Importance of Literacy

 

 

A Definition

 

“Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.   Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society.”

– United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Why literacy is important.

 

 Thousands of adults in our community hide behind the dark veil of illiteracy.   Other thousands cannot speak the English language.   Activities the rest of us take for granted – filling out a job application, understanding health care instructions, grocery shopping, helping with children’s homework, reading a sign or a map – present daily struggles.

 

Nearly one-fifth of Buncombe County’s adult population never

graduated from high school – earning 42 percent less than graduates and accounting for millions in lost federal, state, and local revenues.

 

In the United States, an estimated 30 million people over the age of 16 read no better than the average elementary school child. Yet the ability to read and write is the basis for all other education.

 

There is a direct link between literacy skills and public assistance, teen mothers, children living in poverty, and prison populations.   Literacy is our greatest weapon in the ongoing struggle between success and failure – between economic vitality and prosperity for all our residents.

 

Without literacy, today’s adults struggle to take part in the world around them and reach their full potential as individuals, parents, employees, and citizens.

 

(The following excerpt is from the ProLiteracy website, October 2009.)

 

Adults need strong literacy skills…

…to raise children who have strong literacy skills.
Learning to read begins long before a child enters school. It begins when parents read to their children, buy their children books, and encourage their children to read. The research is clear: parents who are poor readers don’t read as often to their children as do parents who are strong readers.   These children enter school less prepared to learn to read than other children.

…to be good employees.
The employees most in demand in the U.S. have at least a two-year college degree. Workers must be able to read safety regulations and warnings so they and their co-workers can stay safe on the job. And working in a team means that employees must be able to communicate clearly with one another.

…to keep themselves and their families healthy.
Understanding a doctor’s orders, calculating how much medicine to take, reading disease-prevention pamphlets—all are ways adults can keep themselves and their families healthy. But millions of adults lack these essential “health literacy” skills, which adds an estimated $230 billion a year to the cost of health care in the U.S.

…to avoid crime.
There is a clear correlation between adult illiteracy and crime. More than 45 percent of all inmates in local jails, 40 percent in state facilities, and 27 percent in federal corrections institutions did not graduate from high school.

…to be active in their communities.
 Political campaigns in the U.S. often stress the need for “informed voters.” But how can an individual be well informed if he or she cannot access written campaign literature or read newspaper coverage of the issues and candidates? The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, showed that low literate adults are less likely to vote than strong readers, but become more active in their communities as their reading and writing skills improve.

…to advocate for themselves and avoid human rights abuse.
People must be aware of their rights in order to assert them. Literacy gives people access to that information. Literacy plays a significant role in reducing gender, race, nationality, and religious inequality that favors one group over another in access to education, property, employment, health care, legal, and civic participation. 

Source

http://litcouncil.com/importance_of_literacy.htm

Why do Japanese children lead the world in numeracy and literacy?

In Japan, intense instruction in maths and the Japanese language begins at the age of six and continues to at least 15. Photograph: Toshiyuki Aizawa/Reuters

Japan‘s state education system is often criticised for quashing original thought among pupils in favour of rote learning, and for placing an emphasis on theory rather than practical skills, especially when it comes to English. But it is this traditional approach that has helped Japanese pupils easily outperform their counterparts in England and Northern Ireland.

Formal, intense instruction in maths and the Japanese language begins at the age of six and continues through to 15, the earliest age at which pupils can leave school. Those who elect to go on to senior high school – the rough equivalent of an English sixth form college and a traditional route to higher education – through to age 18 must study an eclectic range of subjects, including maths, Japanese literature and English.

Japanese senior high school teachers, and their pupils, are often incredulous when they learn that 16- to 18-year-olds in England can drop maths and literature and study just three A-level subjects of their choice. Japan’s approach – rote learning accompanied by regular reviewing and testing – has proved hugely successful in establishing basic academic skills among pupils. The country’s literacy rate is frequently put at 99%.

According to guidelines introduced by the education ministry, Japanese children should have learned how to read 1,006 kanji – Chinese characters used in the modern Japanese writing system – by the time they leave primary school, and a further 1,130 characters by the time they end their compulsory education at the age of 15.

Emphasis on rote learning, theory and compulsory study to age of 18 pays off, but critics say it stifles critical thought.

Those who continue to senior high school are expected to be able to write all 2,000-plus characters – considered the minimum requirement to function in Japanese society.

Japanese children are thought to develop a working knowledge of basic mathematical patterns early on, thanks to the use in primary school classrooms of the soroban, a type of abacus based on the Chinese suanpan. Most young children in Japan own a soroban, and it is not unusual for older shopkeepers, schooled in the art of the abacus before the spread of electronic calculators, to use one to tot up bills.

Japan’s approach to academic basics has its drawbacks, however. Even well-educated adults display poor communication skills in English, despite having studied the language as an exam subject for six years at junior and senior high school. At the same time, though, many pupils leave school with a good working knowledge of English grammar and decent comprehension skills.

The stress on memorising information and passing exams, which begins in primary school and continues through to senior high, has been blamed for stifling critical, independent thought and placing too much pressure to succeed on children as young as five.

Japan, like South Korea – which performed well in OECD numeracy tests among 16- to 14-year-olds – is home to a huge number of cram schools, called juku. There, children of all ages spend their evenings receiving extra tuition in the hope of edging ahead of their peers in the race for a place at a prestigious university.

Source

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/why-do-japanese-children-lead-world-numeracy-literacy

BEFORE THE POP – PREPARING FOR AFTER SERVICE YEAR

INTRODUCTION

The after service year is one full of challenges as one is not sure about what the future, especially the labour market, have in stock for one. Everyone’s eyes are let open immediately the passing out ceremony is over as this also brings an end to the monthly allowance collected by corps members. It is on this premise that one has to prepare very well before it all comes to an end. National service year is being tagged “National Year of Strategic Contemplation”.

Above all, one major reason one also needs to plan very well is the fact that parental support might be minimal or no more available. Every parent believes he’s tried enough for you and its high time he started reaping the fruit of his labour and investment in you since you were brought to this world. A very wise person, after understanding this, will never give room for dilly dally but will take necessary steps and strategically widen his or her horizons that will give him or her a niche when there is need for it.

PRESENT SITUATION

You may either agree or disagree that there is not many jobs in this country of ours. Despite many promises by successive government about job creation, much is not still done to ravage the menace of youth unemployment by the government. It is estimated that over 40 million Nigerian youths are unemployed and the figure is set to rise in subsequent years if the government does not take steps in curbing the ugly trend.

The ugly situation has motivated some youth to float an organization tagged National Association of Unemployed Graduate (NAUG) in a bid to stem unemployment and issues mitigating youth employment in the country.

LITTLE HOPE

Despite the norm that there is no job or there are limited jobs, there still exist vacancies that one could grab. We must understand that we need a knowledge economy. An economy where innovation and knowledge are given credence. An economy where the knowledgeable and the most innovative are reckoned with. An economy where the best brains are trained, recruited and absorbed into the labour force.

THE YOUTH PROBLEM

Every now and then, youth have always complained about government not providing conducive atmosphere for them to explore their entrepreneurial talents and skills if at all they can’t create jobs. In this case, many youth are found wanting as they hardly meet up with job requirement whenever the need arises. Many still live in the glory of the past by not updating their knowledge and skills to those needed in the competitive labour industry.

SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU SECURE A JOB

Connect with well-to-do relatives and contacts.
Apply to Professional companies or organizations.
Start with anything legal. Anything they say is better than nothing.
Make use of your smart phone to track job vacancies and opportunities, not just to Facbook.
Deploy the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, etc
Volunteer in an organization to gain skills and talents pending when you are going to secure a job
The God factor – Prayer

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR FUTURE PROSPECTS

Capacity building is an on-going process through which individuals, groups, organization and societies enhance their ability to identify and meet developmental challenges.

TIPS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING

The value of specialized knowledge: Career opportunities are enhanced through specialized courses that differentiate workers, thus, giving them edges over their contemporaries. Then make it a continuous of lifelong learning.

Read wide, be hungry for knowledge: Be versatile and creative. You don’t have to be a genius. Aspire to learn everything about something and something about everything. A human resource expert reported that poor reading culture and improper presentation of ideas by applicants (graduates) have been identified as some of the causes of unemployment in the country.

Arm yourself with valuable skills: Employers requires graduates who know how to learn, relearn and unlearn, who can read, write, and possess computational skills, who have great listening ability and public speaking skills, who can adapt to situations by solving problems and thinking creatively, who possess developmental skills for personal and professional growth, who have excellent team work, and high influential skills for effective leadership.

Position yourself with IT skills: The contemporary world is driven by ICT and the best way of adding value to yourself as a fresh graduates who wants to make headway in the labour market is to make acquire ICT training. All fields of human endeavor have been shaped by IT skills for effective service delivery. It baffles me sighting graduates who hardly know a bit of computer or knowledge on the use of Information and Communication Technologies tools.

Learn to think critically: Ability to decide whether a claim is true, to think clearly and rationally. It includes observation, interpretation, evaluation and explanation.

CONCLUSION

Opportunities await those who are prepared for them. Give the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you. To be able to get the best, it is certain that you have to pay the price. Then by God’s wiling, you can win
the prize.

By Abdullahi Abdulazeez Olalekan. He holds Bsc. in Library and Information Science. An information enthusiast who adopts the spirit of information to inspire. You can follow him on @INFOspire

BEFORE THE POP – PREPARING FOR AFTER SERVICE YEAR

INTRODUCTION

The after service year is one full of challenges as one is not sure about what the future, especially the labour market, have in stock for one. Everyone’s eyes are let open immediately the passing out ceremony is over as this also brings an end to the monthly allowance collected by corps members. It is on this premise that one has to prepare very well before it all comes to an end. National service year is being tagged “National Year of Strategic Contemplation”.

Above all, one major reason one also needs to plan very well is the fact that parental support might be minimal or no more available. Every parent believes he’s tried enough for you and its high time he started reaping the fruit of his labour and investment in you since you were brought to this world. A very wise person, after understanding this, will never give room for dilly dally but will take necessary steps and strategically widen his or her horizons that will give him or her a niche when there is need for it.

PRESENT SITUATION
You may either agree or disagree that there is not many jobs in this country of ours. Despite many promises by successive government about job creation, much is not still done to ravage the menace of youth unemployment by the government. It is estimated that over 40 million Nigerian youths are unemployed and the figure is set to rise in subsequent years if the government does not take steps in curbing the ugly trend.
The ugly situation has motivated some youth to float an organization tagged National Association of Unemployed Graduate (NAUG) in a bid to stem unemployment and issues mitigating youth employment in the country.

LITTLE HOPE
Despite the norm that there is no job or there are limited jobs, there still exist vacancies that one could grab. We must understand that we need a knowledge economy. An economy where innovation and knowledge are given credence. An economy where the knowledgeable and the most innovative are reckoned with. An economy where the best brains are trained, recruited and absorbed into the labour force.

THE YOUTH PROBLEM
Every now and then, youth have always complained about government not providing conducive atmosphere for them to explore their entrepreneurial talents and skills if at all they can’t create jobs. In this case, many youth are found wanting as they hardly meet up with job requirement whenever the need arises. Many still live in the glory of the past by not updating their knowledge and skills to those needed in the competitive labour industry.

SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU SECURE A JOB
Connect with well-to-do relatives and contacts.
Apply to Professional companies or organizations.
Start with anything legal. Anything they say is better than nothing.
Make use of your smart phone to track job vacancies and opportunities, not just to Facbook.
Deploy the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, etc
Volunteer in an organization to gain skills and talents pending when you are going to secure a job
The God factor – Prayer

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR FUTURE PROSPECTS
Capacity building is an on-going process through which individuals, groups, organization and societies enhance their ability to identify and meet developmental challenges.

TIPS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING

The value of specialized knowledge: Career opportunities are enhanced through specialized courses that differentiate workers, thus, giving them edges over their contemporaries. Then make it a continuous of lifelong learning.

Read wide, be hungry for knowledge: Be versatile and creative. You don’t have to be a genius. Aspire to learn everything about something and something about everything. A human resource expert reported that poor reading culture and improper presentation of ideas by applicants (graduates) have been identified as some of the causes of unemployment in the country.

Arm yourself with valuable skills: Employers requires graduates who know how to learn, relearn and unlearn, who can read, write, and possess computational skills, who have great listening ability and public speaking skills, who can adapt to situations by solving problems and thinking creatively, who possess developmental skills for personal and professional growth, who have excellent team work, and high influential skills for effective leadership.

Position yourself with IT skills: The contemporary world is driven by ICT and the best way of adding value to yourself as a fresh graduates who wants to make headway in the labour market is to make acquire ICT training. All fields of human endeavor have been shaped by IT skills for effective service delivery. It baffles me sighting graduates who hardly know a bit of computer or knowledge on the use of Information and Communication Technologies tools.

Learn to think critically: Ability to decide whether a claim is true, to think clearly and rationally. It includes observation, interpretation, evaluation and explanation.

CONCLUSION
Opportunities await those who are prepared for them. Give the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you. To be able to get the best, it is certain that you have to pay the price. Then by God’s wiling, you can win the prize.

By Abdullahi Abdulazeez Olalekan. He holds Bsc. in Library and Information Science. An information enthusiast who adopts the spirit of information to inspire. You can follow him @INFOspire.

10 Keyboard Shortcuts You Probably Didn’t Know

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the decision to use Ctrl+Alt+Del as the command for logging on to a PC was a mistake, but over the years the shortcut has achieved cult status in geek circles. Here are 10 more
useful keyboard shortcuts worth knowing.

Close browser

Whether your boss walks up while you’re on Facebook or your other half comes in the
room while you’re buying them a gift, close your browser instantly with this shortcut:
PC: Alt + F4
Mac: Apple key + Q

Show desktop

If you have lots of windows open on your computer and you want quick access to your desktop hit the following keys:
PC: Windows key + D
Mac: F1

Add a bookmark

Create a shortcut to your new favourite website by bookmarking the page with the following quick trick:
PC: Ctrl + D
Mac: Apple key + D

Delete forever

When you know you want to dump a file forever – instead of sending it to clog up the
recycling bin first – tap the keys below:
PC: Shift + Delete

Change zoom level
Whether you’re working on the web or in a word processing program, zoom in or out with this command:
PC: Ctrl + scroll mouse wheel
Mac: Apple key + plus sign; Apple key + minus sign

Reopen previous tab in browser

Have you ever accidentally closed the browser tab you were looking at and had to
spend time backtracking to find it again? The shortcut below will restore that page to you almost instantly:
PC: Ctrl + Shift + T
Mac: Apple key + Z

Go to a previous location in browser

This clever shortcut lets you quickly go back to the webpage you were looking at before your current one:
PC: Alt + F4
Mac: Apple key + Q

Select the address bar

When you want to quickly type a new URL into your browser, the shortcut below will easily select the address bar for you, so you can start typing without moving your mouse:
PC: Ctrl + L, or F6
Mac: Apple key + L

Spelling/Grammar check

No more excuses: Perfect spelling and grammar is just one keystroke away:
PC or Mac: F7
Add “http://www” to your browser’s address bar
The quickest route to your online destination?
Just type in the name of the webpage you’d like to go to (for example, type “Google”),
then press the following keys to add the “http://www.” to the beginning and “.com” to
the end.
PC: Ctrl + Enter
Mac: Apple key + Enter

–telegraph.co.uk

Signs You’re Addicted To Your Smartphone

1. You get slightly panicky when your phone is
out of your line of sight.
2. …And ridiculously panicked when you
accidentally leave it AT HOME.
It’s like you’re missing a limb.
3. You sleep with your phone on your
nightstand, or worse, IN your bed next to you.
4. Your friends tried to make you do this
game, but you freaked out and grabbed your
phone even though you had to buy a round of
drinks.
I mean, LOOK! That one’s lighting up! That
could be a message for me!
ASLFHA:GFHALHGJ
5. You justify being on your phone all the time
because you “might miss a work email.”
6. A cracked screen would never stand in
YOUR way.
7. You prune and manage your apps like it’s
the White House lawn.
8. You maintain three to five text threads/
Snapchat chains going throughout most days.
9. At least once a week you freak out that you
can’t find your phone, and then realize it’s in
your hand.
10. Turning your phone off during a flight
gives you horrendous FOMO.
11. …but also makes you excited, because you
know when you turn it on, you’ll have tons of
notifications to go through.
12. You insist that you can do two things at
once — text AND walk, text AND listen! — but
we all know that you cannot.
13. Seriously! Everyone can see you failing at
this.
14. Sometimes you see an Instagram go up
right away, but you wait 30 minutes to like it
because you don’t want to seem lame.
15. You talk to it even when you know it
would be easier to type your question into
Google.
16. The only time you turn your phone off is
on an airplane.
Other than that, it just goes on silent.
17. You try not to do this at concerts, but you
do it anyway.
19. You feel kind of dejected when you sneak a
peek at your phone after a long dinner or
meeting and you have no new notifications.
20. The idea of having to leave your phone in
the store for repairs makes you ill.
21. You don’t mind getting to the bar before
the friend you’re meeting, because you’re
justified in losing yourself in your phone until
they get there.
22. You constantly catch yourself trying to
open apps you’re already in.

Culled from http://www.nairaland.com

What makes a Developed Nation

For the component of a successfully developed
nation, the most important attachment isusually made to the vibrancy of the up comers; the youths. It is a well known fact that no
generation of human being or living organisms
generally live for up to five hundred years and if
there was, it would have been far back in history.

Consequently, no older generation is able to have a total knowledge of the life its
successors will live till the end the same way a
generation cannot live the complete life their
ancestors have lived without manipulating part
of their traditional practices. Whether positive
or negative, the youths contribute largely to the
progress or regress of a nation.

Coming down to this generation of ours, many
youths of this ‘time’ are used to one saying ‘Be you’. Although it is a positive word, it has somehow created negativity among our youths.
They’ll say ‘Be yourself’ even if you act madly, don’t change the attitude, just continue and with your madness, you are sure to find fans dying at your feet. There are others who whole-
heartedly inherit the culture of their predecessors and build on it, change what they
think is barbaric and dream about how their own motherland will develop.

This way, they combine their studies with homely duties but it is very difficult to move ahead because most of
the youth do not fall into this category. How many for example patronize home made products? Every one wants to show off…’my
bag is from Germany, my shoe is from Italy, I like Brazilian hair and my best food, I love sausages and rice with English beef stew’ this is
how they tend to be ‘themselves’! Many of our
youths are not eager to build, they clamour that the system is dilapidated yet; they run from it to admire another man’s structure or even
worse become slaves therein. As a result, they would have lived for nothing.

Everyone wants to be relevant in the society,
but does relevance require every person heading
the same direction; both fit and unfit? The entertainment industry is what is been referred to here. There are many youths that never get
to see the light of the day in the industry simply because they do not belong there. When a few people prosper in music, it doesn’t mean
fifty percent of the population should sing. A Youngman better at trading would these days carry a guitar from Ibadan to Benin to take part
in a talent hunt when he would have become a
wealthy merchant. And what will be the answer to his performance…’NO’. He keeps on having false hopes that he can make it with his guitar.
This is where the guidance and counselling of the parents and mentors come in.

Positively, talent development apart from
academics is in everyway the best for a nation that eyes development. There are many aspects youths can develop their talent without concentrating solely on ‘distractions’.

The government, parents are mentors have it as a duty to build the solid foundation for the up comers to rely upon. But wait a second; is it a
foundation that must be built all the time? To whet level have the predecessors built the nation? Is it progressing? Youths yearn on building on a foundation must have attractions that will serve as a catalyst in speeding up the
rate at which development sets in. The elders (parents and mentors) therefore have a big role to play in being models to the youths.
The government has a large part to play in the academic system. A development of a nation is built on this which means, this is a part of the
background that may make or mar a nation.

In Nigeria, emphasis is mostly on certificate acquisition. That is why most people have the ‘paper’ but are not worthy of the pay. It is
however gladden that after the ‘Be yourself’ slang ‘show your skill’ is the next popular.
Youths have to be practical in whatever they have gained in academics because that is the only way all those stories in the notes can be realized. It is well known that Cuba has the highest percentage of literates. This is because
of the free and compulsory education provided at basic levels. If the government can realize this, the rest of the task will be so easy to carry
out because education is enlightens and her subjects will understand every rightful decision taken by her.
When the foundation is laid, the background, strong; a good education system is in place and the government and parents are there to guide, it is up to the future leaders to be up and doing.
The major concern should be how to study effectively and be of great benefit to the society. Students should pay attention and show interest
in their course of study. They should always have the intention to remember anything they are taught. They should build confidence in themselves and not depend on the success of
other great nations. Whatever worth doing at all should be started well for all that starts well with consistency will become a success. They
should differentiate the good from bad and stick to it, no matter how unattractive. They should understand their environment and know
what it needs to develop. They should build a big background that will be a stepping stone in ascending greater heights. Note taking,
reviewing, practising and over learning are techniques that can be used in learning. They
are effective tool that allow what has been learned stick to the brain and become part of the learner’s life.

In conclusion, these are tips for academic success in the tertiary level especially:

Choose courses carefully, especially during your first year.

Know and use resources.

Meet and get to know faculty.

Manage your time well.

Know and actively use your reading skills.

Develop strong listening and note taking skills.

Develop and improve your writing and speaking skills.

Get involved in co-curricular activities; learn skills and gain experience.

Written by
Adetutu Hajarah

What makes a Developed Nation

For the component of a successfully developed
nation, the most important attachment isusually made to the vibrancy of the up comers; the youths. It is a well known fact that no
generation of human being or living organisms
generally live for up to five hundred years and if
there was, it would have been far back in history.

Consequently, no older generation is able to have a total knowledge of the life its
successors will live till the end the same way a
generation cannot live the complete life their
ancestors have lived without manipulating part
of their traditional practices. Whether positive
or negative, the youths contribute largely to the
progress or regress of a nation.

Coming down to this generation of ours, many
youths of this ‘time’ are used to one saying ‘Be you’. Although it is a positive word, it has somehow created negativity among our youths.
They’ll say ‘Be yourself’ even if you act madly, don’t change the attitude, just continue and with your madness, you are sure to find fans dying at your feet. There are others who whole-
heartedly inherit the culture of their predecessors and build on it, change what they
think is barbaric and dream about how their own motherland will develop.

This way, they combine their studies with homely duties but it is very difficult to move ahead because most of
the youth do not fall into this category. How many for example patronize home made products? Every one wants to show off…’my
bag is from Germany, my shoe is from Italy, I like Brazilian hair and my best food, I love sausages and rice with English beef stew’ this is
how they tend to be ‘themselves’! Many of our
youths are not eager to build, they clamour that the system is dilapidated yet; they run from it to admire another man’s structure or even
worse become slaves therein. As a result, they would have lived for nothing.

Everyone wants to be relevant in the society,
but does relevance require every person heading
the same direction; both fit and unfit? The entertainment industry is what is been referred to here. There are many youths that never get
to see the light of the day in the industry simply because they do not belong there. When a few people prosper in music, it doesn’t mean
fifty percent of the population should sing. A Youngman better at trading would these days carry a guitar from Ibadan to Benin to take part
in a talent hunt when he would have become a
wealthy merchant. And what will be the answer to his performance…’NO’. He keeps on having false hopes that he can make it with his guitar.
This is where the guidance and counselling of the parents and mentors come in.

Positively, talent development apart from
academics is in everyway the best for a nation that eyes development. There are many aspects youths can develop their talent without concentrating solely on ‘distractions’.

The government, parents are mentors have it as a duty to build the solid foundation for the up comers to rely upon. But wait a second; is it a
foundation that must be built all the time? To whet level have the predecessors built the nation? Is it progressing? Youths yearn on building on a foundation must have attractions that will serve as a catalyst in speeding up the
rate at which development sets in. The elders (parents and mentors) therefore have a big role to play in being models to the youths.
The government has a large part to play in the academic system. A development of a nation is built on this which means, this is a part of the
background that may make or mar a nation.

In Nigeria, emphasis is mostly on certificate acquisition. That is why most people have the ‘paper’ but are not worthy of the pay. It is
however gladden that after the ‘Be yourself’ slang ‘show your skill’ is the next popular.
Youths have to be practical in whatever they have gained in academics because that is the only way all those stories in the notes can be realized. It is well known that Cuba has the highest percentage of literates. This is because
of the free and compulsory education provided at basic levels. If the government can realize this, the rest of the task will be so easy to carry
out because education is enlightens and her subjects will understand every rightful decision taken by her.
When the foundation is laid, the background, strong; a good education system is in place and the government and parents are there to guide, it is up to the future leaders to be up and doing.
The major concern should be how to study effectively and be of great benefit to the society. Students should pay attention and show interest
in their course of study. They should always have the intention to remember anything they are taught. They should build confidence in themselves and not depend on the success of
other great nations. Whatever worth doing at all should be started well for all that starts well with consistency will become a success. They
should differentiate the good from bad and stick to it, no matter how unattractive. They should understand their environment and know
what it needs to develop. They should build a big background that will be a stepping stone in ascending greater heights. Note taking,
reviewing, practising and over learning are techniques that can be used in learning. They
are effective tool that allow what has been learned stick to the brain and become part of the learner’s life.

In conclusion, these are tips for academic success in the tertiary level especially:

Choose courses carefully, especially during your first year.

Know and use resources.

Meet and get to know faculty.

Manage your time well.

Know and actively use your reading skills.

Develop strong listening and note taking skills.

Develop and improve your writing and speaking skills.

Get involved in co-curricular activities; learn skills and gain experience.

Written by
Adetutu Hajarah

What makes a Developed Nation

For the component of a successfully developed
nation, the most important attachment isusually made to the vibrancy of the up comers; the youths. It is a well known fact that no
generation of human being or living organisms
generally live for up to five hundred years and if
there was, it would have been far back in history.

Consequently, no older generation is able to have a total knowledge of the life its
successors will live till the end the same way a
generation cannot live the complete life their
ancestors have lived without manipulating part
of their traditional practices. Whether positive
or negative, the youths contribute largely to the
progress or regress of a nation.

Coming down to this generation of ours, many
youths of this ‘time’ are used to one saying ‘Be you’. Although it is a positive word, it has somehow created negativity among our youths.
They’ll say ‘Be yourself’ even if you act madly, don’t change the attitude, just continue and with your madness, you are sure to find fans dying at your feet. There are others who whole-
heartedly inherit the culture of their predecessors and build on it, change what they
think is barbaric and dream about how their own motherland will develop.

This way, they combine their studies with homely duties but it is very difficult to move ahead because most of
the youth do not fall into this category. How many for example patronize home made products? Every one wants to show off…’my
bag is from Germany, my shoe is from Italy, I like Brazilian hair and my best food, I love sausages and rice with English beef stew’ this is
how they tend to be ‘themselves’! Many of our
youths are not eager to build, they clamour that the system is dilapidated yet; they run from it to admire another man’s structure or even
worse become slaves therein. As a result, they would have lived for nothing.

Everyone wants to be relevant in the society,
but does relevance require every person heading
the same direction; both fit and unfit? The entertainment industry is what is been referred to here. There are many youths that never get
to see the light of the day in the industry simply because they do not belong there. When a few people prosper in music, it doesn’t mean
fifty percent of the population should sing. A Youngman better at trading would these days carry a guitar from Ibadan to Benin to take part
in a talent hunt when he would have become a
wealthy merchant. And what will be the answer to his performance…’NO’. He keeps on having false hopes that he can make it with his guitar.
This is where the guidance and counselling of the parents and mentors come in.

Positively, talent development apart from
academics is in everyway the best for a nation that eyes development. There are many aspects youths can develop their talent without concentrating solely on ‘distractions’.

The government, parents are mentors have it as a duty to build the solid foundation for the up comers to rely upon. But wait a second; is it a
foundation that must be built all the time? To whet level have the predecessors built the nation? Is it progressing? Youths yearn on building on a foundation must have attractions that will serve as a catalyst in speeding up the
rate at which development sets in. The elders (parents and mentors) therefore have a big role to play in being models to the youths.
The government has a large part to play in the academic system. A development of a nation is built on this which means, this is a part of the
background that may make or mar a nation.

In Nigeria, emphasis is mostly on certificate acquisition. That is why most people have the ‘paper’ but are not worthy of the pay. It is
however gladden that after the ‘Be yourself’ slang ‘show your skill’ is the next popular.
Youths have to be practical in whatever they have gained in academics because that is the only way all those stories in the notes can be realized. It is well known that Cuba has the highest percentage of literates. This is because
of the free and compulsory education provided at basic levels. If the government can realize this, the rest of the task will be so easy to carry
out because education is enlightens and her subjects will understand every rightful decision taken by her.
When the foundation is laid, the background, strong; a good education system is in place and the government and parents are there to guide, it is up to the future leaders to be up and doing.
The major concern should be how to study effectively and be of great benefit to the society. Students should pay attention and show interest
in their course of study. They should always have the intention to remember anything they are taught. They should build confidence in themselves and not depend on the success of
other great nations. Whatever worth doing at all should be started well for all that starts well with consistency will become a success. They
should differentiate the good from bad and stick to it, no matter how unattractive. They should understand their environment and know
what it needs to develop. They should build a big background that will be a stepping stone in ascending greater heights. Note taking,
reviewing, practising and over learning are techniques that can be used in learning. They
are effective tool that allow what has been learned stick to the brain and become part of the learner’s life.

In conclusion, these are tips for academic success in the tertiary level especially:

Choose courses carefully, especially during your first year.

Know and use resources.

Meet and get to know faculty.

Manage your time well.

Know and actively use your reading skills.

Develop strong listening and note taking skills.

Develop and improve your writing and speaking skills.

Get involved in co-curricular activities; learn skills and gain experience.

Written by
Adetutu Hajarah

BEING LETTERED IN THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION EXPLOSION.

By Hajarah Adetutu
The world has increased it speed with it revolution around the orbit, literarily. A popular saying goes ‘when the earth revolves, we go along’. Technically, that is obvious in the social aspect of people’s lives but what about other distinctive areas of our lives? Every generation comes with its own history, modernity and foresight in which every member has his/her own contribution to make, either actively or passively. Without a choice between acceptance and denial, we are the one who make up this generation. Whatever impact we make strikes a mark on the rock of history for the next generation to come. At this point, a positive mental attitude is the foundation on which dreams of reality and successful life is built upon, resulting in the production of a distinctive personality.

Knowledge is the first step to take on a journey of remarkable life. It is an exclusive tool used in carrying out a meaningful existence and co-existence in life and with various kinds of people. Countries today have become diplomatically connected and have come together as a community called ‘a global village’. Ignorance is not an excuse in this jet age of ours. One also has to computerize him/herself. The social networks are extraordinary avenues to information and rumour mongering, it is whatever is ours that we make use of. Not only being able to read and write makes one educated but being able to imbibe the virtues of discipline and using it correctly. Now that the step of knowledge accumulation must have been taken, (although learning never ceases), sharing the little one has is a big way to deepen the roots of what you already know and acquire more.

As a person of the higher institution especially, (regardless your specialization), being able to contribute meaningfully to other fields apart from yours gives you an upper hand. Now you’ll remember someone has said this to you ‘know something about everything even if you will later concentrate on knowing everything about a little thing’. Here are some tips:
1. Read books: reading inspirational books, articles, essays, educative magazines, newspapers, novels, even short stories or any reasonable readable material at all go a long way in developing a mind full of ideas of your own. If reading becomes your habit, you’ll observe that you’ll have something to say about almost everything and ultimately, the feeling of writing down your own special ideas will come to you.
2. Be computer literate: the best way one can impact others quickly and effectively is through the internet, use it. However, this cannot be achieved without some basic knowledge of computer usage and specializing in a particular aspect will boost your ability to show your talent to the world.
3. Develop a writing habit: be friends with your pen, take down ideas or thoughts that come to your head. You may discover that you have a talent in any aspect of literacy; essays, stories or even poetry.
4. Learn to speak in public: it is not an extraordinary gift from God when you admire the oratory ability of others. These people have undergone several self training that build in them self confidence and the capability of convincing others with good language, moderate grammar, captivating articulation, a very audible voice…this is what brings out your charisma. Go ahead, start with your friends, they’ll make jest of you, praise you and point out your mistakes.
5. Don’t be dependent on the social theories of other people. Have your own insight, distinctive view about how things should be done while respecting the opinions of others and supporting the ones that are right. Make your view known, don’t be afraid of criticisms from anyone for they will only correct your mistakes and enhance your perfection.