Still on Schools that Kill!

Students watch, excitedly, as NNAUSA-supplied school desks arrive.

*The lorry bringing desks to the school tells the story of decay and want!


Photo, left: Dr. Alwell Nwankwoala, NNAUSA National General Secretary (second right) and Mr. Godson Ihuoma Enyia, Chairman of the Implementation Committee of VPSI (4th right) appear with members of the Ihie Community during the commissioning of the project in the area. In front of all of them is the goat presented to NNAUSA by the community, in appreciation. Other pictures depict excited students, among others.

Still on Schools that Kill!
Recently, on this blog, I posted photographs of run-down and blighted schools in my native Abia State of Nigeria, as examples of schools that kill their students. More than any number of words can, those pictures of dilapidated school buildings, with their malnourished students, spoke volumes of the objective condition of the state of education, particularly primary education, in Nigeria and Africa. The whole idea of schools that kill is ironic, as schools are supposed to promote, not just the intellectual health of students but their overall physical, intellectual and emotional development. But no one can see these schools, with overgrown grasses, leaking or blown off roof, broken windows, etc, and not conclude that students are in danger of dying from diseases contracted from unhealthy environment, around the schools. Imagine roofs that cannot protect students from the elements!
Today, I’m proud to report that an organization that I belong to, the Ngwa National Association USA (NNAUSA), is responding to the needs of these students, in an attempt to stop the schools from killing the students that they are meant to protect. NNAUSA’s efforts may look like a drop of water in an ocean, given the magnitude of the problem in relation to the resources available to it, but to do nothing is not an option for individuals and organizations with conscience. So, thank you, NNAUSA, for your little efforts!
Under its Village Primary School Improvement program, approved in March 2008, NNAUSA is committing about $35,000 to each of seven schools, selected by ballot last September, from each of the seven local government councils of the southern senatorial district of Abia State. Of the seven, renovation or supply of school equipment and supplies has been completed in two – one in Egbelu Ihie in Isiala Ngwa North and another in Umuakpara, in the Osisioma Ngwa councils.
Once more, I bring you pictures that evidence this act of charity by NNAUSA. The pictures tell the story of gratitude from members of the recipient communities, with the Ihie community offering a goat to NNAUSA, in appreciation of its charitable gesture. But, more importantly, these pictures further confirm what we know, already: That some schools in Abia State and, indeed, much of Africa, can kill their students! If you feel concerned about the state of schools in Nigeria and Africa, you can visit the Power Education Foundation website at www.powereducationfoundation.com to learn about how your tax-deductible charitable donation can make a difference in the lives of students, particularly at the pre-primary school level.

Azubike Aliche, President
Power Education Foundation

As Uche, my son, plays Soccer

• Uche, left, below, and his team mates.
  
  
  
  As my son, Uche,
  
  
• plays Soccer
  
  
  
  By Azubike Aliche
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When I was growing up, in rural Nigeria, decades ago, two words were prominent in our school lexicon. They were “4.30” and “Continuation.” The meanings for these words were rooted in local parlance, such that even parents understood what they meant. But not an outsider!
  “Continuation,” actually, means continuation classes; that is what will qualify for afterschool lessons or tutoring, today! And, “4.30” meant 4.30 p.m., the time for afterschool games or soccer practice, in the main. “Continuation” and “4.30,” virtually, took up all the evenings during the week days. You missed any of these at the risk of receiving corporal punishment the next school day. That was an era in which the dominant philosophy for teachers is “spare the rod and spoil the child!” Now, looking back, there’s no doubt in my mind that many of us owe, not just our physical fitness but the balanced development of our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing to “4.30” and “Continuation.”
  Regrettably, as I write this, both “Continuation” and “4.30” have become extinct, virtually! They have become victims of government take-over of schools. Both “continuation” and “4.30” were a heritage from the colonial government and the missionaries in Nigeria. They were made possible by a breed of teachers and other school officials who were devoted and were closely supervised by missionaries who owned the schools, up to 1970 or thereabout. “Continuation” and “4.30” survived government takeover of schools, though, but not for too long. Whatever was left of them was finally buried by a declining economy that has been in life support, since the early 1980s, in Nigeria.
  Today, teachers are fighting for survival, or chasing wealth, such that they have no time for “Continuation.” During the missionary era, teachers were made to believe that their reward was in heaven but today’s teachers can’t wait. With government takeover, supervision of teachers has gone down, just as funds necessary to provide sports equipment. Now, the cost of a soccer ball is so prohibitive that even local governments, charged with funding local schools, can’t afford them.
  So, as Uche, my four-year-old son, and his team mates chased the round leather object called soccer ball, many memories come surging on for me. In the last three months that I’ve had to take Uche to his practice and games, I’ve had to spare some thoughts for the African child. Even as soccer is the king of sports in Nigeria, and Africa, it would be hard to see kids that age, play soccer under the direction of a coach, and in a gymnasium! You, probably, can count the number of indoor sports facilities in Nigeria, using your fingers! We were happy, during our days, to play it in the pathways and earth roads or, in a more organized way, in our grassy school fields. Today, it’s a luxury for kids to even find the soccer ball to play with. And, this is sad and should not be! The African child deserves better!
  
  With like-minded people, we’ve founded the Power Education Foundation. The New Jersey incorporated 501(c)(3) public charity is dedicated to raising money and making grants for the all-round development of the African child. Please, visit our website at www.powereducationfoundation.com to see how you may contribute to this effort.
  
  Azubike Aliche