrow.
• With I or We, to express a spontaneous decision:
  I will pay for the tickets by credit card.
• To express willingness:
  I will do the washing-up.
  He will carry your bag for you.
• In the negative form, to express unwillingness:
  The baby won’t eat his soup.
  I won’t leave until I’ve seen the manager!
• With I in the interrogative form using “shall” to make an offer:
  Shall I open the window?
• With We in the interrogative form using “shall”, to make a suggestion:
  Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
• With I in the interrogative form using “shall” to ask for advice or instructions:
  What shall I tell the boss about this money?
•  
• FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

subject+ will be + verb in -ing

The Future Continuous tense is a verb tense that indicates that something will occur in the future and continue for an expected length of time.

Example

1. I will be travelling to Kano tomorrow this time 

2. We will be watching the football match 

3. The students will be sitting for their final exams in June.

FUTURE PERFECT

subject+ will have + verb in past participle

Example

1. I will have returned from Kano tomorrow by this time

2. I will have finished my project by next week.

3. I will have written the letter by breakfast time.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

subject+ will have been + verb in – ing 

– To show that something will continue up until a particular event or time in the future

Example:

1. I will have been teaching for six years by September 2022

2. The students will have been waiting for two hours by 10.00 am

3. We will have been playing for one hour by 10:30

In summary

1. simple present: I drive.

2. present cont: I’m driving.

3. present perfect: I have driven.

4. Present perfect continuous I have been driving.

5. simple past: I drove.

6. past cont: I was driving.

7. past perfect: I had driven.

8. past perfect cont: I had been driving.

9. simple future: I will drive.

10. future cont: I will be driving.

11. future perfect: I will have driven.

12. future perfect continuous: I will have been driving.

Concluded

Nuru Aliyu Bauchi wrote from Bauchi via nurubh2015@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Students and their parents are worried as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threatens to embark on a fresh indefinite strike.

Recall that ASUU suspended its nine-month-long strike in 2020 after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government. Still, after a year, the government is yet to fulfil its promises to the union.

The ASUU’s strike has been described as one of the most lingering issues that has been paralysing Nigerian universities, leading to the delay in students’ graduation and the deterioration of the education system in the country.

Not only that, many people argue that the strike has destroyed the future of many promising youths.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chairperson of ASUU Kano State Branch, Comrade Haruna Musa, and the Union’s Secretary, Comrade Yusuf U. Madugu, declared Monday, February 7, 2022, as a lecture-free day.

Its essence is for ASUU to use the day to sensitise university students, parents and other stakeholders on the brewing crisis arising from the Federal Government’s failure to implement the existing agreements with the union judiciously.

Educational sector at the receiving end

A lecturer at the Department of Nigerian Languages, Bayero University, Kano, Dr Muhammad Sulaiman Abdullahi, said that the strike was killing the country’s educational sector and the economy.

Dr Abdullahi cried: “It is a sad development. It looks childish and an endless menace, especially to the Nigerian educational system. Strike has become a thorn in the flesh of Nigeria’s general development. No nation can prosper morally in such a nasty situation. It is, indeed, unfortunate.”

He added that the situation “generally makes people, teachers, students and their parents to become very dull and uncertain of their future. You can take it to the banks that crime rate will somersault, and new bad things will manifest within the wider community”.

Students at risk

The president of the Mass Communication Students Association (MACOSA), Bayero University, Kano chapter, Comrade Sadisu Sada, decried that industrial action in Nigerian universities had been there for quite a long time.

He said, “It is worrying. The issue affects students directly. And for me, the government is to blame.

“ASUU is doing her best to give the educational system all that it requires. If not, education would have died.”

Umar Isah Dandago, an undergraduate of the Department of Mass Communication in the university, also voiced his grievance, saying this would delay his graduation.

Dandago said: “We would have graduated if not for the 2020 strike. This is a serious problem. A lot of people want to do something, like setting up a new business after university, but because of the strike, it’s becoming almost impossible.”

He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to give ASUU what it demanded, saying, “I believe it’s not even half of what’s being squandered in some things that are not important to us. So let’s get the education we deserve as Nigerians so that we’ll be proud of our leaders and our country.”

Also speaking, Comrade Ibrahim Mukhtar Sulaiman, a level 300 student, said: “Sadly, students taking a four-year course will graduate in five, six or seven years. And this affects not only their academic careers but also their personal life.”

Parents raise alarm

As the strike looks imminent, some parents lamented that the brewing crisis between the government and ASUU jeopardises their children’s future.

A parent, Malam Adamu Kolo, who looked disturbed by the imminent strike, said that his son would have graduated if not for ASUU incessant strike.

Malam Adamu Kolo said, “My son would have graduated this year if not because of ASUU incessant strike. You can see that I am poor. I am hopeless. Our hope is on this boy.”

By Safiyanu Ladan

The Kaduna state government has directed teachers in public schools to transit to four days working in a week, which the state adopted last year.

In line with the new arrangement, the teachers will now work from Monday to Thursday instead of Monday to Friday regular routine.

This development has generated a lot of condemnation across the state, as many people fear that it will further cripple the already fragile education system.

According to these critics, Governor El-Rufai had come up with stringent education policies ranging from competency tests for primary school teachers, which saw the sacking of thousands of primary school teachers, to the closure of schools due to the covid-19 pandemic and insecurity.

These aforementioned measures have invariably affected the impartation of knowledge and created a considerable gap that requires concerted effort to fill.

Staying at home during this period created an overwhelming experience for children and parents. It has also affected the way they learn. Having learnt that the future of their children’s education is at stake, parents were left with no other option than to hire private tutors for their wards, as the resumption date was still sketchy.

Noted for being a hub of intellectual activities in Northern Nigeria, the state has recently grappled with reduced access to classroom education due to those challenges.

And now, with this government’s directives of transiting the teacher’s working days to four in a week in place of the regular working days is tantamount to reducing the access to classrooms that has a far reached negative impacts on students.

Given the foregoing, the decision of the government to make teachers in public schools resort to four days working is ill-fated.

Safiyanu Ibrahim wrote from Kaduna via uncledoctor24@gmail.com.

By Maimuna Abubakar

The house girl business is ancient in Nigeria and the most common one in my area. I am from the north-central part of Nigeria, also known as ‘The Middle-Belt’.

It is common among women here in my local government area to keep girls at home as house helps, girls who, in most cases, are between the age of 13-18 while some may even be younger.

The idea of keeping young children as house helps has always eaten me up, and I have probed a lot of people regarding the rationale behind it. And because I am familiar with a number of these girls and even one of the parents, I decided to ask directly from the horse’s mouth.

For the sake of privacy, I will name the girls after colours. The first house girls I know are Violet, Lavender and Purple. They were about the same age, 12 or 13, I guess. They were brought to the city by a man from their village, who works in the city and became the supplier of these girls. These three girls stayed with people I know, and their job description involved doing all house chores and hawking.

In addition, the girls took care of the domestic needs of their madam’s children, such as the washing of clothes, sweeping and tidying of their rooms, making their meals etc., including children that are older than the girls. Their case, except for Lavender, is a bit favourable compared to others because these madams treated them almost the same as their children. They bought whatever they got for their children and enrolled them in Islamic schools (Islamiyya).

When I asked Violet who I was closest to why they don’t attend a school like the children of their employers did, she told me their parents are against it and asked that they should be enrolled in skill acquisition instead. Unfortunately, the reason these parents are against their children going to school was not disclosed to the wards concerned, as Violet told me.

However, she was very curious to learn. She would always ask me to teach her how to spell things or say when speaking to someone who doesn’t understand Hausa. As Violet got older while staying with her madam, she began to lose interest in her job. Every time she came back from their two-week annual break – they got to see their parents for only two weeks in a year – Violent kept telling me that she wished she never returned, that her father is an older man who she believes needed her assistance. Still, her stepmother insisted that she be married off with nothing from her family if she didn’t return to her job. So she was sent out to the city to fetch money to get her married to a man chosen by her family. Violet later told me that she kept coming back even though she hated it because it was the only choice she got if she didn’t want to get married at such an early age.

The story is the same for Purple. Although, unlike Violet, who was very enthusiastic and ready to learn, Purple always stayed home and watched movies while her madam was at work and the children had gone to Islamiyya. 

On the other hand, Lavender was not as lucky as Violet and Purple. Her mistress owns a local restaurant. She woke up as early as 5 am and slept as late as 12 am, and the cycle continued. She often faced sexual harassment from her madam’s customers, but she could not report them because the first and the last time she did, she was beaten black and blue after being accused of lying. So she had to learn to protect herself by cursing them and drawing others’ attention when anyone tries something inappropriate.

Lavender didn’t attend any school, nor did she acquire any vocational skills. She later ran back to her village and never returned. But I heard from Violet that she was taken to another state different from ours. These three girls were later called back home by their parents and were married off.

Blue is another girl I know who was brought to the city by a woman from her village. She worked with this lady who didn’t allow her to eat with the rest of the family, wash her clothes along with the lady’s children’s or even sleep on the same bed even though they were almost Blue’s age or younger. She couldn’t eat if the children didn’t eat because she was supposed to eat only the remnants of the family’s meal. She got beaten for slight mistakes like accidentally destroying anything from the lady’s home, even if it was as small as a plate. The lady always threatened to deduct it from her annual payment.

I asked Blue why she stayed despite this visible maltreatment, and she said it was because she had to earn to support her family. She never returned after she left this lady’s house, but I am almost certain that she was taken to another home.

On the other hand, Ash is a bit older than the rest of them, and she is the one whose mum I know. Financial hardship made Ash’s mother send her to her neighbour’s house as a house help in exchange for Ash’s school fees. When this neighbour decided to relocate to a new environment, Ash’s mother pleaded with her to take her daughter along to get an education. But this neighbour is a difficult one.

If Ash doesn’t finish her chores on time, she won’t be allowed to go to school. If the neighbour’s children don’t go to school, Ash won’t go too. If they are sick, Ash cannot go to school. Ash will also have to miss school if their school is on break. And because Ash does everything in the house, including cooking for about eight to ten kinds of dishes a day since the neighbour loves varieties and always have guest around, Ash is consistently unable to do her homework and often fails her tests and examinations. Not considering all the extreme labour Ash is carrying out, this neighbour told Ash’s parents that she is a dumb girl and only wastes her money on Ash’s education. She refused to allow her to attend extra lessons organized for students like Ash, who are left behind academically, especially since they are about to write their SSCE. Ash was only enrolled in Islamiyya when the neighbour’s kids were old enough to attend. 

Ash felt she couldn’t take it anymore, so she sought respite in marriage. She decided she wanted to get married as soon as she completed her WAEC and NECO, so she brought home a man she chose for herself. He is a young man who owns a kiosk close to Ash school. He asked Ash out when she was in SS2. But Mrs Neighbor said that Ash could not marry an illiterate. That Ash should either bring an M.Sc. or at least a degree holder or no one. She told Ash’s parents that it is in the girl’s best interest that she is trying to make sure Ash has both social and financial security.

Although Ash is not very far from her parents’ house, she seldom visits them because, according to this neighbour, no one will do the house chores while she is gone. Therefore, if Ash’s parents wanted to see her, they would go to the neighbour’s house. Ash’s mother, on several occasions, goes to this neighbour’s house while the neighbour is at work to relieve her daughter of the overbearing labour.

These are a few out of a hundred horrible stories of such girls. I’m not saying there are no house helps who have attained success or are in the process of achieving their life goals with their initial job as a stepping stone. There are!

I know someone who owns a fashion designing shop. I also know someone who has graduated from a higher institution and is already starting a career. Some are still pursuing their education at different levels. But, there are only a handful of such girls, they are rare, and their rarity proves the point that house help business as conducted in my locality especially is just typical child labour and abuse.

How do we curb this dangerous abuse that has been going on in almost all parts of the country?

Since the growing number of working-class women in our society means that mothers can no longer take care of their children 24/7, entrepreneurs can use this opportunity to create niche markets. They can then form a house help agency in or around areas where mothers with such needs are residing.

Again, we have thousands of graduates from the department of ECCE (Early Child Care Education) both from our various colleges of education and our universities. These entrepreneurs can implore their services. These agencies can then employ older women willing to take care of children. Young individuals, both men and women, can also be engaged as either part-time or full-time employees depending on such a person’s financial needs.

The agency can also run a temporary employment program for college students who are on holiday to earn money before resumption. These agencies can have two or more departments; those involved in housekeeping, those responsible for babysitting etc. That way, hopefully, these teenage girls whose parents have been taking advantage of them can also have a life of their own. 

Maimuna Abubakar is a Sociology Student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She sent this article via maimunaabubakar200@gmail.com.

By Aliyu Muhammad Aliyu

We often ask ourselves the question, “why do we lack reading culture in our contemporary society?” The answers we get are associated with our background and perspective on the issue. To a teacher, knowledge of all fields and disciplines is documented mainly in writing. We explore and acquire it by reading relevant resource materials of our interest for their information. We read enough literature persistently to acquire what is sufficient to be knowledgeable through either the education process or self-learning. To read and continue reading, the reading itself has to be easy, attractive and exciting to the reader. In this way, it becomes second nature and a hobby unwitting.

As a common saying, “the beginning of everything is the most important.” When a child learns how to read and comprehend the information, write what is understood by their readers, and express themselves verbally, effective communication skills manifest, hence reading culture and knowledge acquisition. This marks the beginning of intellectual independence achievable only through standard, sound and comprehensive primary education.

Children are taught to be literate in primary schools; they familiarize themselves with alphabets and numerals, words recognition, pronunciation, formation of sentence and paragraph and finally, the whole passage comprehension and composition in mother tongue and lingua franca. Reading begins by reading adventure stories in which the heroes get into difficulties. Then, using the suspense technique, the readers’ interest is held until they find how the heroes escape in the end. This boosts readers’ imagination and interests, which results in reading more stories searching for ways to be heroes themselves. With age, the readers grow older and develop an interest in how people think, talk, feel and handle situations and circumstances. That makes them critical in their thoughts and figuring out how to solve their problems through someone’s experience put in writing.

A society that adopts a reading culture will produce vibrant youth of revolutionary character that will be satisfied only with the best from anyone in all circumstances. On the contrary, anything one does with difficulty, the interest in that particular issue gradually fades away until one loses it completely, more so on the reading activity as energy and time consuming are immense. Those who are incapable of reading a quarter of the minimum words expected per minute of an average reader will certainly lose interest in reading since they are expending what isn’t worth it when they can use the same amount of effort that bear fruit in other activities comfortably. They have to abandon reading and then lose all its life-changing attributes.

The cascade of events that lead to poor reading culture begins with poor primary school back and forth. Pupils attend poor primary schools and leave without learning anything substantial. They move to secondary school still without learning much because of a lack of foundation to support the lessons taught. Somehow, they manage to pass the final exams by exam malpractice or otherwise. They get admissions to higher schools of learning and can sail through in different ways. Some do that by cheating, and others with great difficulty of mere rote learning due to inefficient lecturers that are probably victims of poor primary education or lazy in evaluating their students’ performances.

The poor products are the so-called qualified teachers that are given the available teaching job in primary school to continue the vicious cycle. It is common knowledge that one learns much less than one is taught. So, this indicates that a negligible amount of knowledge and motivation is to be learnt from incompetent teachers. Moreover, this results in the decline of knowledge in every generation.

The only way to correct this existing problem and prevent its future occurrence is to recruit enough competent primary school teachers. They should also be given sufficient orientation training that focuses on what they are to teach according to the syllabus and continuously retrain all existing teachers. Furthermore, educated parents and guardians are to monitor the ability of their children’s literacy and numeracy by themselves to ensure their performance since results are faked by teachers, especially those private schools to mislead parents.

Primary school leavers taught by competent primary school teachers don’t need to spend a dime on them in private secondary schools because they’re well equipped to muddle through and even be among the best in the current unsound state of public schools. A qualitative primary education that leads to unlimited reading culture and curiosity is what the first-generation students and their successors got and proved to be highly knowledgeable in virtually all fields of learning despite their lower certificates. Contrary to what is currently obtainable with those with all the degrees but never fails to hide their ignorance of general knowledge and simple basics that were not obtainable right from primary school.

To fix a society, fix education. To fix education, fix primary education, as simple as it sounds.

Aliyu Muhammad Aliyu wrote from Kano via amabaffa@yahoo.com.

By Salma Yakubu

I sat on a bench under a neem tree behind the Faculty of Education lecture hall. I stared emptily at nothing in particular.

‘Hey! Karima!’ My classmate, Siyama, snapped me out of my thoughts.

‘What are you thinking?’ She scowled as she sat down.

‘The test, I hadn’t studied well.’ I complained.

‘You should have studied enough. You know that lecturer is very tough, he wouldn’t hesitate to fail you. Plus, you are not so good in his course.’ She blamed me.

‘Shut up!’ I roared in anger while already in remorse.

‘I should have studied.’  I murmured to myself.

I was still nursing the pain when Aliyu, the class rep, walked up to us. Aliyu is a young and vibrant student of average height and in his early twenties.

‘Oh, you guys are here; I have been looking for you.’ He said.

‘What’s up?’ I held my breath to hear if it was about another test, assignment, or attendance.

‘Mr. Bashir, statistics, asked me to call you.’ He said. My heart skipped a beat.

‘Why?’ I asked before I sprang to my feet. ‘Did I do anything wrong?’ I enquired.

‘I don’t know. He only said I should call you.’ He replied. I turned to Siyama, who was also in awe.

‘Okay, Aliyu, I’m right behind you.’ I threw my stuff inside the bag and started walking. Siyama followed me.

Two lecturers were leaving as we got to Mr Bashir’s office door. Immediately the door closed back, I knocked.

‘Come in’, Mr Bashir responded. So Siyama and I entered the office.

‘Karima only,’ he said without looking at either of us. Siyama and I exchanged a glance as she slammed the door behind her.

‘Sit down,’ he pointed at a sofa across the room. I sat anxiously and clutched tightly to my bag.

‘You…called…for me…sir.’ I stammered.

‘Yes, Karima.’ He removed his spec, dusted it off and placed it in the spec case. ‘You failed my statistics test, do you know that?’ He furrowed.

‘Yes,’ I nodded. He sighed.

‘You score seven out of twenty points. This is going to affect your grade. How do you plan to stop that from happening?’ He focused his eyes on me. I lowered my gaze in silence. ‘Study harder for exams?’ He asked.

‘Yes,’ I mumbled.

He chuckled. ‘You lost thirteen marks. That’s too much. You are most likely to fail the exam.’ He leaned forward. ‘But you have nothing to worry about. I will help you.’ He then retracted. I breathe in relief. ‘You know Karima; we have an unfinished business.’ He gave me a flirty stare. I felt chunks in my throat.

The very day Mr Bashir introduced himself as the statistics lecturer was the day he invited me for lunch, and that was in the first semester. I turned him down. And we never talked about it again. I have forgotten or almost forgotten we had such an encounter. Even the following morning, when we met in school, he didn’t say a word to me.

‘Are you with me?’ He lurched me out.

‘Yes, sir’

‘I still like you,’ he walked over to where I sat. I swallowed hard as he leaned in. ‘Karima, you are  beautiful and smart, but statistics break your egos.’ He laughed devilishly. ‘ In your last result, you got “E”. Do you know what comes after an “E” grade?

I was dumbfounded.

“Fail.” He said as if that means a well-deserved medal of honour. ‘You might repeat the same course.’ He squirmed. ‘Aren’t you worried about not graduating with your classmates?’ I lowered my gaze again. ‘I’m not only going to help you pass the exam but also provide you with a private tutor.’ He dropped his contact card beside me and returned to his chair. ‘Think about it.’ He said and sat down. ‘Oh! My bad! What will I offer you?’ He snapped out.

‘Nothing, I’m okay. Thank you.’ I faked a smile, and thankfully, just then, my phone buzzed.

‘What is vibrating?’ He asked.

‘My phone.’

Before I could answer it, the phone hung.

‘My friend is calling. We’re going home.’ I told him.

‘Oh, I am sorry to have kept you here.’ He slid out three thousand Naira notes from his pocket and forwarded them to me. ‘Please, fare with this,” he said.

‘I have transport fare, thank you.’ Then, in astonishment, he said okay, and I left.

By the time I got home, it was past six o’clock. My Abba was sitting in the parlour, his attention on the television when I entered. I greeted him and headed to my room.

‘Karima,’ Abba called out. I stopped halfway. ‘I’ll like  to talk to you later.’

‘Okayyyyyyyyyyyy,’ I said.

After a cold shower, I sat on the bedside drawer, towelling myself. My phone buzzed inside the handbag. While I was trying to locate the phone, Mr Bashir’s contact card fell off. I picked the contact card up and plugged my phone into charging while I threw on a long multicoloured chiffon gown and went to Abba. His focus was no longer on the television but a book on his hands. Edge of politics, I read the book title as I sat on the fur carpet by his side.

‘How are studies?’ Abba asked while his eyes were still searching on the book. How can I tell him the truth? Aren’t that studies fine?

‘Study’s fine,’ I lied. He shoved the book aside and turned to me.

‘Karima, you are doing well in a lot of things, especially your education. I’m proud of you.’ I smiled. He continued. ‘I want you to do whatever it takes to graduate with good grades. Don’t worry about a job; I am making arrangements for that. I don’t want you to fail, never.’ He said in a mixture of advice and threat.

This is the problem with Abba; he hates any excuse for failure. Did he know my academic challenges? No, he doesn’t. He consistently gives fare, feeds and if there is any need to buy, he gives the money. Abba thought he must have covered the basic problems in my studies. When I told him once about my difficulty in statistics, he laughed it off, saying that I was mumbling because I wasn’t paying attention and also hated the course. It was not true.

I also told Abba about my coursemate, who was willing to tutor me freely, but he rejected the idea. I know he hated to hear me call a male my friend.

‘You see this male tutor? They are fake. They will drive you into falling in love with them and end up messing with you. In the end, you will lose both love and tutoring. The same with girls, too. Don’t be too close; else, you will end up homosexual. You are just 19. Have you ever imagined what your life would look like when you let a boy or girl a mess with you?’ He would say, and I would squirm.

Since my Abba doesn’t like close relations with the same or opposite gender other than Siyama, who was his friend’s daughter, everyone is either a university mate, department mate, neighbour and nothing special.

‘Do you understand what I’m saying?’ His voice drew me back to our discussion.

‘Yes.’ I replied.

‘God bless you.’

‘Thank you, Abba. Can I join Umma in the kitchen?’

‘Yes, she’ll need you.’

‘Take this to your father.’ She served hot jollof rice and beans on a soleplate and arranged them on a tray.

I carried Abba’s food to the dining room, where he asked me to share the food with him. That was the most thing I derived joy from, eating with my father. I left the food halfway and told him I would observe Isha’i prayers.

I went to my room, performed ablution and observed my prayers. Still, on the prayer mat, I picked up a book from the bedside drawer to read; the thought of Abba’s words pinched me at heart. I nurse them deeply. My father might not be a rich Dad, but he was always on top of his responsibilities—a prestigious father. I would not want to either disappoint or do what he disapproved of me. But, the fear of statistics lingered at my heart and let blood flow on my face. I know or perhaps believe there is no way to pass the exam; worse, I scored so low on the test. Yet, my father saw the light and prospect in me, and I must keep that glittering.

Since I couldn’t disobey Abba to have a good tutor and Mr Bashir is offering to help me, I have no option but to take the first step. So I picked the card from my bedside drawer and typed the number on my phone. I managed to keep my breath steady and dial-up. It rang for few times before he answered.

‘Hello!’ I propped up. ‘Karima speaking.’ I listened to him ask which Karima, but he didn’t. Instead, he was awed.

‘How are you?’ He asked calmly.

‘Sir, I don’t want anything to delay my graduation, not even statistics.’ I mumbled. He chuckled and paused a bit.

‘Calm down. You shouldn’t fear. By the way, my birthday is tomorrow, and I’m inviting you. Will you come?’ He asked.

I mulled for a while before I answered him. ‘Yes’

‘I will send my address tomorrow.’ He said. I hung the phone and breathed in. By then, the sweat on my palms turned cold.

The following day, I woke up and, as usual, did chores. Then, I went to collect clothes from Umma’s tailor before  Kaduna’s hot sunset.

At 4 p.m., I sat in front of my mirror and applied cake powder, eye pencil and lip-gloss. Then wore a long black-stoned abaya and a yellow veil. Finally, I sprayed body perfume and picked my handbag.

I went to meet Umma, reading in her room.

‘Umma, I’m off to Siyama’s house.’ I said to her.

‘All this dressing for Siyama’s house?’ She asked. I knew she suspected nothing, but she always thought I sophisticated dressing for simple outings.

‘Siyama’s friend is having a birthday, so she invited me.’ She nodded and said, ‘Be careful. Return safely.’

‘Thank you, Umma.’ I smiled and left.

That is one thing my parents have for me: trust. They never question nor stop my outings. They believe I would never hurt them.

The cab drove me from Unguwan Rimi to Kigo road. We stopped at Balin hotel while I re-checked the address to ensure I was in the correct location. I brought out my phone and dialled Mr Bashir’s up.

‘I’m at Balin hotel.’ I said as he answered the phone.

‘I’m coming,’ he responded from the other end.

So, I paid and freed the tricycle rider.

After a few minutes of standing and clutching my handbag, a car hunk and stopped beside me, when I looked, it was Mr Bashir.

‘Salam Alaikum’, he greeted, winding the glass down. Without a word, I hurriedly sat in the car. I wouldn’t want anyone to recognize me, and thankfully, the car glass had a tint. He drove off to the end of the lane and cornered into the last street. It was two minutes drive into a three-bedroom flat. He parked the car at his garage, and we came out.

‘Welcome’, he said and led the way into the house. I was expecting to meet people, a lot of them. Thus, I arranged to shield myself to avoid running into somebody I knew.

‘Where are your guests? There isn’t seem to be anybody here.’ I rolled my eyeballs around.

‘On my birthday this year, I decide to invite only you.’ He smiled sheepishly. My heart skipped a beat.

‘Only me? No, I can’t stay with you in this building.’ I protested. He ended up reminding me of why I was there in the first place. My body chilled down instantly, and I followed him into the house. He walked me straight to the dining room. We sat down. Varieties of food and drinks were already served.

‘Is today truly your birthday?’ I asked doubtfully.

‘Yes,’ he replied without looking in my direction. ‘I only need both of us here. That’s why I invited only you.’

‘Happy birthday.’ I said.

‘Thank you. Shall we eat?’ He asked. I told him I was full, but he insisted I eat the food.

After the meal, I thanked him and stood to take my leave. I had expected him to see me out, but instead, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me to the sitting room.

‘I have something for you.’ He whispered. With his hands wrapped around my waist, lumps began to grow in my throat. One of his hands still held me while he used the other one to take a shopping bag from the centre table. We sat down while he unwrapped the stuff. It was a brand new phone, a wristwatch and shoes. I liked them, but I didn’t want to take them from him.

‘It is from my heart. You must go with them.’ He said. I had explained that my parent would kill me if I went home with the gifts. I started to leave, but he came behind and held me tightly. I went numb. Before I could bring myself to know what was happening, he threw me to the cushion and pinned me there. I tried to wriggle but couldn’t.

‘Stop!’ I barked, but he didn’t stop pulling my clothes.

When he finally loosened me, I ran home panting as if a dog chased me. Umma asked what was wrong, but I went to my room without a word. I could feel her eyes taking a step with me, but I cared less. I went straight to the bathroom, showered and lay on the bed.

‘Today, I broke my parent’s trust. I won’t be that same saint they had as a daughter.’ I wept the whole night.

I didn’t come out the following day, so Umma came to my room and asked why I hadn’t prepared for school. I quickly wiped my tears and sat up.

‘I can’t go for lectures today. My body aches; I have a fever, Umma.’ I explained even before she asked. She sat beside me on the bed and felt my temperature with the back of her hand.

‘Your temperature isn’t so bad. Anyway, get up and get some drugs and see if it subside, or else we go to the hospital. I’m going out right now.’ She dropped some money in my bedside drawer and left.

I breathed down in relief. It would be easy for Umma to decipher what was going on if I made any move. But, if she saw my gait, I’d be doomed because I haven’t been able to walk since I woke up that morning. My laps were sour and numb.

I could not talk to, text, or call Mr Bashir ever since the incident happened. And when he does, I never replied. 

A few weeks or about a month later, I  began to have itches around my lower abdomen. Then, it developed into a burning sensation, reddish rashes and lumps, and waist pain. Finally, it got worse that I couldn’t walk or urinate effortlessly without crying from the burning sensation. I told Umma about it.

‘How could you be so careless?’ She struck at me. ‘Let me see.’ She opened my legs, and I saw the situation by herself. She screamed out. ‘Is this what you have been living with?’

‘I’m sorry, Umma.’ I cried.

‘Let’s go to the hospital right now.’ She helped me walk down to her car and drive off.

We met a gynaecologist at the hospital. He immediately took a swap from me to the laboratory. After some time, he returned and asked Umma to follow him. Umma returned with tears. She sniffed and shook her head.

‘Umma, why are you crying?’ I asked.

‘Karima, you have gonorrhoea.’ She replied. My heart skipped a bit.

‘Mr. Bashir has finished me.’ I wailed.

Umma paused and faced me. ‘Who is Mr Bashir?’ She asked with curiosity. ‘What did you have with him?’

I narrated everything to her. I saw Umma weakened to her bones. But, even without a word from her, I knew she was pressing herself not to injure me.

‘Forgive me, Umma.’ I cried.

‘Where is he? Where is the dan iska [rascal]?’ She yelled.

‘He should be in the school.’ I said.

She stomped out of the ward.

By the time she came back, it was with my Abba. I almost peed on the bed. I threw my face away in shame.

‘Karima, I heard what you did.’ He turned his back to me. ‘I hope you know; I will never trust you?’ He said with all bitterness. ‘The so-called Mr Bashir whom you trust as your statistics god, the one who put you in this condition, has escaped my retribution.’

I was surprised but dared not ask him. Umma left the room as Abba set to say the final words. ‘He’s dead. The bastard is dead.’ He raged.

Cold ran down my spine.

‘What happen to him?’ I asked.

‘A tanker fell on his car yesterday as he was leaving the school.’ Abba said.

‘Noooooooo’ I screamed out. Abba’s heartbreak was boldly written in his eyes.

‘He can’t ruin me and die like that.’ I cried.

For the first time in my life, my parents were angry with me. Unfortunately, that would be the price for disobedience and too much fear. But, If Abba wasn’t too strict, I would have been tutored by my classmates, and things wouldn’t have been this way.

‘Abba, I was ready to do anything for you, to make you proud.’ I said while holding tightly unto his hand. That was when I saw tears roll down his cheeks.

‘I’m sorry, Karima. I cause this upon you.’ He held me, too.

‘Your exam is next week. I hope you will be able to read, okay?’ Abba said.

Salma Yakubu is the author of Behind The Moon. She can be reached via princessbeautynigeria111@gmail.com.