The Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) has appealed to government and well-meaning Nigerians to support the educational vision of a visually challenged author and teacher, Mr Samuel Obong.
Prof. Anthony Kila, the Director of the Centre, made the appeal in an interview with Sunrise.ng on Wednesday in Lagos.
The don said that the author and teacher needed the support to cushion the effects of payment of his caregivers in a bid to adequately pursue his vision to improve the nation’s educational landscape, despite his disability.
Obong, a 42-year- old graduate of Psychology from the University of Ibadan, obtained his Postgraduate degree from the CIAPS.
Based on his teaching experience, Obong wrote a book on education and parenting tittled: ‘Why the Child will Fail’, Kila said.
According to Kila, Obong, with no less than 15 years teaching experience; is assisting children to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, as against mere memorising, to pass their examinations.
“The author is visually impaired but mentally sound. He needs money to maintain his aides that dress him, take him about and buy gadgets he uses to read and write. He also needs professional engagements.
“I am appealing to people of goodwill to step in, in kind and cash, to help us keep this talented and resilient gift afloat,” he said.
Kila, a professor of Strategy and Development, said that Obong’s doggedness would be celebrated in Ikeja on Sunday at a luncheon and a stakeholders’ event to be organised by the CIAPS, to address issues causing poor academic performance.
He stated that the theme for the upcoming event is: ‘Getting the best out of your schools’; adding that the programme would be opened to all, but parents, teachers and other stakeholders would have to register.
“We are promoting him because he (Obong) is a lesson and model to the rest of us not to give up.
“Government and the private sector need to remember that anyone can go blind and therefore make efforts for anyone not go blind but when such happens, we need to do all we can to make sure they can continue to live a fruitful life,” he said.
According to Kila, the book focuses on the challenges parents and teachers face in training children and how effective collaboration by both could nurture better children in the nation.
Mr Samuel Obong, the author and teacher while conversing with sunrise.ng much later called for a review of the nation’s educational curriculum, to focus more on the strengths and capabilities of children “to make our society better”.
Reeling out teaching methods used by advanced economies globally, he said teaching should cater for cadres of talents and ensure assimilation, accommodation and equilibration.
Explaining the principles, he said that talents in music, sports and other creativity, must be included in the nation’s curriculum, to promote problem solving for the accelerated development and advancement of the country.
“This era is about solving problems and not just carrying memorised information.
“I love to see children become the best version of themselves, our educational system is based on memorisation of information instead of analytical thinking,” he said.