We help students develop positive attitude – Mann

David Bamidele Mann, Chairman, Advocacy for Positive Behavioral Patterns Initiative, explains how literacy and numeracy shortfalls can be dealt with.  By Abubakar Haruna   The rate of illiteracy in the country is said to be alarming. What do you think is the major challenge in tackling illiteracy in Nigeria? Government is trying but it needs […]

David Bamidele Mann, Chairman, Advocacy for Positive Behavioral Patterns Initiative, explains how literacy and numeracy shortfalls can be dealt with. 

By Abubakar Haruna

 

The rate of illiteracy in the country is said to be alarming. What do you think is the major challenge in tackling illiteracy in Nigeria?

Government is trying but it needs to do more. The challenge is that when government pumps money into the education sector, it should make sure that it gets to the grassroots. Government should make education compulsory and liaise with traditional rulers to ensure that every child goes to school and also provide free meals to encourage children to go to school. If the children know that they will get at least one free meal a day they will rush to school.

 

Some blame policy inconsistency as one of the major factors militating against mass literacy in the country. What is your take on this?

 I agree. Policy inconsistency is another challenge. If we have continuation in policy there will be improvement. For example, the present government introduced free feeding programme in primary schools, the next government should continue with it. By so doing, it will become a norm in the society. 

Lack of fund is another challenge. Due to corruption, funding usually doesn’t go to the grassroots. If you earmark like N50 million every month to one of the schools in an area council, you will be shocked that the principal will take some amount and the teachers will take their share. Before it gets to the students, the money will be so small. If you go to most of the rural schools, you will find that there are no chairs and learning materials. 

 

What is the solution to soaring illiteracy rate in the country?

The solution is that government should relate with traditional rulers at the rural areas. Government should provide funds and ensure that people benefit from those funds. They should also ensure check and balance to ensure that the money is spent judiciously.

 

What are the challenges your NGO is facing in carrying out its oversight function?

The challenge that we is facing is lack of funding. Most of the NGOs have the zeal but funding is always the problem. We are in partnership with the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) that whenever they are going out to the rural communities we are going with them to meet people in the rural communities. Our work is to change their mindset, attitude and behaviour towards education. We want to educate them on the importance of sending their children to school.

 

Your group is supposed to promote school-wide positive learning behaviour. Are you facing problems doing that?   

The effort to promote positive behaviour was borne out of a passion and started during my national youth service at Gombe State. I was posted to Yamaltu Deba Local Government and I was the Corps Liaison Officer (CLO). I served with a Federal College of Education where I saw some students that had the zeal  to learn but language was a barrier to them. And since I was born in Zaria and I can speak Hausa language, I decided to mobilize some of my corps members to go to schools that are in rural areas and teach. 

The essence was not only to go into the classroom and teach, but to tell the students the importance of education and why they were in school. We started teaching them even in their local dialect. Sometimes if we explain certain things in their dialect they understood better. I now discovered that teaching and learning go hand in hand. When there is teaching there must be learning and vice versa. That was how the idea of the organisation came about.

What are the objectives of the organisation?

It is simple. We are here to impart knowledge on the masses especially at the rural areas. We want students to develop positive attitude. We tell teenagers, they are in school to acquire knowledge, live meaningful lives and be relevant to the society.