Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Nigeria School doc now up on YouTube.

Here. Excellent documentary on life in a Kaduna school..

Posted by Jeremy at 1:00 pm

5 comments:

Waffarian,  2:20 pm  

I watched all the episodes and I cried as well!Great initiative, well done to the producers. The people are always great, even in those dire circumstances, there are always people willing to sacrifice and fight for the sake of education. There is no teacher that would watch this and not feel an overwhelming sense of sadness.

I feel so helpless watching this, yet I know that all is not lost. There is still so much we can do in our communities. There is so much fight in those kids and I am sure many of us see ourselves in them.

As for our government...I am too ashamed, I don't even know what to say.

I am happy somebody is showing how it really is. I hope the minister of education gets a copy and this is aired on N.T.A and other stations around Nigeria.

Abeg, I am too sad to leave any meaningful comment.

CodLiverOil,  3:34 pm  

Thank you for the post, it was great.

I can truly say that I wholeheartedly agree with you, without reservation.

To see how people are coping with adversity, and rising above their challenges.

The beauty of the local cultures, and the drive of the people is really encouraging.

I watched all of them from Kwara state, through to Kaduna and finally Kano states.

It has reawakened my hope that one day Nigeria will rise to a status that truly befits it.

Anonymous,  4:01 pm  

random question: Do you have an update on your book on memory?

CodLiverOil,  3:16 pm  

I'm still thinking about those documentaries on Education in Nigeria.

1) There has to be some kind of accountability as to what happens as to how funds are allocated and to what happens as it is fed down the bureaucratic chain to local government level. I suspect that quite a bit of misappropriation occurs that is not questioned.

2) America (The United States) has "a no child left behind policy". They value their children.

In those short clips we saw whole schools left behind, ie the nomadic schools for the Fulani and schools in rural Nigeria. I get the impression that they (the Fulani) were being discriminated against. How can you have some schools with computers on one hand and others with no seats, tables, books or toilets. (Pupils sitting on stones in the dust, I can't imagine that, but for some sadly it is a reality) That is just so wrong and to think that the Federal Minister of Education and the state governors either don't know or care is very disheartening.

Why is rural education given such short shrift, witnessed by the very poor facilities?

3) Nigeria should really desist from gimmicks remember the "one laptop per child affair"? Where Nigeria shot to world prominence in the field of education because it was piloting the scheme ahead of anyone else in Africa. It is all such a sad joke, they were never serious about the whole thing, so why did they take it up in the first place and waste everybody's time and money?

They would do better as getting the basics right of reasonably equipped facilities, staffed by motivated teachers with toilets and take it from there. Less promotion of the grandiose and more attention should be given over to the basics.

Rather than having a detached minister pontificating about the pros and cons of piloting laptops for Nigeria's children. Which they couldn't give a two pence about anyway. To provide laptops for around 70 million children is nigh impossible for a country like Nigeria in its current state.

4) I'm a little surprised, because Nigerians abroad always go on (ie boast unnecessarily) about how educated they are, and how such a large proportions of Africans with qualifications are Nigerians. So to hear and see that education has been neglected to such an extent, is to say the least disappointing.

However, all is not lost, as we could see the local communities are beginning to mobilise themselves, and do things for themselves.

People should really hold their local political representatives to account and bring pressure to bear on them so as to get things done. That's what they are there for.

Anyway, I wish all those featured and those not featured well for the future and encourage them not to give up the battle for a basic human right of education and ultimately a better life.

Whoever made the documentary did well, exposing the some of the apparent deficiencies.

Thanks Jeremy

Ms. Catwalq,  10:31 am  

I just came to say thanks for putting them up.
They were wonderful. I promise you, I have been in everyone of those schools in some way

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