THE SCHOOL LIBRARY:A WAKE UP CALL TO NIGERIAN PARENTS

…firstly we wish to quote from an earlier write-up as follows

” Today, we educators must come to terms with the realities of our info-tech age. The methods used in the past to educate us are in the main not relevant to our children. There are too many distractions calling for their attention within the limited time available for studies. Unfortunately many students are often mistakenly labeled as lazy or lacking needed concentration! But by the time you take out school hours, class assignments, home chores, family socials and commitments, Premier/ Champions Leagues, Facebook/Twitters, Ipod/Ipad, Big Brother, Naija sings, Naija/American idols,  X-Factor, Bachelor/Bachelorette, hand-held phones and web roaming one is left to ponder when these children can read seriously or ever take their  studies seriously! Above all, we know they have different abilities and competencies. Don’t we? Unfortunately many parents are under the illusion that sending children to boarding houses will limit students’ propensities for some of these time-eaters . What  they seem to  forget is that the old dedicated boarding housemasters they knew in their days at school have faded away and that only a few of those left can be compared with the old masters. These days we have those who want to be bribed by parents for “taking care of their children” or “for organizing extra classes” for them. So what needs to be done?”
…what needs to be done is that schools must  plan and implement more remedial and after-school academic enhancement programmes for students…students should  stay longer in their classrooms with less brain-tasking but interesting programmes later in the day when their capacity to concentrate or  assimilate might have been reduced…but  no matter what their situation is they will be better off staying a bit longer in classrooms  than going home at 2pm as day students or their dormitories as boarding students…particularly,parents or school administrators might wish to examine closely what are listed below…

LIBRARY-BASED ACADEMIC CAPACITY- ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMMES 
…are school administrators and owners really aware of the importance of a school library for overall academic excellence?…are parents aware that some programmes can be used to enhance the studies of their children or that a well-oiled school library can be strategically used for this?…in fact,our parents should ask themselves if they have thoroughly checked the library of their children’s school…no matter what is being hidden by school administrators there will always be tell-tale signs of the school’s pursuit for academic excellence or otherwise if parents look more closely at the school library…again u may need ask yourself or the school if it has ever used any of these programmes for your child before?…they include…

a). Periodical integrity checks of JSS/SSS  class notebooks including practical notebooks and textbooks…former for appropriateness,completeness,proper diagrams and labeling
etc…b). Maths Clinic and English Language laboratories for those revealed by internal examinations as “weak” in those subjects…c).
Continuous Maths Practice Scheme / Maths Practicals… d). Novel Summary Scheme…e).Red Notes (Revision) Programme…f). Business
Studies/Intro-Tech Factory Tour…g) .Educational Films (Tell me Why” series)… h). Educational/Infotainment VHS  CDs and comics…  i).
Intelligence- enhancing computer and video games  j). Leadership Exercises  k). Life-Skills and Self-Actualization Programmes…l). Logic and
Law for  stimulation of the reasoning process…m). People and Places, Famous Person and Quotations, Nigerian Politics. Home First Aid
Titbits, Oratory, Elocution and Poise sessions…n). Foreign/Nigerian newspapers and magazine…o). Research and Project Work by SSS
students…p) .Educational Materials for Notice Boards and school magazines (NOTAZINES)…  q). The Complete Works of Shakespeare and
need to actively wake up the interest of all students (whether Arts or Science) in Literature, French and the arts…r). Use of Students’
Companion and Guinness Book of Records…s). Staff improvement workshops
…secondly, almost all these programmes are based or linked  to using a library the proper way…we can therefore not emphasize too much the importance of a well-stocked library with highly motivated and adequately briefed school librarians…a school library is the heart of its academic programme…this we should have in mind at all times above any other consideration such as taking students on visits to London or for safari in Kenya!…however,please call us if u need further briefing , insight or implementation of any of the programmes listed above… happy to let u know too that we have implemented all of them before…thanking u….EDUPEDIA ASSOCIATES