The role of schools in developmental educational policies

Crescent School Badge

By: Aisha Abdul-Lateef

As your child get ready to return to school for a new session, are you prepared mentally to learn and keep an eye on what he/she is taught? Or you have simply abdicated your role patapata to your child’s school? For the community to progress, every member has a role to play. A school has called our communal attention to matter rising in textbooks and their implicit sexual contents. In a swift reaction to what they term explicit sexual contents, crass description of sexual anatomy and pleasures derived thereof in recommended textbooks for Nigeria students, The Crescent schools community, The Head of School and The Chairman of PTA have drawn the attention of the Minister of Education and indeed the Parent Community to these anomalies.

It will be recalled that recently a parent lamenting the sexual content in a Junior Secondary School 2 textbook went viral on Facebook. It is expected that with concern stakeholders in education partnering with the ministry of education, a better sexual age appropriate textbook will be recommended for study in Nigeria primary and secondary schools.

In the letter, the school noted that it is also becoming a tradition among examination bodies to recommend textbooks that seem to be in contrast to the moral standard our educational system should be promoting. As we prepared to send our children back to school, we must pay attention to their body message to us, what they are learning in school and from what well (textbook) they will be drinking (learning) about the world. We hope other schools will follow this good move. The letter is reproduced below.

CRESCENT SCHOOLS, 1004 HOUSING ESTATE, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

9th June, 2017.

The Honourable Minister of Education,
The Federal Ministry of Education,
Federal Secretariat Complex,
Shehu Shagari Way, Central Area,
P.M.B. 146, Garki, Abuja.

Dear Sir,

OUR COMPLAINT AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE IMMORAL CONTENTS IN OUR CURRICULA

We, the Parent-Teacher Association of Crescent College, Victoria Island, Lagos, are constrained to bring to your notice that we have observed that it has become the tradition of the National Examinations Council (NECO) to recommend junior secondary literature textbooks that fall short of moral standards that our nation’s educational system should be promoting.

More specifically, the books are nothing but a means of glamorizing acts of indecency such as rape, violence, kidnapping, girl defilement and sexualization of knowledge. The books expose the vulnerable and unsuspecting minds of 10-12 year olds to amorous and deviant practices that can in turn breed rapists, cultists, homosexuals and kidnappers in youngsters. The prevalence of cases of rape among secondary students in recent times cannot be unconnected with the urge to experiment with the experience they have from such books.

For example, The Precious Child, by Queen O. Okweshine, gave a vivid description of a young lady’s body as follows: If only I can find a sweet 16 to cool me down. But these eaglets with their fronts and backs fully set. Waaoo, those tender breasts that gyrate in provocating rhythm which seem to say (pushes his chest forward) ‘I swear to God.’ (page 56). In the same vein, another book, ‘The Tears of a Bride’ authored by Oyekunle Oyedeji, an accountant, is another reason to make a responsive and responsible parent feel concerned about the kind of adults schooling is grooming their children to be. The story is centred on two characters, Ajibike and Akofe, who are passionately in love, with Araba, the staff bearer, not allowing them to be. The author throws caution and modesty to the dogs as reflected in the following excerpts:

1. Lights open on Akofe and Ajibike lying crisscross on the ground with Ajibike’s head on Akofe’s chest and his arms wrapped around her. Akofe’s eyes are closed as he savours the splendour of the moment. His index finger runs through her body, drawing imaginary lines with its tip. Ajibike curiously raises her head from his chest to look into his face, only to discover a wide smile is playing therein. (page 10)

2. Tell them also that the breast of a woman in a man’s mouth tastes better than the best of palm wine. (page 86)

3. Araba comes out of his house bare to the waist and readjusts his wrapper. Romoke cries weakly as she comes out from the house holding her wrapper to her chest to prevent it from falling off her body. Araba has just defiled her. (page 91)

Furthermore, the tradition of literary immorality has recently graduated to the level of Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) as observable from the blameable content of its recommended Use of English text for the 2017 UTME, In Dependence.

The book is succinctly described by the author, thus: It is the story of two people struggling to find themselves and each other – a story of passion and idealism, courage and betrayal, and the universal desire to fall madly, deeply, in love. Nothing short of this enamoured description of love is depicted by the storyline. In fact, our students who sat the current UTME found it morally distasteful, to say the least
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OUR REQUESTS

In view of the negative effects of books like these on the morals of our children and the family system, the foundation of our society, we, therefore, request as follows:

1. There should be an objective content analysis of books meant for learners’ consumption before they are certified fit for school use by the appropriate organ of the ministry.

2. We request that such books (even as they affect other subjects) are withdrawn from use immediately considering the extent of their incalculable potential damage to the youths now and in future.

3. To forestall a recurrence, we demand that the process that led to the adoption of the books is investigated and whosoever is found culpable is sanctioned appropriately.

4. We implore the Ministry of Education to do everything possible within its powers to put a stop to the use of such books immediately.

5. We implore the Ministry to recommend, henceforth, books that teach values such as honesty, integrity, decency, hard work and selflessness, which seek to promote humanity in our youngsters, in the interest of our nation.

In conclusion, we are hopeful that our concerns on the textbooks and some perverted aspects of the curricula would be given a listening ear. As a parent and a role model, we eagerly look forward to your urgent decision and action in addressing these worries. Thank you in anticipation of your favourable response.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs. Fatima Mahmud-Oyekan Alhaji Aliyu Gudaji
Head of Crescent Schools Chairman, Parent-Teacher Association