Four Walls And A Knockout.........
My friend had made a cool ten million naira, supplying branded exercise books and pencils to all the schools in his local government area. His buddy had been the special assistant to the local government chairman and had hooked him up on that juicy deal. He had told me of another mutual friend that was hobnobbing with some powers that be, frolicking with the top guys, caressing the high and mighty, armed with proposals and quotations to renovate, re-roof and paint all the secondary schools in his local government. He stood to make seventeen million if the deal sailed through.
Branded books and pencils!!!… Painted blocks and renovated schools…..Yes!!! …..that is, surprisingly where we had gotten ourselves to. I had gone ahead and listened and picked at my friends’ mindset for another twenty- five minutes, all I could discern was more ways to perfecting their money making stints. I had sat there, very sad at that time, knowing that this was an exact reflection of mindsets among a majority of my friends’ in the corridors of power.
Quality education to us now meant “how beautifully painted, how well packaged, how deeply slant the roof was”….. We had clearly retrogressed to the old times and ways when classroom blocks donated by our brothers and sisters in diaspora “donated by xyz progressive union U.S.A” were an acceptable form of progressive approach to education. Those times when brand new buildings were handed over amidst pomp and pageantry…..with the complimentary “scissors cutting the tape” moments to usher fresh breath of life. Those were clearly the good old days and those acts were clearly appropriate to suit those times. It was common to hear politicians and philanthropists promising “befitting classroom structures, state of the art classrooms, fully equipped classrooms” to the masses…..all were good till education left the four walls of a classroom block.
In these times, we should, as a matter of fact, desist from celebrating what is primitive yet glamorous to the less knowing. We should recognize that the befitting blocks and sundry were not enough for the masses anymore. The age-long lines used by successive government or groups that reeked of progressive actions are no longer acceptable as a rounded education is that which thinks out of the box, it is that form which stimulates abilities and capabilities of its’ students. Quality education as it is now is that which equips one to solve life sciences and challenges as they arise. Any form of this education that does not equip our population with the knowledge to fit in and excel is not rewarding. It is, in fact, a waste of resources to keep encouraging these acts if they do not improve on common indices that mirror the quality of life.
Education as so said, still remains the easiest way out of poverty. I would think that by now, modules that encouraged forms of education that took indigents out of poverty would have been the order of the day. We had imbibed a lot of traditional western models that laid emphasis on math, science, social education and more without indigenous additions that gave students in the locality a sense of relativity. Additions that they could relate to, additions that solved problems inherent to their locale. We were still in classroom blocks. We need modules that took students out of the school blocks and into their faculties, using what is obtainable to achieve what obviously was desirable. We need ideas that stimulate thinking out of the box, ideas that seem lofty yet viable.
In my community, Orodo, there was definitely a big challenge to education. The children were simply not learning enough even when they were active in school. They were not moving at the desired pace required of them per math skills and basic reading despite the fact they have been in school for long. Education had gone further from mere obligations of politicians promising “state of the art this and that”…If it does not pander to improved teacher-student ratio, improved funding for teacher development, targeted approach to student empowerment, positive approach to problem- solving….. then it is a waste of time.
My four walls and a knockout are my candid thoughts that bother around and about”What ifs”. It is crafted to stimulate the minds of my friends that were “on ground”.
Umuduruobi bone setters:
I had heard sometime, years ago that the likes of Wilson Oruma and Kanu Nwankwo left the confines of Europe’s top notch orthopedic institutes for the villages of Umuduruobi in Ofekata Orodo in their quest to salvage their budding footballing career which at that time were threatened by fractures and injuries. The nooks and cranny of this village were laden with miniature bone setting resorts that catered for people from afar and near. This village must have something going for them.
One may ask, what was the attraction to this village ?……. I would say for sure that the bone setting practice was cast in a lot of secrecy, touted to be handed down from generation to generation, as part of an ancestral heritage…….that probably filled the bulk of the curiosity. Then again, it was cheaper to use the services of traditional bone setters, they also offered quick service” no waiting list”.
There was definitely an art behind bone setting that needed to be harnessed. This potentially lucrative industry had been laden with years and years of complacency with almost all the practitioners of this orthodox art lacking in any sort of formal training. There are no peer reviews among practitioners, at least for record purposes and documentation of failures in cases handled.
What if there is a shift from the norm…..Since the village already enjoyed a five-star rating on the choice destination when it comes to bone setting, it would be the right thing to do if the art and acts are harmonized to harness the potentials in this industry. There should be a contingency plan that allows collaboration between government and these practitioners to incorporate this ancient art into the curricula of schools around the area.
What if there is some sort of collaboration that allows traditional bone setters to transfer some knowledge to aspiring students or indigents ?… That would ensure that this art survives an extinct threat and proffers continuity.
What if there was serious advocacy for orthopedic aides?… These aides would be certified in the long run under tutelage from the traditional bone setters, and under regimented government supervision. This would give the indigents and interested students another opportunity at life and trials of careers.
What if there were incentives and rewards for these practitioners?… That might break the long age jinx and fear of losing monopoly over the practice.
What if there are conversions applied by the government to reflect on practitioners, some form of credit that would aid in formal regulations in the industry. These conversion credits would confer ratings and aid in the choice of service. The better a practice, evident in proven successes, the higher the rating.
A wall would have been shattered ….Education would serve it’s purpose…….worthy and fulfilling to people that it was meant for.
Deaf and mute school Ofekata Orodo
It is no news to say that so many years of neglect had done this school no good. Successive governments have continuously turned a blind eye, predominantly because of lack of know-how and more so of incompetent facilitators lacking the initiatives to move foundation forward.
Another “what if’s” stems from my imaginations of the role my community Orodo should have played by virtue of being the harbinger of this noble school. It also stems from the belief that we should have been an exporter of human capital in terms of braille experts and sign language aides at this time.
I had always wondered if people close to policy makings and drafting have considered these angles where these facets can be introduced into curricula of local schools around or better still provide enabling grounds for supplementary classes that will train willing and interested students.
We should have tapped into the vast supply of sign language users and the liberties of having varieties in signage and execution. This would by now, increased the pool of sign language experts who were indigenous to the area yet vast in understanding different signage by virtue of coming in contacts with students who come from far and near.
My yearnings, however lofty, begs youths of today and my friends in power to continue considering trends that shatter walls. They should consider trends that encourage new entrants to untapped areas. They should strive to making these openings attractive to the youths to embrace inclusion. They should showcase the merits of choosing trade while encouraging meaningful internships around and about the nation.
What if braille technicians were encouraged to relocate trade to Orodo to transfer knowledge to indigents.
What if a certification center in sign language was a thing in the locale
What if sign language was an option in the curricula of local schools around
What if there was an incentive for all and sundry that decide to ply that trade.
A wall would have been shattered…Education would serve its purpose…..worthy and fulfilling to people that it was meant for.
Palm wine distillery
The African store in Van-Nuys California sells a 33cl bottle of some white liquid “Emu” for five dollars. Pa Awulezi would be rolling in his grave if he knew that the milky fluid that he slaved for most of his life was now gold in a faraway land.
Palm wine tapping was obviously not an attractive trade solely because of its ancestral value placed on it. It had been looked upon as a craft for old men, a craft for the dirty but yet an age long finesse that supports a voracious and unending appetite among people, far and near.
Why then is this dying art or craft still supporting a humongous following among the people?, how come this dirty line of craft still supports voracious thirst from people far and near ?. Why is the “Nkwu elu Orodo” the preferred taste in known circles? If it was not “ nkwu Orodo na anuru onwe ha” then it was not good enough. It must be the purity, devoid of “saccharine”.
There must be something special in the land or the species of palm tree that confer superiority over similar drinks from other locales. If this remains true, then this art or craft should not be let to die off or further still relegated to the back burners, leftover for the old and the perceived dirty. This craft should be drafted in ways to make it attractive for the younger ones to embrace, one laden with new technologies and advanced methodologies that would spear growth and acceptability.
Ogechi Awulezi, a cousin of mine had taken over the mantle of the trade from his grandfather whose palm wine was revered and sort after from afar. I hear that he gets a lot of patronage from government officials and individuals who wait in line for pre-orders. Looking at his operations, I would think there would be better ways to maximize the potential that the craft holds.
What if there were skill apprenticeships co-sponsored by the government or likes in conjunction with craftsmen like Ogechi to teach a word or two to interested students. If well coordinated, would bring in a new breed of distillery assistants.
What if the likes of Ogechi are rewarded for preserving such an art.
What if palm wine distillery is added as an adjunct course in local schools with likes of Ogechi working as a resource to these schools. It would serve as an incentive to these craftsmen while increasing the attractiveness of this art…… saving it from extinction
What if a turnkey bottling service was put in place to serve as a source of revenue to a cooperative
What if funds were pulled to pay for research for seeds/roots of desired palm trees. A well-packaged approach per government interactions in this regard will ensure that a vibrant new market emerges.
What if a fund for agro-research was floated to look into improving on the shelf life of drink and increase its acceptability in the international market. These efforts would ensure a better turn around time for taps, modify methods of tapping, modernize same while ensuring a more vibrant and robust distillery.
A wall would have been shattered…Education would serve its purpose…..worthy and fulfilling to people that it was meant for.
Social workers/Data collectors
The world runs better with statistics and facts. “Numbers rule the world”.
In these times, where meager resources were the order of the day, when allocations were based on priority, it would be to our best interests to groom new breed data collectors from our locale who would dig deep into our villages, churning out the needed numbers that will reflect positions and standings in the normal scheme of things. They would proactively collate these data/numbers on varieties of issues as needed. It would not only put us on the right path but would bring us to par in readiness to whatever we stand to gain from allocations that required data.
We could collate data on numbers of men and women between the ages of forty and sixty-five from the villages. This data can come in handy in assessments of requirements for cervical and prostate screenings.
We could collate numbers of young girls between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, to check trends on compliance for a pap smear
We could collate the actual numbers of children in a village that require health shots and screening, we could check for compliance of programs by having these numbers.
We could in conjunction with local officials in the health centers or outpost collect numbers of new and old reported cases of hypertension or diabetes. This would serve as a resource for groups and teams that visit these villages on medical missions.
We could churn out social workers out of these numbers for follow-ups and documentation.
We can deploy our data collectors to mini-census drives of the villages.
We can determine the number of households per kindred/village
We can divide villages in grids for easy planning of projects that require micro management.
Figure out the boy/girl ratio in the communities
Collate the number of boys/girls of school age in the communities.
Collate the number of boys/girls below the age of school for adequate planning and accommodation in the future.
We could go on and on, finding ways to make these numbers work for us. My dream is for a youth with a grandstand to match forward with ideas that mimic these lofty ones.
At It Matters Period, we try our best to start conversations that are meaningful but not unique to our immediate locale. We mirror our needs to fit into ideal situations. We encourage all to look at our few dreams and look within and around their locale, see how you can make that needed change around you, see what thinking out of the box might fetch.
At the end of the day, what counts is what we got done while we are here……….
Uchenna Iwualla M.D
It Matters Period.