CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION 2023.

Dr. Emmanuel C. Chukwuma:

• We need to encourage investments in rural areas by increasing activities of NGOs in rural areas even though they are not profit target areas. NGOs who operate in rural areas need ensure they engage in activities that attract more donors and partners to help and support their projects.
• There is also the need for more recreational activities in rural areas, as their lives are practically fixed in a triangle (from school to church to market or farm and the cycle continues).
• Further, we must all help to donate quality books to children in the rural areas. Their inability to have effortless access to books is a major challenge.
• Finally, we need to develop the spirit of volunteerism; this will help encourage or boost human capacity in rural areas. As young people, investing our time in impactful volunteering activities as this will encourage others to also help out and this will help boost the human capacity and resources needed in the rural areas.

Keturah Shammah:

• Education is an irrevocable asset and almost every country’s development starts with education.
• The government should ensure full implementation of educational policies both in the rural and urban communities.
• Basic education should be completely free to enable parents who cannot afford the educational cost of their wards to feel supported.
• Government should ensure the school feeding programme in rural communities is in full force. Government should provide free books to the children, provide instructional materials and to also provide healthy meals for their lunch.
• There should be the uniform implementation of the UBE ACT and educational policies so as not to create a disparity and an imbalance in the basic education system, especially for those in the rural communities.
• Parents need attractive actions to encourage them actively participate in the education of their wards.
• There should be effective and open communication between parents and schools. The schools should constantly and consistently keep the parents involved and aware of their wards’ progress and challenges in school.
• Parents should also be involved in any decision-making involving their children’s education. This indicates how they are recognized and appreciated in the community. The schools shouldn’t take any decisions for the students without their parents’ consent , and the schools should also try to make sure that the parents understand every activity or action they decide to undertake in the lives of these school children.
• Teachers should also make it a point to serve as role models to their students and not just behave anyhow since they are the focal points of the education of these young children.
• The parents in rural communities should also be treated with respect.

LeAnn Onyegbula:

• Some of the problems of basic education at the rural communities:
• Lack of access to books, to basic classroom resources and to engagement of students in public schools.
• There are no weekend school projects for these kids and there’s a huge disconnect between teachers and children.
• We need to talk directly to the government to make them aware of these challenges.
• Short term programmes that could act as solutions:
• We need to advocate for better communications and better funding.
• Create more programmes targeted at rural communities.
• Create actual educational programmes to fill in that educational gap between those in the rural areas and urban areas.
• We need to have summer/long vacation programmes; create education & fun activities for
  rural education.
• Train teachers with a particular skill/strategy to be able to deliver quality education that suits the level of interest of these children.
• We need to encourage the children to explore and to bring their creativity to life by practicing them.
• Long Term programmes that could act as solutions:
• We need to invest in technology and have donations to children in rural areas, laptops and other technological devices that can help improve the educational development of these
  children.
• Introduce a book lending programme, by giving books to children to take home to continue
  learning at home.

As is evident from the above, there can be no doubt that the Speakers trashed out the topic extensively. We extend our heart-felt gratitude to all our Speakers for giving the topic their best. And to the Moderator as well, for excellent moderation that got the Speakers to bring all these points to the fore.

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