We
are all familiar with the “five credit
passes, including English and Maths” that accompany the terms &
conditions of admission that must be satisfied in virtually all the tertiary
institutions in the country. This has been an age long tradition whose
relevance in our country today ought to be re-examined. I have a brief example to
share.
I
took four SS1 students private lessons on science courses and one of these
students happen to be very poor in arithmetic, so poor in anything involving
numbers to the extent that ‘ten’ divided by ‘two’ has proven on several
occasions to be an arduous challenge for him. Let’s not discuss how he managed
to even get to SS1 in the first place, but this boy is very bright in other
subjects and was capable of reasoning and thinking real wide. I know that he
definitely would get better in arithmetic (he already is), but what about
others out there who might be facing similar challenges?
English
language is merely a type of language. The fundamental essence of every
language is communication. Inasmuch as one is capable of reading, writing and
speaking a language, the primary objective of studying that language has been
accomplished —save for those who choose to advance their knowledge in the field
— and every other thing that follows is secondary. What we study in English in our schools is
quite disorienting.
Likewise
maths, research and survey have shown that several people possess an inherent
‘phobia’ for mathematics and thus find it extremely difficult to cope in an
‘arithmetic weather’. Others on the other hand are naturally endowed with the
ability to effortlessly tackle mathematical problems.
For
the English, since it has been adopted as our official language, I’ll say that
it will do well for everyone to master its use. For mathematics however,
someone who has been gifted in painting or athletics ought not to be
unnecessarily punished or denied the opportunity of advancing in his/her career
simply because he/she is not good in maths.
It’s
high time we begin to evaluate certain norms/laws that no longer yield desired
results. For one not to credit maths and English does not mean such a person
has nothing to offer — I think that those who benefit from such student’s
failures are the examination bodies themselves — even though these subjects are believed to be functional skills.
By
now, some of our higher institutions ought to have been converted to
specialized vocational schools if we truly believe that SME’s have a role to
play in contributing to the nation’s GDP and help alleviate the soaring rate of
unemployment.
God
bless Nigeria.
