It was a momentous event for students of private schools in Oshimili south local government area of Delta state. The event with the theme “Catch Them Young” was organized by the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), led by Comrade Ekene Samson, proprietor of Zenith Rock Academy in Asaba, the Delta state capital. Registered private schools under the NAPPS were fully represented with their students fully kitted in their school uniforms.
Names of schools such as Zenith Rock Academy, Jasmine College, Royal Kids, Royal Miral All Saints College, Standard Life, and a host of others were fully represented at the two day seminar held at Royal Mira All Saints College in the heart of the state capital. Despite the fact that the schools were on holiday for the conduct of the Junior School Certificate Examination (JSCE) and the strike embarked upon by the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the students were fully mobilized by their school authorities for the two-day impactful event.
It was a lifetime educational experience for the students, some of whom might not have had such privilege of listening to organised lectures from specialists in different fields of human endeavours. The two-day seminar which ran from 9am to about 3pm each day had professionals from different fields dishing out knowledge and life issues as they pertain to youths and students in secondary schools. Topics treated by the resources persons included Social and Psychological Effect of Teenage Pregnancy, Consequences and Effects of rape and Drug Abuse, Truancy and Bullying Among Teenagers.
Other topics discussed included the deadly consequences of HIV/AIDS, the Devastating Effect of Cybercrimes on Youths and Teenagers, the Danger of Examination Malpractice, and the Formula for Academic Success. In between all these critical issues, students were made to give talks on topics such as social media and you, overcoming pressure to belong, who is your friend and how to balance studies with other pressing demands in a fast paced society.
In a similar vein, professionals from various fields of study were invited who delivered lectures on career fields for the students. Careers in Information and Communication Technology, Medicine, Engineering, Teaching and Law were expounded to the students and were allowed to make decisions for themselves. The resource persons analysed the fields, explained the prospects, the subject requirement for university admission and the future prospect in each of the fields. It was an eye opening session for the students, a development which was meant to open their eyes to a bright future if decisions are well taken.
Dr. Obiajulu Ogbangwo, a pediatrician from the Asaba Specialist Hospital, took the students through the prospects in the medical field, a young ICT expert, Chijioke Ndubuisi, took them through the prospects in the ICT world while other members of NAPPS ran through Law, Teaching and Engineering as professions where youths could make living and have prosperous future. They revealed the nitty gritty in all fields and the students were left to make their choices with open minds.
The resource persons who took the lectures exposed the students to the dangers in youths deviating from the right path to success. The lecturer who handled teenage pregnancy exposed the students to the trauma in getting pregnant while still in secondary school. She told them the shame, the attendant low self-esteem, a development which most times lead to dropping out of school and depression, leading to a bleak and uncertain future. She advised the students to stay away from sex outside marriage.
Dr. Efe Omoyibo, a consultant pediatrician at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, reeled out the dire consequences of HIV/AIDS. He told them the causes and the prevention. For him, it is better to stay away from what could lead to contracting HIV/AIDS and remain safe. He warned the students to avoid sexual affairs and for those married to remain faithful and committed to their faithful spouses, obeying the matrimonial vows.
The chief inspector of education in Oshimili south the local government area, Emiliana Djoma, explained the danger of examination malpractice to the students. According to her, examination malpractice is a cankerworm that has consumed the education sector and brought it down in Nigeria. From the primary to the tertiary institution, the vice has powerfully invaded the sector and led to half-baked graduates in the country. She bemoaned how invigilators and supervisors, even in the just concluded junior school examinations in Delta state, aided and abetted malpractice in the halls.
She blamed examination supervisors and invigilators who sell their conscience for a morsel of bread, and thereby turn the blind eye to the murky waters in the examination halls. She said, having been paid by school authorities, the supervisors allow teachers dictate answers to students, some others write on the board for them and they pass with grades they cannot defend. According to her, the education standard has badly deteriorated, saying it is now in shambles.
Austin Oyibode, editor of Emerald News and TV who was also invited to deliver a lecture on cybercrime among youths, used the case of Hushpuppi to drive home his lectures. He told the students how Hushpuppi lived a very luxurious life as Instagram celebrity. He deceived his followers, pretending to be a real estate manager. But he was a fraudster who committed various cybercrimes, emptying people’s accounts, hacking into organisations, and sweeping away their funds in the speed of light. He lived a very expensive and flamboyant life with cars of all brands.
Oyibode decried the glamorous lifestyle of youths, warning that youths who celebrate wealth without hardwork could end up like Hushpuppi who is now languishing in prison in the United States of America. He listed various types of cybercrime, how they are perpetrated and the inherent danger accompanying them if youths fail to make U-turn.
Comrade Ekene, the chairman of NAPPS, in his opening address, told the students that the event would open their eyes to a lot of issues in the youth world which were hitherto unknown to them. He advised them to pay rapt attention to the lectures as their lives could never remain the same after the lectures. And truly, with the kind of questions they asked, it all indicated that the two day seminar was a worthwhile effort by the leadership of NAPPS in Oshimili south local government area of Delta state. The students left the hall with smiling faces, having gained a lot from the two-day seminar.
