An education expert, Mr Bisong Busaosawo has said that the continuous use of screens for teaching has adverse effects on the sight of children between the ages of three and seven.
Busaosawo disclosed this during the launch of a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Learningsphere in Enugu on Friday – yesterday, February 28.
Busaosawo, who is the Executive Director, Busaosawo Foundation, Enugu, said while innovative and digital learning is important, it poses challenges to young people as continuous use of screens for teaching has the adverse effect of shortsightedness.
The expert lauded the Enugu State Green Smart School initiative but noted that transformative education would not succeed without addressing teachers’ welfare.
According to him, teachers’ welfare in the State “is a mirage” in both the public and private schools, warning that frustrated teachers would give rise to production of poor students.
Lamenting that teachers are not only underpaid in the country but often intimidated by school owners, the executive director advocated continuous training of teachers in the state to boost teaching and learning.
Dr Obiageli Nnamani of the Department of Literature and English, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), added that there is a strong correlation between teacher quality and student achievement, precisely because, more than any other group, teachers influence students’ performances in the class.
She emphasised the need to train and retrain teachers in the state for better performance of students.
On her part, the Acting Principal, Lady Ibiam Girls’ Secondary School, Enugu, Mrs Livina Njoku, lamented that most published books do not meet the required standard before being circulated in markets.
According to her, many published books contain grammatical errors and wrong spellings and yet are sold to students.
“I have read books published by authors and I wonder what students will become in society after reading those books.
“In those days, we didn’t find errors in novels but today most novels in circulation have errors and also have two people writing one of them,” she agonized.
She further decried the proliferation of subjects in secondary schools especially in Senior Secondary School (SS1) where up to 21 subjects, which can be interwoven or merged into one subject, are routinely offered in schools .
“For instance, Civic Education, Social Studies and Government are saying the same thing,” she observed.
Responding, the Permanent Board Member, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Nwakaego Ajah, described the NGO;s vision as being in line with what Gov. Peter Mbah’s administration is doing to transform education in the State.
She said the organisation is only amplifying what the state government is doing in its Smart Green Schools project across the 260 political wards of the state.
“I am excited because a lot of people have keyed into what his Excellency is doing in the education sector in Enugu and the smart schools have qualified teachers,” Ajah said.
She explained that the use of technology and digital learning is to enhance learning and teaching, stressing that it is not only about teaching children using screens but also helping them to acquire critical skills.
“We are promoting a child-centred-friendly environment for learning and our smart School teachers have been on training,” she enthused.
“I am appealing to parents to engage their children on board and monitor their performances through social and emotional engagement with the students.
“We are engaged in formative tests where students are given assignments on every topic taught within the week to discourage exam malpractices,” Ajah said.
Earlier, the Executive Director, Learningsphere, Mr Uche Gabriel, said the NGO was launched to empower teachers with communication and other essential skills that would enhance learning outcomes and create engaging, dynamic classrooms where students thrive.
He said they created an organisation to bridge a gap, given the decline in education and moral decadence among the students, adding that if education is not got right, other sectors will suffer.
“We will partner with the government, schools, and individuals to train teachers and students to make learning easier,” he said.
“We are already training some teachers and I’m hoping that the government will address some of the issues we are raising.”
