TOWARDS ACHIEVING A BETTER

EDUCATION
(A PRAGMATIC APPROACH)
A PROJECT REPORT
BY
PATRICK OGBU OVUCHE

STATE CODE: OG/10B/2402

MDG YOUTH CORPS PRESIDENT
AGBARA ZONE

NOVEMBER 2010

E-mail: greatmindsspeak@yahoo.com
PREFACE

In view of the constant decline in Nigeria’s educational sector, it has

become imperative to revamp the sector completely the MDG'S a
group of practical-oriented youths have decided to take the bull by
the horns. Ours is to embark on an intensive programme geared
towards achieving a far-reaching goal in the secondary institutions
around our community.

Our overall aim is to combine our effort with those of governmental

authorities to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions
of our community and integrate these communities into a life of the
nation, thereby enabling them to contribute their own quota to
national progress.

As a way forward, we have established an organization called

"millennium development club". The MDC as the name implies is
a child born out of the MDG to foster growth and development in the
educational sector within our community and Nigeria at large.

Due to the demanding nature of this project, each MDG member

should be willing to

1. Work in harmony

2. Execute each task with service and humility

3. Work on priorities and on schedule

4. Proffer realistic, practical, and feasible solutions to challenges

5. Add value and ingenuity

6. Consistently push for excellence through breakthrough

I enjoin every member of the MDG to muster confidence in saying

"yes we can" and live up to the challenges set before us.
MILLENIUNM DEVELOPMENT CLUB

OBJECTIVES OF THE MDC

It follows from what we have said that a decision to spend money on

education whether taken by a child, his parent or the government is
an investment decision in just the same way as in an entrepreneur's
decision to build or buy a new machine. To this end, we have
discovered two practical and sustainable means of enhancing such
investment opportunity that will impact positively on education and
the Nigerian economy.
Our areas of concentration are as follows:

(A). Establishment of guidance and counselling unit

(B). commencement of skill acquisition and job training programmes

GUIDIANCE AND COUNSELLING UNIT

The purpose of counselling is to facilitate the development of
excellence in all aspects of the student's well-being. We vehemently
believe that development is a function of the mind rather than
infrastructure; therefore people are developed as they think they
are. Our task will be to inform, enlighten, and educate the minds of
the students to put into good use their complete mental and
emotional capabilities in acquiring knowledge.

OBJECTIVES OF THE GUIDIANCE AND COUNSELLING UNIT

In a democratic society, the school's basic purpose is the education

and development of all students towards individual fulfilment. To
carry out this important responsibility, it is imperative to devise a
statement of objectives preferable in behavioural terms with clarity
of purpose as described below:

1. Providing personal, social and career counselling to promote

students emotional, health and adjustment in school, and
intelligent career decision and plans.

2. Collecting occupational and educational information and making

them available to students regularly and in a well-structured
classified manner as well as developing the idea of job families.
3. Keeping and maintaining personal cumulative data records on
each student in the school
4. Providing group counselling in the classroom setting over subjects
like self-discipline responsibility, value classification, sex education,
relaxation techniques, appropriate use of leisure, qualities of
leadership etc.

5. Identifying and nurturing the talented and gifted students.

6. Assisting students in planning programmes of educational and

vocational training consistent in their goals

7. Identification of students with problem who cannot cope

academically with the pace of class.

8. Consulting the principals and teachers over students’ academic

problems and classroom behaviour problems, and helping students
resolve academic difficulties in different subjects on the school
curriculum.

9. Consulting with parent or guardians with the principal's support

over students personal and emotional problems that are family
based

10. Conducting annual orientation programmes for new students as

well as periodic orientation for the senior students.

11. Promoting career education through organised visits to

industries, institution of higher learning and through guest speakers
on careers days and career club meetings.

12. Conducting local research and communication of development of

academic and professional interest to guidance and counselling
section of the Federal or State Ministries of Education

13. Writing of annual report to be forwarded to the guidance and

counselling section of the federal or state ministries of education
through the school principal.

Unfortunately, education in Nigeria does not have any link between

knowledge and morals, but rather it emphasises more on knowledge
and power and sort of makes it equivalent should not be the case as
talent can only take an individual far but more importantly it takes
humility and discipline to climb the ladder of life successfully. The G
and C unit will equally concentrate on instilling discipline and
educating the student to imbibe the culture of handwork, humility
and respect. Other key areas that are designed to bring about a
happier and healthier living of the student will not be left out.
They include:
(a). Sex education
(b). Child care
(c). Sports
(d). Drama, music and dance, debate
 GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING FOR JUNIOR SECONDARY
SCHOOL (JSS)

At the junior secondary school level of schooling, the student is

completing learning of fundamental academic and pre-vocational
skills and is getting ready for the departmentalised and subject
concentrated studies of the senior secondary school (SSS). During
this period, conclusions about how his senior secondary school
education should be made. Will it be wholly academic, aimed at
preparation for the university? Will it be mostly vocational or
technical, aimed at preparing for a job immediately after graduating
from senior secondary school? Will it be a combination of
vocational/technical and academic studies, aimed at keeping
choices open for later decision?
The main reasons for provision of guidance in the junior secondary
school are:
(A) The range of courses that will be available to pupil
(B) The wide spectrum of individual differences among applicants
(C) The size of the schools themselves.

The junior secondary school years are critical periods in lifetime

guidance. Guidance and counselling particularly at the junior level of
the secondary school will play an important role in the education
and social growth of the student.

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING FOR SENIOR SECONDARY

SCHOOL (SSS)

At the senior secondary school level, the student will be faced with
the final decision about continuing his formal education after
secondary school or going to work if the decision has not been
taken. If he has already made the decision to continue schooling, he
should decide at the end of the second or third year in senior
secondary school which post-secondary institution he intends to go
and for what purpose. For example: university, polytechnic, college
of education, school of agriculture, school of forestry, nursing school
etc.
If the society is not to be plagued by a brood of disgruntled,
frustrated and unrealistic individuals, secondary school student
should be exposed to available opportunities and social expectations
in the country through career guidance and counselling. It will
enable the country to identify her talented youths and nurture them
to the optimal level of social, educational and economic
development. Guiding young people to pursue the right type of
education in which there is no over-production of certain manpower
needs and underproduction of the other aspects of the manpower
needs is a sure process of building a prosperous and advanced
country.

SKILL ACQUISITION AND JOB TRAINING PROGRAMMES

The idea behind the skill acquisition and job training programme is
to foster trade and promote ingenuity among the studentship. A
particular trade or skill will help the student become financially
independent, should the child have no means of furthering his/her
education.
The skill acquisition training is a practical-oriented programme that
will enable the student to think locally and act globally. Areas that
will be covered in this section include the following:

- Painting and decorating

- Painting and sign-writing
- Car washing
- Horticulture
- Fumigation and pest control
- Shoe repairing/cobbler
- Store-keeping
- driving (crane construction machinery)
- Cosmetic (pomade making/soap making)
- Camera repairs
- Stage lighting
- modelling
- acting
- catering
- Cookery
- baking/confectionery
- Hair dressing
- tailoring
- Cloth/basket weaving

PLAN LAYOUT

PHASE 1
The following steps will ensue in completing phase 1

STEP 1
Collection of a comprehensive list of all secondary schools and their
addresses

STEP 2
Write to all the principals of the schools informing them of our
mission.

STEP 3
Dispatching corps members to search, convince, and register
individuals and corporate organizations that are willing to support
the programme

PHASE 2
After the above requirements have been met, students who wish to
benefit from this programme will be registered and inducted into the
MDC. The following steps as outlined below will ensue.

STEP 1
As part of our CDS, each corps member will visit a school to discuss
a particular topic. Thereafter, the corps member will be in a one-on-
one session with the students for a period of at least two hours to
discuss personal issues affecting the students. Such discussions will
be strictly confidential to foster candour and sincerity on the path of
the student. Each school will have a file with the following
information:

FILE FORMAT
Name Time In Topic *Cases Remark Time
of corps Held by Out
membe Princip
r al

*Number of cases held refers to number of student a corps member

had a one-on-one discussion with.
STEP 2
This area covers the skill acquisition programme. As earlier said,
every student that wishes to participate in learning a trade will be
registered. Each student will choose a trade from the list of existing
options available. Thereafter the student will be assigned to an
individual/company. The student is thus expected to visit his/her
employer at least twice or thrice a week after school. Proximity of
such locations will be taken into consideration.
The file mentioned earlier will take the format thus:

Name of Address Phone No. E-Mail T

student r
a
d
e

A corps member will be sent periodically to assess the student and

evaluate his/her performance. Students who display exceptional
qualities will be considered and given due attention.
After a period of at least three weeks, a workshop seminar will be
held for all the MDC students. Guest speakers will be invited to
educate the students on the millennium development goals and how
they can be a part of the goals, the goals are as follows:

1. End Poverty and Hunger

2. Universal Education

3. Gender Equality

4. Child Health

5. Maternal Health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS

7. Environmental Sustainability

8. Global Partnership

RECOMMENDATION

Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no

crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate, no despotism can
enslave. The MDG in Nigeria has been successful since its inception.
Sadly this success has only been achieved in pen and paper.
The Nigerian educational system has been under great pressure to
change. Half of her population are children. If this system is
adopted, it is possible to predict that many students will search out
the advice of the corps member while others will seek self and other
understandings for the development of their potentials that would
prepare them for the world of work.

This system will become more necessary in secondary institution

where a substantial number of secondary school leavers will have
access to tertiary institution. The Nation at large will gain more
benefit when the talents and potentials of its youths are discovered
early and channelled to appropriate careers.

The explosion of demand for education in Nigeria today, makes it

absolutely necessary to organise on a more formal basis, a centre
for academic counselling. We must join hands in accomplishing this
collective goal of improving education in Nigeria knowing fully well
that the foundation of every state is in the education of its children.
If Nigeria must achieve the MDG's before 2015, we must begin to
see education as a crucial element in economic growth and invest in
ideas that will propel the nation to a greater height.

Let us therefore use education to kill poverty and its pits of

darkness.