Did you know that your chances of dying of heart disease may be as high as 50%? Your chances of dying of cancer may be as high as 30%?
This article will empower you to beat these statistics.
To understand the concepts of healing, we first need to know:
Why do we get sick?
Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health.
What does this mean?
1. The symptoms of disease (e.g. pain‚ fever‚ and inflammation) are nature’s effort to get better.
2. Disease comes because we are violating God’s physical laws.
How can symptoms of disease be our body’s effort to recover?
Disease is not a negative condition which should be combated and suppressed ('cured')‚ but a self-defensive‚ protective effort of the body to restore health. Pain is our body's way of telling us that something is wrong. Inflammation is a re-constructive process and should not be suppressed. Every acute disease is an effort of nature to cleanse and heal. When suppressed‚ it becomes sub-acute‚ and then‚ with time‚ chronic and degenerative.
How is disease the result of violating God’s physical laws?
Medicine suggests that we are victims of sickness‚ attacked by a bad organism‚ having a bad organ‚ cursed by bad genes‚ etc. In reality‚ illness is most often a result of our own choices not dependent on uncontrollable factors. Disease-causing organisms are scavengers; they cannot find a home in a healthy body with a strong immune system. Bacteria‚ virus‚ or parasitic infection is not the primary cause of disease but rather its result. Even the father of the germ theory‚ Pasteur‚ began to understand the true relationship of germs to disease late in his life‚ when he stated: “The germ is nothing‚ the soil [the condition of the body] is everything‚” meaning that a germ can only thrive in a suitable environment.
God's law is written by His own finger upon every nerve‚ every muscle‚ and every faculty which has been entrusted to man. God in His wisdom has established natural laws for the proper control of dress‚ appetites‚ and passions‚ and He requires of us obedience in every particular; this determines the condition of our health. All our enjoyment or suffering may be traced to obedience or to transgression of natural law.
God loves His creatures with a love that is both tender and strong. He has established the laws of nature; but His laws are not arbitrary exactions. Every "Thou shalt not‚" whether in physical or moral law‚ contains or implies a promise. If it is obeyed‚ blessings will attend our steps; if it is disobeyed‚ the result is danger and unhappiness. The transgression of the physical law is transgression of God's law. As sin is the transgression of the moral law‚ disease is the transgression of the physical law.
Florence Nightingale once said‚ “There are no specific diseases only specific disease conditions.” Disease is merely a departure from normal health. A careful conformity to the laws which God has implanted in our being will insure health‚ and there will not be a breaking down of the constitution. God has pledged Himself to keep this machinery in healthful action if the human agent will obey His laws‚ and co-operate with him. “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God‚ and wilt do that which is right in his sight‚ and wilt give ear to his commandments‚ and keep all his statutes‚ I will put none of these diseases upon thee… for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26.
When we realize that disease is the result of transgression of God’s physical laws‚ the cure for it is found in identifying the cause. Remove the cause and we have found the cure.
So what should I do when I get sick?
The greatest cause of human suffering is ignorance on the subject of how to treat our own bodies. In case of sickness‚ the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed‚ and wrong habits corrected. Then‚ nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system.
When the abuse of health is carried so far that sickness results‚ we can often do what no one else can do for ourselves:
1. First find out what is causing the disease‚ because disease never comes without a cause. Reason with yourself‚ “What could I have done to become sick?” In the beginning reasoning from cause to effect may be challenging to ascertain but with practice and conscious awareness it will become easy. And then you will be able to say like David‚ “I understand more than the ancients‚ because I keep Thy precepts.” Psalm 119:100.
2. Remove the cause; stop doing the things that made you sick.
3. Assist the body’s efforts to expel impurities by using natural remedies and trusting in God.
4. Lastly‚ do not endeavor to adjust the difficulties by adding a burden of poisonous medicines.
How can I obtain Heaven’s healing?
Christ desires that humanity co-operates with divinity. What human power can do divine power is not summoned to do. God does not dispense with man's aid. He strengthens him‚ co-operating with him as he uses the powers and capabilities given him.
There are many ways of practicing the healing art; but there is only one way that Heaven approves. God's remedies are the simple agencies of nature that will not tax or debilitate the system through their powerful properties. Pure air and water‚ cleanliness‚ proper diet‚ purity of life‚ and a firm trust in God‚ these are remedies for the want of which thousands are dying; yet these remedies are going out of date because their skillful use requires work that the people do not appreciate. Fresh air‚ exercise‚ pure water‚ and clean‚ sweet premises‚ are within the reach of all‚ with but little expense; but drugs are expensive‚ both in the outlay of means‚ and the effect produced upon the system.
God is greatly dishonored by the way in which man treats his organism‚ and He will not work a miracle to counteract a perverse violation of the laws of life and health. The Lord has made it a part of His plan that man's reaping shall be according to his sowing.
However‚ it is a safe proposition that after a person has done all in his power to search out and put away the cause of his disease‚ and it is found to be after all‚ that the cause is beyond all human effort to remove. Then‚ if the one sole aim of his healing is the glory of God and the keeping of the commandments of God‚ he may with perfect confidence and full assurance of faith ask the Lord to heal him.
Still‚ while presenting our petitions with earnestness‚ we should say‚ “Nevertheless not my will‚ but Thine‚ be done.” Luke 22:42. We do not know whether the blessing we desire will be best for us or not. Therefore‚ our prayers should include this thought: “Lord if it is for Thy glory that my health be restored‚ I ask‚ in the name of Jesus. If it be not Thy will give me Thy grace to comfort and Thy presence to sustain me.”
So what is the only method of obtaining healing that heaven approves of?
If your doctor were to inform you that to get better you would only have to take eight different pills a day‚ and he gave them to you for free‚ would you try them? The likelihood is you would. Today‚ the Greatest Physician in the universe is offering us eight remedies that one can take everyday and get better and stay well. Moreover they are so simple. Will we accept His offer?
God often uses the simplest means to accomplish the greatest results. Goliath the giant was killed by a small pebble. The power did not come from the pebble‚ but from David’s faith and obedience to God. Naaman the leper was healed by washing in the river of Jordan‚ because by obeying he expressed trust and obedience to God. Today‚ “Jesus Christ the same yesterday‚ and today‚ and forever” (Hebrews 13:8)‚ the only true Physician‚ would like to share with us eight remedies to prevent illness andobtain His healing.
These remedies are better than the orthodox medicines that the world gives because‚ firstly‚ they are free; secondly‚ they work for all; and lastly‚ they have no bad side-effects (only good ones like more energy‚ greater endurance‚ sharper memory‚ younger-looking skin‚ loss of extra weight‚ etc).
How is it possible that the same eight remedies work for all?
Although externally we may look different‚ internally our bodies are governed by the same physical laws of nature. That is why the same plan works for everyone.
Okay‚ so what are these eight remedies that Jesus has for us?
Watch out!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
GENDER ISSUES IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN NIGERIA.
ABSTRACT
Gender issues in Education and by Extension National Development had taken center stage in academic discuss in recent times. These issues had addressed women participation in Education, Women Empowerment, Feminism, sexual abuse/violence, women affairs commissions, gender inequalities etc. This paper believes that these relative gender issues are consequential in Northern Nigeria and educationally disadvantaged states. The paper thus discussed the roles of education and rights to educational opportunities by Nigerian citizenry. The paper also examined and applauded the pivotal roles of women to national development. It further characterised the position of women in Northern Nigeria from the standpoint of socio-economic disadvantages and proposed the enforcement and repealing of obsolete laws so as to dismantle all forms of impediments against the development/advancement of women in Northern Nigeria and the Nigerian women in general
INTRODUCTION
Education is an instrument of power, prestige, survival, greatness and advancement of men and nations. It is also an agent of change, a key to knowledge and accelerated development. Education had also been viewed as a continuous process where individual continue to learn, re-learn and un-learn norms, values and attitudes to make them fit to the society they live.
Various successive governments in Nigeria had placed education at its focal agenda in their service delivery to its people. The seven-point agenda of the present government can be said to revolve round education and integrated national development.
“Navigating” the works of Danladi (2006: 1), he sees education as a process that will bring about all-round development and progress of individuals and the society in general. He also cited Obanya (1995) who argued that education ought to be responsive to the needs of the society it is intended to serve.
Gender issues in education had attracted national, international and intellectual recognition and interests. The perspectives of their various interests and focuses had been on human rights, women inequality, women empowerment, girl-child educations, feminism, female educational opportunities performance etc. It is the opinion of this paper that these relative gender issues are more prevalent, obvious and consequential in Northern Nigeria and other educationally disadvantaged states in Nigeria.
ROLES/RIGHTS TO EDUCATION NIGERIA
The roles of education and rights to educational opportunities and advancement had been clearly documented and enshrined in relevant documents in Nigeria and world-wide.
The national policy an education revised (2004) stipulates the following objectives of education in Nigeria viz:
· To provide functional literacy and continuing education for adults and youths who had never had the advantage of formal education or who did not complete their primary education (Nomads, migrants and the physically challenged.
· To provide functional remedial education for those young people who did not complete secondary schools,
· To provide for different categories of people a formal education to improve their knowledge and skills,
· To provide in-service, on-the job vocational and professional training for different categories of workers and professionals in order to improve their basic skills and knowledge,
· To give the adult citizens of the country necessary aesthetic, cultural and civil education for public enlightenment.
The provision of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria FGN (1999) on education is enshrined in section 18(1) that:-
“Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels”. It also stated that government shall eradicate literacy and to this end government shall as and when practicable provide free compulsory and universal primary education, free secondary education, free university education and free adult literacy education and that no one shall be discriminated on the basis of sex, race religion etc.
The universal declaration on human rights adopted by the United Nation General Assembly in 1948 stressed that everyone has the right to education which shall be free at least in elementary and primary stages.
It has also been documented by the United Nation Economic Social and Cultural Organizations UNESCO declaration in Dakar 2000 as follows:
1) Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
2) Ensuring that by the year 2015, all children with special emphasis on girl-child in difficult circumstances and from ethnic minorities have access to and complete free and compulsory qualitative primary education.
3) Ensuring that learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skilled programmes.
4) Achieving 50% improvement in level of adult literacy by 2015 especially for women and equitable access to basic continuing education.
5) Eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, by the year 2015.
6) Improving all aspects of quality education and ensuring excellence for all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved in numeric and life skills.
From the following theoretical and statutory legal positions on the goals of education and rights of every citizen to education, the view points can be decomposed into three conceptual clarifications thus:
1) The role of education to national development had been stressed and therefore should be accorded its optimum focus in a plan of action for National development.
2) Gender equality had been upheld. It therefore means that all forms of gender differentials and inequalities that may be observed in Nigerian educational system are institutionalized and man-made hence should be dismantled.
3) Free, early and compulsory education for the girl-child with a focus on skill acquisition will enhance national development.
WOMEN AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW.
The position of women in Africa had been seen from the perspective of a second class citizen to men. They are viewed as those who look after the homes, bear and rear children for the men. According to William (1990:134), women are preoccupied with looking after the homes, men and the children. In his views, Read (1996:19) he wrote that women are female human being, mistress and servants who does the domestic chores (cleaning and cooking).
The economic position of women had been well documented by Aderemi (1997:211). He stated that women wield substantial economic power integrated into the macro and micro economy. He further stressed that women control the bulk of local and long distance trade, dominate the food processing and cottage industries, and participate actively in agriculture and health care.
It had also been stressed that women are home makers and are known to be able to cope with jobs that are repetitive in nature such as agriculture, cooking and other skilled vocational occupations. The World Bank (2004) year book revealed startling reports about women thus:
· Women constitute about 50% of world population. NPC (1991) puts Nigerian male: Female as 44,544531 and 43,969,970. Women comprise 75% of the world’s illiterate people. (This may be higher in Africa)
· Women head up to 30% of world’s household
· Women produce about 50% of the world’s food
· Women received only 1/10 of the world’s total income
· Women own less than 1/100 of the world’s real properties
These theoretical and empirical positions about women points to the fact that for any functional and sustainable plan of actions for national development, it should be focused on the women populace
IMPEDIMENTS TO THE GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA
A number of factors and practices affect the girl-child education in northern Nigeria. These include poverty/child labour, illiteracy/ignorance, easily marriage Islamic religious practices and social stratification/family background. Socio-cultural value, peer influence etc.
Early Marriage
Most girls within the age bracket of 12 – 15 years are contracted or conscripted into marriage without prejudice to the health and socio-psychological hazards involved. The parents due to poverty are left with no option than to resolve to faith. Such females are completely denied assess to educational opportunities.
Poverty/Child Labour
It is common practices to see girls of school age hawking various article of trade in urban and rural area in Northern Nigeria. This situation had been blamed exclusively on the unacceptable poverty level in Nigeria
Illiteracy/Ignorance
Closely related to poverty and child labour is ignorance and illiteracy. The value of education had not been fully acknowledged by most parents in Northern Nigeria particularly those that reside in the remote villages.
Islamic Religious Practices
The Northern Nigeria is predominantly secular. The Islamic moral tenants based on chastity discourage fornication. Based on this belief most parents encourage their females to marry at the expense of formal schooling.
Socio-Cultural Values
The socio-cultural set up in most part of the Northern Nigeria encourages the education of males in favour of the female who are expected to perform various domestic chores at home.
Peer-Group Influence
Due to peer group influence most parents and their female children tend to borrow/adopt obnoxious practices detrimental to girl-child education. They would not want to be branded exception to societal practices.
Family Background/Social Stratification
The social background and family structure of the girl-child to a large extent depend on their chances of enrolment to formal education. Enlightened parents or families in Northern Nigeria do not discriminate against female education.
The list of these militating factors may be winding, threathful and very consequential to the girl-child education particularly his Northern Nigeria.
With the Nigeria 7-point agenda, vision 2020 and millennium development goals of 2015 in view, there is the need to bridge all forms of educational impediment to the girl-child education. The following recommendations had been proposed.
CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS
It had been observed that gender bias exist in girl-child education in Northern Nigeria. The danger of this trend cannot equate the merits of educating the prospective housewives, mothers and career women. By extension, their contributions to national development cannot be quantified. We hereby join the crusade to dismantle all forms of institutional and man-made impediments to girl-child education in Nigeria.
Even though recommendations had been made in the past aimed at improving the girl-child education, not much had been done to enforce the recommendations, policies and programmes. Nevertheless, the following approaches may further amplify the needs for female education for sustainable Natural development.
1) Government should put in place the necessary legal instruments endorsed by the legislative arm of government to prohibit and prosecute those that encourage gender bias to girl-child education.
2) Government should launch massive and aggressive functional adult literacy education in all states and local government councils in Northern Nigeria.
3) Individuals, communication networks and non-governmental organization should sponsor educational campaign through the mass media, rallies, seminars, workshops and conferences to discuss the needs and way forward for girl-child education.
4) Religious leaders and organization should preach the needs for formal education as a necessary tool for advancing spiritual fulfillment.
5) Scholarship and bursary should be given to females to encourage them to progress in their educational pursuits.
REFERENCES
Aderemi O.D (1997): ‘The role of Women in Vocational Education for Economic Development”
“Bichi Journal of Education BIJE, 1 (2) P. 73 – 76.
FGN (2004): National Policy on Education. Abuja Federal Government Press.
FGN (1999): Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Lagos, Federal Government Press.
FME/UNESCO (2000): Quoted from Blueprint on Basic Education. Abuja, Federal Ministry of
Education Publication.
Schoolarship and Bursary should be given to females to encourage them to Progress in their
Educational Pursuits.
NPC (1991): Demographic Population Distribution Lagos, Federal Government of Nigeria Press.
Read, A.W. (1996): The International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of English 3rd ed. 1 (2)
London Fridient Press International.
UNESCO (2000): in National Economics Empowerment and Development Strategy (2004) Meeting every one’s needs Abuja FGN Publication.
World Bank (2004): Yearly Gazette, Abuja Central Bank of Nigeria.
Gender issues in Education and by Extension National Development had taken center stage in academic discuss in recent times. These issues had addressed women participation in Education, Women Empowerment, Feminism, sexual abuse/violence, women affairs commissions, gender inequalities etc. This paper believes that these relative gender issues are consequential in Northern Nigeria and educationally disadvantaged states. The paper thus discussed the roles of education and rights to educational opportunities by Nigerian citizenry. The paper also examined and applauded the pivotal roles of women to national development. It further characterised the position of women in Northern Nigeria from the standpoint of socio-economic disadvantages and proposed the enforcement and repealing of obsolete laws so as to dismantle all forms of impediments against the development/advancement of women in Northern Nigeria and the Nigerian women in general
INTRODUCTION
Education is an instrument of power, prestige, survival, greatness and advancement of men and nations. It is also an agent of change, a key to knowledge and accelerated development. Education had also been viewed as a continuous process where individual continue to learn, re-learn and un-learn norms, values and attitudes to make them fit to the society they live.
Various successive governments in Nigeria had placed education at its focal agenda in their service delivery to its people. The seven-point agenda of the present government can be said to revolve round education and integrated national development.
“Navigating” the works of Danladi (2006: 1), he sees education as a process that will bring about all-round development and progress of individuals and the society in general. He also cited Obanya (1995) who argued that education ought to be responsive to the needs of the society it is intended to serve.
Gender issues in education had attracted national, international and intellectual recognition and interests. The perspectives of their various interests and focuses had been on human rights, women inequality, women empowerment, girl-child educations, feminism, female educational opportunities performance etc. It is the opinion of this paper that these relative gender issues are more prevalent, obvious and consequential in Northern Nigeria and other educationally disadvantaged states in Nigeria.
ROLES/RIGHTS TO EDUCATION NIGERIA
The roles of education and rights to educational opportunities and advancement had been clearly documented and enshrined in relevant documents in Nigeria and world-wide.
The national policy an education revised (2004) stipulates the following objectives of education in Nigeria viz:
· To provide functional literacy and continuing education for adults and youths who had never had the advantage of formal education or who did not complete their primary education (Nomads, migrants and the physically challenged.
· To provide functional remedial education for those young people who did not complete secondary schools,
· To provide for different categories of people a formal education to improve their knowledge and skills,
· To provide in-service, on-the job vocational and professional training for different categories of workers and professionals in order to improve their basic skills and knowledge,
· To give the adult citizens of the country necessary aesthetic, cultural and civil education for public enlightenment.
The provision of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria FGN (1999) on education is enshrined in section 18(1) that:-
“Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels”. It also stated that government shall eradicate literacy and to this end government shall as and when practicable provide free compulsory and universal primary education, free secondary education, free university education and free adult literacy education and that no one shall be discriminated on the basis of sex, race religion etc.
The universal declaration on human rights adopted by the United Nation General Assembly in 1948 stressed that everyone has the right to education which shall be free at least in elementary and primary stages.
It has also been documented by the United Nation Economic Social and Cultural Organizations UNESCO declaration in Dakar 2000 as follows:
1) Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
2) Ensuring that by the year 2015, all children with special emphasis on girl-child in difficult circumstances and from ethnic minorities have access to and complete free and compulsory qualitative primary education.
3) Ensuring that learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skilled programmes.
4) Achieving 50% improvement in level of adult literacy by 2015 especially for women and equitable access to basic continuing education.
5) Eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, by the year 2015.
6) Improving all aspects of quality education and ensuring excellence for all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved in numeric and life skills.
From the following theoretical and statutory legal positions on the goals of education and rights of every citizen to education, the view points can be decomposed into three conceptual clarifications thus:
1) The role of education to national development had been stressed and therefore should be accorded its optimum focus in a plan of action for National development.
2) Gender equality had been upheld. It therefore means that all forms of gender differentials and inequalities that may be observed in Nigerian educational system are institutionalized and man-made hence should be dismantled.
3) Free, early and compulsory education for the girl-child with a focus on skill acquisition will enhance national development.
WOMEN AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW.
The position of women in Africa had been seen from the perspective of a second class citizen to men. They are viewed as those who look after the homes, bear and rear children for the men. According to William (1990:134), women are preoccupied with looking after the homes, men and the children. In his views, Read (1996:19) he wrote that women are female human being, mistress and servants who does the domestic chores (cleaning and cooking).
The economic position of women had been well documented by Aderemi (1997:211). He stated that women wield substantial economic power integrated into the macro and micro economy. He further stressed that women control the bulk of local and long distance trade, dominate the food processing and cottage industries, and participate actively in agriculture and health care.
It had also been stressed that women are home makers and are known to be able to cope with jobs that are repetitive in nature such as agriculture, cooking and other skilled vocational occupations. The World Bank (2004) year book revealed startling reports about women thus:
· Women constitute about 50% of world population. NPC (1991) puts Nigerian male: Female as 44,544531 and 43,969,970. Women comprise 75% of the world’s illiterate people. (This may be higher in Africa)
· Women head up to 30% of world’s household
· Women produce about 50% of the world’s food
· Women received only 1/10 of the world’s total income
· Women own less than 1/100 of the world’s real properties
These theoretical and empirical positions about women points to the fact that for any functional and sustainable plan of actions for national development, it should be focused on the women populace
IMPEDIMENTS TO THE GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA
A number of factors and practices affect the girl-child education in northern Nigeria. These include poverty/child labour, illiteracy/ignorance, easily marriage Islamic religious practices and social stratification/family background. Socio-cultural value, peer influence etc.
Early Marriage
Most girls within the age bracket of 12 – 15 years are contracted or conscripted into marriage without prejudice to the health and socio-psychological hazards involved. The parents due to poverty are left with no option than to resolve to faith. Such females are completely denied assess to educational opportunities.
Poverty/Child Labour
It is common practices to see girls of school age hawking various article of trade in urban and rural area in Northern Nigeria. This situation had been blamed exclusively on the unacceptable poverty level in Nigeria
Illiteracy/Ignorance
Closely related to poverty and child labour is ignorance and illiteracy. The value of education had not been fully acknowledged by most parents in Northern Nigeria particularly those that reside in the remote villages.
Islamic Religious Practices
The Northern Nigeria is predominantly secular. The Islamic moral tenants based on chastity discourage fornication. Based on this belief most parents encourage their females to marry at the expense of formal schooling.
Socio-Cultural Values
The socio-cultural set up in most part of the Northern Nigeria encourages the education of males in favour of the female who are expected to perform various domestic chores at home.
Peer-Group Influence
Due to peer group influence most parents and their female children tend to borrow/adopt obnoxious practices detrimental to girl-child education. They would not want to be branded exception to societal practices.
Family Background/Social Stratification
The social background and family structure of the girl-child to a large extent depend on their chances of enrolment to formal education. Enlightened parents or families in Northern Nigeria do not discriminate against female education.
The list of these militating factors may be winding, threathful and very consequential to the girl-child education particularly his Northern Nigeria.
With the Nigeria 7-point agenda, vision 2020 and millennium development goals of 2015 in view, there is the need to bridge all forms of educational impediment to the girl-child education. The following recommendations had been proposed.
CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS
It had been observed that gender bias exist in girl-child education in Northern Nigeria. The danger of this trend cannot equate the merits of educating the prospective housewives, mothers and career women. By extension, their contributions to national development cannot be quantified. We hereby join the crusade to dismantle all forms of institutional and man-made impediments to girl-child education in Nigeria.
Even though recommendations had been made in the past aimed at improving the girl-child education, not much had been done to enforce the recommendations, policies and programmes. Nevertheless, the following approaches may further amplify the needs for female education for sustainable Natural development.
1) Government should put in place the necessary legal instruments endorsed by the legislative arm of government to prohibit and prosecute those that encourage gender bias to girl-child education.
2) Government should launch massive and aggressive functional adult literacy education in all states and local government councils in Northern Nigeria.
3) Individuals, communication networks and non-governmental organization should sponsor educational campaign through the mass media, rallies, seminars, workshops and conferences to discuss the needs and way forward for girl-child education.
4) Religious leaders and organization should preach the needs for formal education as a necessary tool for advancing spiritual fulfillment.
5) Scholarship and bursary should be given to females to encourage them to progress in their educational pursuits.
REFERENCES
Aderemi O.D (1997): ‘The role of Women in Vocational Education for Economic Development”
“Bichi Journal of Education BIJE, 1 (2) P. 73 – 76.
FGN (2004): National Policy on Education. Abuja Federal Government Press.
FGN (1999): Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Lagos, Federal Government Press.
FME/UNESCO (2000): Quoted from Blueprint on Basic Education. Abuja, Federal Ministry of
Education Publication.
Schoolarship and Bursary should be given to females to encourage them to Progress in their
Educational Pursuits.
NPC (1991): Demographic Population Distribution Lagos, Federal Government of Nigeria Press.
Read, A.W. (1996): The International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of English 3rd ed. 1 (2)
London Fridient Press International.
UNESCO (2000): in National Economics Empowerment and Development Strategy (2004) Meeting every one’s needs Abuja FGN Publication.
World Bank (2004): Yearly Gazette, Abuja Central Bank of Nigeria.
Listening Strategies II
INTRODUCTION
The act of listening is a phenomenon. This is because out of the four language skills; the others being reading, writing and speaking, listening is used the most. This fact underscores the importance of listening. A child, right from the time of conception, learns to listen even before he/she starts reading, writing or speaking. As language learning expands and develops, listening continues to be the primary channel for acquiring linguistic knowledge and skills.
“We have been given two ears and but a single
Mouth in order that we may listen more and talk Less”
-Zeno of Citium
Despite its indispensable role, it’s an irony that it has been relegated to the background. This explains why student perform poorly in our educational institutions. This research is aimed at addressing this problem and at the same time enlightening students on ways to be effective listeners.
What is listening?
Due to its broad nature, listening has many ways of explanation. Most times it has been confused with hearing. Even though it has similarities with hearing, listening is not the same thing as hearing. Instead it connotes deeper than that. Some attempts to define it would suffice.
Listening, in some contexts, has been defined as “the selective process of attending to hearing, understanding and remembering aural symbols”. Listening, is thus a perceptual process which centres on, but is not limited to sound. Another perspective sees listening as the ability to relate what an individual is hearing to the stored information in his mind. This definition portrays the experiential context of listening. In addition, it has been said to be the act of paying close attention to what a speaker is saying in order to successfully comprehend, understand and interpret what he is saying.
These are just few of the numerous definitions. However, all of them points to one fact; listening is a mental process. This implies that listening goes beyond the ears into the mind. Listening can be graded into three developmental levels.
(i) The literal level: this is concerned with the actual physical awareness of sound and language created by stimuli e.g. words, verbal and non-verbal causes.
(ii) The Interpretive level: this involves the selective storage of information in the mind of a listener. The stored information can be retrieve at any time.
(iii) The critical level: This utilizes evaluation, judgment and interpretation which come as a result of assessing the speakers’ idea. The ability of a student to understand these levels will greatly upgrade his listening skills.
In addition, there are basically two strategies in which listening can be divided into.
1. Top down Strategies:
These are listener – based strategies. Here the listener taps into background knowledge, which in turn, activates a set of expectations which enables interpretation. Some of such strategies include:
i. Listening for the main idea
ii. Predicting
iii. Drawing inference
iv. Summarizing etc.
2. Bottom-up Strategies
These are text-based strategies. Here the listener relies on the language in the message. This includes the combination of sounds, words and grammar that creates meaning. This strategy includes:
i. Listening for Specific information.
ii. Recognizing cognates
iii. Recognizing word-order patterns.
Our main text centres on the second strategy.
MAIN TEXT
LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION
This is a branch of the listening strategies. In order to understand what it means, key words must be defined.
(i.) Listening (ii.) Specific (iii) Information
LISTENING
This is the act of paying attention to a speaker in order to hear, understand and interpret what he is saying.
SPECIFIC
This simply means “detailed and exact”. It could also be hitting the nail on the head.
INFORMATION
This is a broad name for facts, details or ideas about something.
In order to successfully explain this concept, three questions shall be used to serve as our bases for analyses. They are;
(i) What? (ii) Why? (iii) How?
1. WHAT?
This question explains what it means to listen for specific information. Listening for specific information, implies the ability of a listener to pay attention to an oral source of information e.g. a speaker, lecturer, radio etc in order to extract the basic, exact and detailed points from what is being said. Consciously or unconsciously, students actually engage in this act for effectiveness. In order to practice it successfully, irrelevant points are being trimmed down as the main points are consolidated.
2. WHY?
This area, deals with the reasons why it is necessary to listen for basic points. As humans, we hear so many sounds. It is virtually impossible to pay attention to all that is being heard, as this will lead to confusion. Hence, it is vital that only the “basic points of every speech” should be picked. This is a mental activity that aids concentration. It also portrays a listener as someone with purpose. This act enables the listener to get the precise version of the statement without losing the general picture of the speech. Thus, when individuals are told to listen, they are not expected to take in everything. Instead they are told to pick-out the specific details from is being said.
3. HOW?
This area is the most crucial of the trio because listening is basically practical. It deals with the basic tips on how students can effectively listen for specific information. Such steps are numerous but few essential ones will be sufficient. They are:
(i) Giving undivided attention to the speaker.
“It is worth emphasizing that the goal of good listening
Is simply to listen. Nothing more and nothing less”.
This step is vital to every listener who has a purpose. In order to accomplished such purpose undivided attention has to be given to the listener. This involves tuning ones mind to the frequency of the speaker.
(ii) Identify the kind of information to be extracted. This serves as a preparatory ground for the proposed information to be extracted. The information might be science oriented, art, social science or other disciplines.
(iii) Identify the key words in the statement. Since it is difficult to take in all sentences, key words will help to clearly remember the basic points. For instance, if an individual is told, “go to the market to buy meat and when coming back, visit the seamstress to collect my dress”. Looking at the statement it is strenuous to take it verbatim. Hence, certain key words can be picked-out. They are; market, meat, seamstress, dress. Such key word enables easier analyses of the statement.
(iv) Be conscious of information signals. Sometimes, a speaker uses words that serves as pointers to the fact that a point is about to be made. Such signals should be noted. Words like; firstly, furthermore, in addition, also, this is done by…, are some signals commonly used. The signals are not meant to be noted, rather it the points that follow that are important.
(v) Take down short precise notes for easy reference. No language skill works in isolation. Writing skills complement listening. In writing, it should be succinct, and irrelevant facts should be ignored. This will aid easy reference in the future.
(vi) Watch out for gestures. In the process of talking the speaker mixed gestures. Such body movements are non-verbal cues that illustrate the points that the speaker is trying to make. They include: body language, intonation, symbols, etc.
Such tips can only be utilized effectively through constant practice which leads to perfection.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
1. Disturbance
This is an interference which could be either internal or external. The former could be as a result of emotional instability, while the later comes in form of noise, music, etc.
2. Messiah Complex
Many students feel that the lecturer may be unclear. This makes them want to assist in explaining loopholes. Consequently, they are distinct from what is being said.
3. Lack of Interest
When there is no interest the aim of listening is ultimately defeated. Interest enables absolute concentration on the part of the listener, which in-turns leads to understanding.
4. Oversplitting /overlumping
Some students are fond of either taking in all that is being said without scrutiny or, rejecting it without assessment. This two extreme cases are dangerous. It is much more better to be objective while listening.
These are few out of many barriers. Notwithstanding, they can be overcome by
i. Ridding the mind of any distraction, whether internal or external.
ii. Cultivating a positive disposition towards the speaker.
iii. Paying close and undivided attention to what is being said.
iv. Tuning the frequency of the mind to the level of the speaker.
v. Actively participating through questions and contributions when opportunities are given.
BENEFITS OF SPECIFIC LISTENING
“it takes a great man
to make a good listener”.
- Sir Arthur Phelps.
(1813-1875)
1. It enables effective studies. In the process of listening, pruning of ideas enables a hitch-free study. This allows for the practice of the acquired skill and information.
2. It helps in executing specific duties. In order to carry out specific duties like shooting of gun, driving of car, operating a machine etc, it is important to pick-out specific details in order to successfully apply such knowledge.
3. It saves time and resources. A listener who pick out basic points may not need to relearn what is being said. Instead, such time will be allocated to learning new things.
4. Improved human relationships. The ability of a man to listen specifically will determine how well he relates to people. Business people, Professionals, Academics etc all understand this great tool of human relations. The most specific you listen the more you understand. The more you understand, the more you apply. The more you apply the more skillful you are.
Need we say more? The important of listening for specific information can neither be over-emphasized nor down played. Listening especially for specific information is a skill that must be acquired by all who wants to leave their footprints in the sand of time.
“A large part of communicating is listening well. Listening closely to others instead of concentrating on what you are going to say next; then, what you do say, will make more sense”.
- Phyllis Martin
REFERENCES
Webb Michael (2006). Eight barriers to effective listening.
RELATED ARTICLES
Developing Effective Listening Skills. BBC Copyright.
Listening in difference situations. British Council.
WEB LINKS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillwise
www.britishcouncil.com, www.ehow.org
Due to its broad nature, listening has many ways of explanation. Most times it has been confused with hearing. Even though it has similarities with hearing, listening is not the same thing as hearing. Instead it connotes deeper than that. Some attempts to define it would suffice.
Listening, in some contexts, has been defined as “the selective process of attending to hearing, understanding and remembering aural symbols”. Listening, is thus a perceptual process which centres on, but is not limited to sound. Another perspective sees listening as the ability to relate what an individual is hearing to the stored information in his mind. This definition portrays the experiential context of listening. In addition, it has been said to be the act of paying close attention to what a speaker is saying in order to successfully comprehend, understand and interpret what he is saying.
These are just few of the numerous definitions. However, all of them points to one fact; listening is a mental process. This implies that listening goes beyond the ears into the mind. Listening can be graded into three developmental levels.
(i) The literal level: this is concerned with the actual physical awareness of sound and language created by stimuli e.g. words, verbal and non-verbal causes.
(ii) The Interpretive level: this involves the selective storage of information in the mind of a listener. The stored information can be retrieve at any time.
(iii) The critical level: This utilizes evaluation, judgment and interpretation which come as a result of assessing the speakers’ idea. The ability of a student to understand these levels will greatly upgrade his listening skills.
In addition, there are basically two strategies in which listening can be divided into.
1. Top down Strategies:
These are listener – based strategies. Here the listener taps into background knowledge, which in turn, activates a set of expectations which enables interpretation. Some of such strategies include:
i. Listening for the main idea
ii. Predicting
iii. Drawing inference
iv. Summarizing etc.
2. Bottom-up Strategies
These are text-based strategies. Here the listener relies on the language in the message. This includes the combination of sounds, words and grammar that creates meaning. This strategy includes:
i. Listening for Specific information.
ii. Recognizing cognates
iii. Recognizing word-order patterns.
Our main text centres on the second strategy.
MAIN TEXT
LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION
This is a branch of the listening strategies. In order to understand what it means, key words must be defined.
(i.) Listening (ii.) Specific (iii) Information
LISTENING
This is the act of paying attention to a speaker in order to hear, understand and interpret what he is saying.
SPECIFIC
This simply means “detailed and exact”. It could also be hitting the nail on the head.
INFORMATION
This is a broad name for facts, details or ideas about something.
In order to successfully explain this concept, three questions shall be used to serve as our bases for analyses. They are;
(i) What? (ii) Why? (iii) How?
1. WHAT?
This question explains what it means to listen for specific information. Listening for specific information, implies the ability of a listener to pay attention to an oral source of information e.g. a speaker, lecturer, radio etc in order to extract the basic, exact and detailed points from what is being said. Consciously or unconsciously, students actually engage in this act for effectiveness. In order to practice it successfully, irrelevant points are being trimmed down as the main points are consolidated.
2. WHY?
This area, deals with the reasons why it is necessary to listen for basic points. As humans, we hear so many sounds. It is virtually impossible to pay attention to all that is being heard, as this will lead to confusion. Hence, it is vital that only the “basic points of every speech” should be picked. This is a mental activity that aids concentration. It also portrays a listener as someone with purpose. This act enables the listener to get the precise version of the statement without losing the general picture of the speech. Thus, when individuals are told to listen, they are not expected to take in everything. Instead they are told to pick-out the specific details from is being said.
3. HOW?
This area is the most crucial of the trio because listening is basically practical. It deals with the basic tips on how students can effectively listen for specific information. Such steps are numerous but few essential ones will be sufficient. They are:
(i) Giving undivided attention to the speaker.
“It is worth emphasizing that the goal of good listening
Is simply to listen. Nothing more and nothing less”.
This step is vital to every listener who has a purpose. In order to accomplished such purpose undivided attention has to be given to the listener. This involves tuning ones mind to the frequency of the speaker.
(ii) Identify the kind of information to be extracted. This serves as a preparatory ground for the proposed information to be extracted. The information might be science oriented, art, social science or other disciplines.
(iii) Identify the key words in the statement. Since it is difficult to take in all sentences, key words will help to clearly remember the basic points. For instance, if an individual is told, “go to the market to buy meat and when coming back, visit the seamstress to collect my dress”. Looking at the statement it is strenuous to take it verbatim. Hence, certain key words can be picked-out. They are; market, meat, seamstress, dress. Such key word enables easier analyses of the statement.
(iv) Be conscious of information signals. Sometimes, a speaker uses words that serves as pointers to the fact that a point is about to be made. Such signals should be noted. Words like; firstly, furthermore, in addition, also, this is done by…, are some signals commonly used. The signals are not meant to be noted, rather it the points that follow that are important.
(v) Take down short precise notes for easy reference. No language skill works in isolation. Writing skills complement listening. In writing, it should be succinct, and irrelevant facts should be ignored. This will aid easy reference in the future.
(vi) Watch out for gestures. In the process of talking the speaker mixed gestures. Such body movements are non-verbal cues that illustrate the points that the speaker is trying to make. They include: body language, intonation, symbols, etc.
Such tips can only be utilized effectively through constant practice which leads to perfection.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING
1. Disturbance
This is an interference which could be either internal or external. The former could be as a result of emotional instability, while the later comes in form of noise, music, etc.
2. Messiah Complex
Many students feel that the lecturer may be unclear. This makes them want to assist in explaining loopholes. Consequently, they are distinct from what is being said.
3. Lack of Interest
When there is no interest the aim of listening is ultimately defeated. Interest enables absolute concentration on the part of the listener, which in-turns leads to understanding.
4. Oversplitting /overlumping
Some students are fond of either taking in all that is being said without scrutiny or, rejecting it without assessment. This two extreme cases are dangerous. It is much more better to be objective while listening.
These are few out of many barriers. Notwithstanding, they can be overcome by
i. Ridding the mind of any distraction, whether internal or external.
ii. Cultivating a positive disposition towards the speaker.
iii. Paying close and undivided attention to what is being said.
iv. Tuning the frequency of the mind to the level of the speaker.
v. Actively participating through questions and contributions when opportunities are given.
BENEFITS OF SPECIFIC LISTENING
“it takes a great man
to make a good listener”.
- Sir Arthur Phelps.
(1813-1875)
1. It enables effective studies. In the process of listening, pruning of ideas enables a hitch-free study. This allows for the practice of the acquired skill and information.
2. It helps in executing specific duties. In order to carry out specific duties like shooting of gun, driving of car, operating a machine etc, it is important to pick-out specific details in order to successfully apply such knowledge.
3. It saves time and resources. A listener who pick out basic points may not need to relearn what is being said. Instead, such time will be allocated to learning new things.
4. Improved human relationships. The ability of a man to listen specifically will determine how well he relates to people. Business people, Professionals, Academics etc all understand this great tool of human relations. The most specific you listen the more you understand. The more you understand, the more you apply. The more you apply the more skillful you are.
Need we say more? The important of listening for specific information can neither be over-emphasized nor down played. Listening especially for specific information is a skill that must be acquired by all who wants to leave their footprints in the sand of time.
“A large part of communicating is listening well. Listening closely to others instead of concentrating on what you are going to say next; then, what you do say, will make more sense”.
- Phyllis Martin
REFERENCES
Webb Michael (2006). Eight barriers to effective listening.
RELATED ARTICLES
Developing Effective Listening Skills. BBC Copyright.
Listening in difference situations. British Council.
WEB LINKS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillwise
www.britishcouncil.com, www.ehow.org
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