UNBELIVEBLE! This is certainly how it would sound to many people. How could it have been true, others may ask.
can authoritatively reveal that most of the released Chibok school
girls can hardly speak English. Indeed, as you read along, you will
ponder and arrive at some conclusions on why students, who were in
Senior Secondary School class three as of the time of their abduction by
Boko Haram insurgents, could not speak English.
While
indications to this effect emerged when the Minster of Women Affairs and
Social Development, Mrs. Aisha Alhassan received 82 Chibok girls,
findings by Saturday Vanguard across the states in the Northeast
geopolitical zone produced more shocking revelations.
She
had said that her Ministry would ensure the girls learnt how to speak
English so they could be able to sit for Senior Secondary Certificate
Examinations. To achieve this, it was learnt that the Federal Government
has concluded plans to enroll the girls in junior secondary school
class three.
It was gathered that the poor standard of
education in Northern Nigeria made the inability of the girls to speak
English possible. Saturday Vanguard learnt that the girls like many in
that part of Nigeria lacked quality education right from primary school.
For instance, in Chibok and other communities in Borno, there is no
nursery school. Students were often enrolled directly into primary
schools, so long as they had attained the age of 10 or 12.
Also,
in most cases, the teachers were not adequately remunerated while
lessons were done in unconducive environments. Similarly, most of the
public schools lack teaching materials, depriving the teachers and
students the opportunity to learn, embark on research and development.
Most of the teachers resort to using vernacular especially when teaching
subjects like physics and chemistry.
In most cases,
vernacular was used as the official communication means while conducting
assemblies and town hall meetings. Likewise, the poor financial status
of parents and guardians was found to be another factor. For instance,
in Chibok community, there is no single private school, students who
could even afford to be enrolled into private schools travel to
Maiduguri, Adamawa and Gombe for quality education.
Another
factor is the method of employing teachers in the Borno State Teaching
Service Board, (TSB) which is characterised by favouritism. In one of
his interviews, the state governor, Kashim Shettima admitted thus: “In
2011 WAEC examinations, only three students at one of the government
secondary schools in Borno North Senatorial District were able to pass
five credits.
Unfortunately, those lucky three students were
not indigenes of the state, as their fathers were serving soldiers at
Monguno Military barracks then”. A teacher in Chibok, who identified
himself as Mr. Amos Dawi said, “Apart from the poor quality of teaching
materials as well as unqualified teachers, the students themselves are
not helping matters, as most of them devote their interest to farming
instead of dedicating themselves into learning.
“More so, it
will interest you to note that government girls secondary school,
Chibok and other schools in the state have no English or Mathematic
teachers.” Also, an educationist, Dr. James John attributed the problem
to lack of training and retraining of teachers by the Borno State
Teaching Service Board.
He said teachers mostly those living
in the rural areas attend workshops. An escaped schoolgirl who pleaded
anonymous for security reasons told our Correspondent thus:”Another
major reason is the current trauma which the girls are undergoing.
Each
time we open our mouth to speak English, we believe the Boko Haram
terrorists are still watching us, so we quickly switch to our dialect or
Hausa language which is our dominant language in the north without
realizing it. Boko Haram hates anything Western Education and English
language is one of them.”
