Prof. Promise Okpala, the Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), has urged parents and teachers to build up students’ confidence before examinations.
Okpala made the call during an interview in Abuja on Sunday.
“People seek help in tasks they cannot perform. If you know the task, you won’t seek or accept help.
“So, the bottom line is our students don’t know enough to carry them through simple examinations and so they cheat.
“After spending six years in school, they are still not prepared for their final examinations. This is due to the lack confidence.’’
The NECO boss said parents were only concerned about what positions their children took and paid less attention to their performance.
“All they care about is that their children are in school; they are paying school fees and child is coming first.
“When many people gather for a contest, someone must come first. It does not matter if the scores are low.
“I think parents should concern themselves with the average performance instead of position.’’
On teachers, he said: “it is one thing to cover a syllabus and another to cover it very well and not many schools cover all the topics effectively.’’
Okpala said teachers were only concerned with covering the syllabus and in the process, rush students through it, not minding whether or not they understood what they were taught.
According to him, teachers set internal examinations based on the few topics they teach
“When external examinations are set covering the whole scheme of work, they find such questions strange and difficult.
“So, fundamentally, not much learning and teaching are going on in schools. It takes both parents and teachers to achieve this.
“Parents have a duty to ensure effective learning through supervision and discipline.
“Their contribution should go beyond material provision. Since a child knows that his parents would ask questions, they would sit up and not be jittery when exams are coming,” the registrar said. (NAN) Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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well spoken! I hope everyone concerned will take heed. A teacher cannot give what he/she does not have! For as long as the teaching profession only attracts 'frustrated' 'half-baked Graduands' who take to teaching only as a last resort after years of 'job-hunting' by reason of the generally low earning offered to teachers in this country (especially in most privately-owned and some public schools), so long will the problem persist! Another serious issue is the complete lack/poor effective supervision of especially teachers in the Public schools system and this has invariably resulted in the absysmally low standard of teaching/learning. Gone, unfortunately, are the days when committed and experienced teachers ensured that the younger teachers stricly followed the time-tested effective teaching methods with close supervision of the students who are made to conform to the ethos of hard work, punctuality, seriousness with home work etc. In those days, if for any reason, as a student, you saw your teacher coming to speak with your parents at home, your heart simply froze. Where are those kind of teachers today? Who so love their job and are always conscious that they are training future leaders of the Country, for whom no sacrifice was too much - even if they have to follow the child home to engage the Parents and get them to play their proper roles in the Child's educational/moral upbringing. Whose hearts are fully gratified just to know that a Child under their care successfully made it to a reputable University on merit alone and not by 'cash donation'. May God bring back those calibre of teachers - with a true love of teaching to teach our children the same committed way I was privileged to have been taught. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS ALL MY WONDERFUL TEACHERS! TCHARLZ.
ReplyDeleteexactly. The standard of education is fallin as day goes by. I Pray something is done about it cause Its getting worse by day. Students Are becoming lazier and teachers weaker. Parents sitting with their hands folded. If parents could make a little effort. Give more time to their children the standard o education Will get better
ReplyDeleteThis is a Dilemma, it is totally lose of focus, as corruption is still cerebrated. Corruption is still unfolding more of it tentacles, hw do we tink d younger will want to work hard again wen dey knows cutting corners is the order of d day? This is an outrageous shameless in an auto reverse gear!!!
ReplyDelete