Education, the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school, college, or university has had a turbulent history in the last three decades in Nigeria. The problems plaguing our educational system are not just numerous but multifaceted. The deplorable state of education in Nigeria is traced to: the government, school administrators, teachers, parents and students. Literature are awash with empirical evidence of how these stakeholders systematically undermined the educational sector through gross under-funding, inadequate regulation, policies, double standard by school proprietors, strike actions, negligence and inadequacies on the part of teachers and parents, lackadaisical attitude and juvenile delinquency by students.
To chart a new course for our educational system, school psychologists, educators, counselors, and concerned parents continue to look for effective interventions for both school-related and non school-related problems affecting the education of our youths. The rationale is simple, if we get the "foundation" right; the "building" will not only withstand the adverse effect of “weather”, but will stand the test of time. Some scholars have propagated a complete and total overhauling of our educational system is needed.
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I am persuaded beyond all reasonable doubt that FORMAL MENTORING PROGRAM holds the key to charting a new course for our educational system. The problem is systemic and any approach to addressing it must guarantee that all stakeholders are liable. I propose the establishment of NATIONAL MENTORING AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PROGRAM (NMYDIP) FOR UNIVERSITIES AND THEIR HOST COMMUNITY.
IT’S VISION
The NMYDIP shall provide a one-of-a-kind caring and stimulating environment where students in universities will serve as a reservoir of information and knowledge, a dependable source of inspiration, and reliable role models for children in primary and secondary schools in their community in order to help them identify and attain their fullest potential, so that they can make positive contributions to society.
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IT’S MISSION
NMYDIP shall create a challenging learning environment: that recognizes and support each child as an individual; that encourages creativity in all children; that fundamentally promote the desire to succeed in all children. It shall encourage high expectations for success through the provision of expertise, requisite training, adequate information resources, technologies and role models. NMYDIP shall provide a coherent information service that aims at having parents, teachers, and community members actively involved in the mentoring process.
IT’S VALUES
NMYDIP shall be committed to creating a stimulating environment that supports positive relationships that foster creativity and allows for individual differences and learning styles.
NMYDIP shall emphasize the promotion of a one-of-a-kind opportunity for collaboration, problem solving and goal achievement with members of the community.
NMYDIP shall leverage technologies to stimulate and facilitate the mentoring process.
Every participant of the NMYDIP shall be an ambassador for the scheme by emphasizing excellence in social, emotional, intellectual and moral development.
The purpose of NMYDIP is to provide a community coordinated strategy to addressing the falling standard of education at its foundation by helping children in primary and secondary schools identify and reach their fullest potential in their academic, social, emotional, physical, and moral development. The program is about nurturing relationships where children and adults feel they make a difference and are valued as individuals. Mentoring is a relationship between an individual with potentials and an individual with expertise. As social beings, this relationship is fundamentally an essential component of our existence.
NMYDIP seeks to build on the accomplishment of planned mentoring program like Big Brothers Big Sisters which has burgeoned in the past decade. Planned mentoring program has been touted as solutions to various problems affecting youths such as; increased drug and alcohol use, teenage pregnancy, poor academic performance, low self-esteem, increase in juvenile crime. Because at-risk youth are more likely to experience failure or drop out, school psychologists, educators, counselors, and parents continue to look for effective interventions for both school-related and non school-related problems affecting at-risk youths. Proponents of mentoring programs hypothesize that mentoring programs could be part of the answer to these problems (Thompson and Kelly-Vance, 2001).
Nigeria, like any other society is not immune to the falling standard of education and the menace of youths who engage in risky behaviors (early sexual behavior, domestic violence, truancy, tobacco/alcohol/drug use, running away from home/foster home, associating with delinquent peers or even robbery). Exposure to certain environment may place a child at risk. Such environment may include poverty, dangerous neighborhood, dysfunctional families (e.g. abusive/neglectful caretakers, out of home placement, and single parenthood).
NMYDIP is basically designed to assist primary and secondary school children, particularly the underprivileged and underachieving, enhance their academic performance and contribute positively to their society. To that end, emphasis shall be to:
Identify the major challenges that these children are facing (social, academic or otherwise).
Design and implement strategies to mitigate these challenges.
Provide these children with role models from tertiary institutions (undergraduate and postgraduate students) that will mentor them on their career choices.
Provide regular training that can aid undergraduate and postgraduate students in becoming more effective and better qualified as a mentor.
Student-mentors shall meet with mentees once a week at times sanctioned by the school and mutually convenient for both student-mentors and mentees. Mentors shall meet with their mentees in the school premises for 15 – 30minutes during or immediately after school hours. If the chosen meeting shall be during school hours, it is recommended that this should be within the periods of; Sports, Religious knowledge and use of library etc.
IT’S OBJECTIVES
To create awareness on the social and emotional challenges affecting the educational development of children in primary and secondary schools and its effect on their development.
To systematically tackle the falling standard of education by integrating mentoring into our educational system from grassroots.
To enlist young adults on national assignment and thus inculcate the spirit of nation building.
To inculcate in youths the right mental disposition acquired through requisite training and shared experience which would make them better suited as leaders.
To systematically put in place community development mechanism that acknowledges, encourages and rewards excellence in social, emotional, intellectual and moral development.
The advantage of formal academic mentoring program in addressing the problem in the educational sector is that it can easily be incorporated into the existing teaching and learning development initiatives; aligned with the institution’s corporate needs, objectives, and core values and provide a community coordinated strategy to addressing the problem in our education sector.
It is widely believed that Bateson (1972) defined information as a difference that makes a difference. This definition suggests that information is 'a cause' and it is 'the effect'. Apparently, information is a cause in that it is the catalyst that codifies human activities. Information is the effect in the sense that it is the essential product of communication and on the basis of it knowledge is created. There is clear evidence to indicate that information is very important among all of us and esteemed as an essential part of a nation's resources and access to it determines the difference between societies.
I am passionate about this project. I hope in the consideration of this article you will be persuaded of the potential of NMYDIP to chart a new course for our educational system.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours Faithfully
ISIBOR, Andrew CLN
BLIS, MLS (ABU)
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