OVER 7000 EDUCATIONAL BOOKS/NOVELS/DVDS/CDS/VHS/AUDIO CASSETTES AND EDUPEDIA’S CHARTS FOR SALE,HIRE OR SWAP!!!

Our counterpart organization popularly known in  Festac, Lagos as BOOKENDS but now known as LAGOS BOOKS CLUB  is a private members-only book library  has the following education-related materials for sale,hire or swap  at specially discounted/bargain prices…
1.SHAKESPEARE:
The Merchant Of Venice-The Tempest-A Midsummer Night’s Dream-Measure   for   Measure-Macbeth-Othello-Anthony and Cleopatra-Julius Caesar-Hamlet-The Two Gentlemen of Verona- Much Ado About Nothing- Troilus and Cressida- King Henry IV,V,VI (parts 1,2,3)-King Henry VIII-All’s Well That  Ends Well-The Comedy Of Errors-As You Like It…
2.OTHER CLASSICAL AGE AUTHORS:
Thomas Hardy-Charles Dickens-Daniel Defoe-Robert Louis Stevenson-Jane Austen-Jules Verne-Emily/Charlotte Bronte-D.H. Lawrence-Rudyard Kipling-Mark Twain- John Buchan- George Eliot-Arthur  Conan Doyle-Thomas  Hughes-C.K. Chesterton-R.M.Ballantyne -E.Nesbit – Henry James-George Eliot-R.D.Blackmore- J.M. Faulkner-D. Samuel Butler-Homer-Scott Fitzgerald-Anthony Hope-Joseph Conrad-Jonathan Swift-Rider Haggard-George Orwell…
3.OTHER AUTHORS:
Joan Collins-Sandra Brown-Chinua Achebe- Wole Soyinka and other African series authors-Jack Higgins-Boris Pasternak-Terry McCmillan-Ian Fleming-Tom Woolfe-Carlos Fuente-Elmore Leonard-John Carre-Jonathan Kellerman-Robert Ludlum-Frederick Forsyth-Agatha Christie-Jane Anne Krentz-Mary Higgins Clark-Michael Crichton-Clive Cussler-Judith Micheal-Susan Howatch-Catherine Coulter-Irvin Shaw-Irvin Stone-Irvin Wallace-Leon Uris-Amanda Quick-Judith Kelman-Susan Wiggs-Janelle Taylor-Fern Micheals-Wiston Groom-Philip Agee-Mike Resnick-Allen Drury-Barbara Micheals- J.D.Sailinger- Micheal Eberhardt-Barbara Raskin-Christopher Buckley-Elizabeth Cage-Rosalind Laker-Iris Murdoch-Christopher Pike-Elizabeth Sanders-Jacqueline Susann-Isaac Asimov-Harold Livingstone-Jude Deveraux-David Morrell-Dominick Donne-Hammond Innes-Micheal P almer-Louis L’amour-Dale Brown-Wiliiam Bernhardt-Helen Maclines-Laurence Sanders-Cynthia Victor-Janet Dailey-Peter Benchly-Anne Perry-James Follett-Colin Forbes-James Clavell-Maria Puzo-Bernard Shaw-Miranda Lee-John Jakes-Joseph Heller
4. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT/TUTORS’ REFERENCE BOOKS FOR SALE
a… Classroom Management……Philip Waterhouse
b… Impact Techniques in the Classroom…88 Activities to Engage Your Students
c… The Teacher’s Toolkit…Paul  Ginnis
d… School Power…Study Skill Strategies for Succeeding in School…Jeanne Shay Schum
e… The Reading Tutor’s Handbook…A Guide to Helping Students  Read  and Write
f… Teach To Reach…Over 300 Strategies, Tips, and Helpful Hints for Teachers of all Grades
g…The Kids’  Book  of Questions…Gregory Stock
h… 365 Afterschool Activities…TV-free Fun Anytime for Kids Ages 7-12
I…All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten…Robert Fulghum
J…108 Questions Children Ask About Friends & School…With Answers from the Bible
k…Writing Down the Days…365 Creative Journaling Ideas for Young People
L…Teaching Gifted Kids in the Classroom…Susan Winebrenner
m…The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide…for ages 10 and under…Judy Galbraith
n…Make Your Child Truly Intelligent…A.O. Abudu
o…Raising Your Spirited Child
P…Parenting The Wild Child…Hope and Help for Desperate Parents
q…Get Off My Brain!…A Survival Guide For Lazy Students…Randall McCutcheon
r…Young People and Chronic Illness…True Stories, Help  and Hope…Kelly Huegel
s…The School Survival Guide for Kids with LD
t…When Your Child Has LD
U…The Survival Guide for Teenagers with LD
V…How to Turn Learners On…without turning them off!…Robert F. Mager
w…Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul…I,II,III…Jack Canfield plus others
x…Dictionary of Phrase and Fable…E.C. Brewer
y…Companion to Literature…Ian Ousby
z…Dictionary of Shakespeare…Charles Boyce

all   books are in excellent, well-kept and readable condition…
5. EDUCATIONAL CHARTS/ DVDS/CDS/VHS/COMPUTER BRAIN GAMES/AUDIO CASSETTES
A-levels, SAT,G-MAT, TOEFL, JAMB/UTME,WAEC/NECO computer education, maths, English grammar & comprehension, French, world music/dances including classical music and ballroom dancing, Shakespeare, nursery & primary school maths, English,songs and rimes, over 250 Hollywood cartoons, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, various Bbc Explore collections, Bbc life/wild world series on nature, People and Places, Do You Know?  series, Mind Your Language (complete episodes),Some Mothers Do ‘ave  Them, Yes, Mr Minister, Mr Bean, Xmas carols ,animal documentaries ,human science /human body science series and playstation 1 and 2  cds… …over 5000 items available for sale please ask us for prices…
6.MULTIMEDIA SUPPORT SERVICES FOR TOP GRADE SCHOOLS ALSO AVAILABLE!!!
If a school provides a classroom with a white board and computer seats/tables we shall establish a MATHS DIGITAL CENTER in the school. The center shall be equipped with 23 complete and most recent computer models loaded with a program purpose-specific for Nigerian students in consonance with the WAEC/NECO curricula. Other hardware to be supplied include flat screen   monitors, keyboards, mice,   headphones ,a multimedia projector and a central audio speaker. We shall also train the school’s maths teachers to use the digital center for lesson preparation and presentation. A  Consultant shall also visit the school once a term to facilitate proper use of the center….we’ll be glad to submit quotes please…

DID SHAKESPEARE SMOKE POT?

…it was one of those nights writers might be  much used to…you looked forward to putting down a few reasonable words…you also hoped to  follow  that up with the harder task of checking language,grammar,spellings and punctuations…you remembered how many times you told students to pay attention to content,organization, expression and mechanical accuracy…in naija that’s what  tutors call COEM..the almighty COEM!…LIKE ITS COUNTERPART IN MATHEMATICS…you know you want to publish what you write on the net…so it had to be something a bit reasonable…not freshly pressed yeye standards but just saying what you have in mind…
…so you got behind the lappy,switched it on  then everything went haywire!…firstly your lappy was slow  booting up…secondly when your desktop showed up  you remembered that there were certain unfinished matters to be dealt with before going into some thing new…”Christ!”,you muttered!…”Why now?”…suddenly you had the feeling the night was not going to go well…so, were you to go back to bed or what?…but out of the corner of your eyes you saw the music file on your desktop and said to yourself…”thank God, its not going to be bad after all”…you clicked on the file and ordered WINAMP to play on…it did,but your body was not just cooperating…the music failed to hit your bone as it used to …you tried jazz,afro-jazz,juju,hip hop,nigeriana and only one seems to impress your brain a bit…the track of …”I’m A Nigerian Boy/Port Harcourt Son” by Duncan Mighty…so you clicked on “repeat” in Winamp and it goes on and on like forever!…
…next you checked your files for some inspiration…something new on WAEC/NECO English Language out of so many you still wanted to publish…since you knew some of them might need to be polished or slightly amended your brain sent a message to itself…”can you?…can you make the script slightly better and more relevant before pushing it out?…but the signal you got back was bad news!…it told you that even though you might be willing the body was weak!…then you asked your body…”was it lack of rest during sleep or too short a time?”…but the body answers you with a mighty yawn!..”.Christ!” you muttered to yourself again…”Why the yawn?”…as u started thinking of going back to bed the image of a butterscotch mint  loomed up and its prophecy was a promise of relief  and first-aid for what you wanted…just to write a few reasonable words!…the scotch fast-tracked into the mouth and the effect was immediate…nice!…then you took another … and another!…you then switched back to the job at hand but it was then the brain suggested you add Orbit Chewing gum to keep your mouth alive without a yawn while working…oh yeah,good idea.. you reached into the container and took out two pieces and started grinding…somehow you won the battle over the body but another part of you…the mind is not just there!…”What is all these for God’s sake?…why are things not working tonight as they used to?” you mumbled…suddenly it occurred to you that since you had two tins you named “SWEET AND SOUR”,why not dip your hands into the sour tin which contains coffee and bitter kola?…but then another decision had to be made…only one could be chosen for the night and not two to four like  the sweets…so which one was it going to  be?…which one was going to raise the mind,connect it to your spirit and have your engine running again?…
…as you were about to dip your hands into the bitters the idea rushed through…yet again… that you  should play scrabble against the computer instead …having beaten your computer many times you thought that would bring some joy…so you played the first one and got a good hiding by the computer…back to square one!…may be it was anger combined with a low spirit that drove or paddled your hand  so fast to the coffee…good old Nescafe, full-blooded (not decaffeinated) type!…you mixed it with extremely cold water,no sugar and no milk…you downed it and you waited… surprise,surprise…you didn’t have to wait for too  long…minutes after it got to your stomach the messengers took the info to your brain and your nerves shot up like plants sprouting in a field…your body was playing music and your mind and spirit were dancing what we call kokoma in naija!…yes,you were alive again and ready to go through hundred files…you brought out only twenty, put them down beside you for further dissection…but as you sat down the thought came up…was it like this for Shakespeare?…could he have been taking coffee or smoking cannabis to be that good?…of  course everyone knows that many musicians  play good music  by making use of  sterner stuff than coffee…not so?…
…i am writing this right now because all  you’ve just read happened to me about two hours ago!…i am writing because since the day i was called “Shakespeare” by classmates in school it never occurred to me…no, not  even for a day to ask if Shakespeare could have been smoking pot to be that good…so to the net i turned and the question to Yahoo and Google got stated as follows “WAS SHAKESPEARE A DRUG USER?”..when the answers came back i was shocked to discover that my inquiry had been on a controversial burner for over a decade!…but every discussion, every effort,every proposal to exhume his body had been rebuffed by The Anglican Church of England and his followers…one of the reason they gave is the epitaph on Shakespeare’s grave which says
“Good frend for Jesus sake forebeare,/ To digg the dust encloased heare;/ Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,/ And curst be he that moves my bones.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/06/23/did-shakespeare-smoke-weed/#ixzz2559vAzhm

…this write-up is a result of the burst of energy from caffeine…this might be the situation with many authors and writers…so those reasonable words…and those iambic pentameters…that lucid prose … might have been sourced when one  “is truly in the spirit”…thanks for reading this…for the patience…and back to my files i go…what a night!…

...i know Ruka and Vic  will again laugh on reading this on their system as they did reading the “many miles to go” post…actually i am laughing at myself too…but please have a nice day both ‘ya…see you later…

INTERACTING WITH REVISION MATERIALS AND MAPPING OUT A STRATEGY FOR WAEC/NECO EXAMS

 INTERACTING WITH REVISION MATERIALS

1. Don’t believe only in the system of reading through your notes or textbooks several times  for “familiarity’s” sake!.
2. When you have extracted your revision notes on a topic, compare those notes to many past questions on that topic to see if they are adequate for answering those questions  in an exam hall.
3. Discuss with other students or engage in discussion groups and try to establish some link between different areas of your syllabus through these groups e.g. what is the relationship between the Theory of Demand and Functions of the Central Bank of Nigeria? Group studies should therefore focus on special or problematic topics for discussion.
3. Lots of students get a bit comical using past Q/A’s. Some spend more time than would be available to them instead of setting shorter duration. Some even steal a few glances at answers to difficult questions! “So who is deceiving whom” as we say it in naija?
4. When attempting past examination questions what is MOST IMPORTANT is the application of the techniques you were taught. Yes, you need to banish all doubts and practice what you were told during relevant examination seminars for multiple-choice questions or JAMB papers. For essay questions, practice time allocations and jotting down of answers in advance. Ensure you practice breaking down your answers into “introduction, body and conclusion” for most of Arts & Social Science papers.

MAPPING OUT A REVISION STRATEGY
5. Count or calculate the numbers of days and hours available for your studies before the examination takes place. i.e. how long it is to each paper.
6. Determine your priorities. Ensure that you have completed all your school notes. E.g. ensure all notes from JS 1 to JS 3 or from SS 1 to SS 3 are all tied together.
7. Examine yourself too and be truthful to yourself by determining how long for instance you can sit down at a table coolly with your books before becoming distracted. Consider some leisure time to calm yourself.
8. Now design an Exam Revision plan which is different from your regular private study time table. Once an examination revision plan is drawn the private study time table has be dumped. Your revision plan should cover at least 2 hours each day from Monday to Friday and 4hours each day on Saturday and Sunday making a total of about 18 hours a week.
9. List out topics to be covered between the day of the plan and the examination day to ensure that the most important topics are covered first. If by any chance you fall behind in your scheduled studies don’t be discouraged. Look for extra hours at the weekend to assist you no matter the inconvenience.
10.The strategy for WAEC & NECO questions must cover your ability to interpret questions, apply techniques you were taught and proper presentation or material or answer in an acceptable format.
11. The overall aim is to master the following
a)      The problem of vocabulary of questions
b)      The problem of thinking through a question.
c)      The problem of choosing a question.
d)      The problem of classifying / categorizing answer parts.
e)      The problem of reasoning / argument and giving examples.
f)       The problem of relevance of what is being put down.
g)      The problem of carelessness of expressions.
h)      The problem of thinking fast and displaying your knowledge within an unnatural environment
12.Remember to distinguish examination techniques from study techniques .Exam techniques usually start a few weeks to the exams and the ultimate aim is to write out what we label Salvation Lines (more  notes on this later)at EDUPEDIA. The reading of Red Notes is also an exam technique. Attempt to read model answers too, know the format of the exam you are about to take and ensure that all handouts given to you by the school are read.

MORE REFERENCE?
Please read another publication by EDUPEDIA titled “Passing WAEC / NECO Exams is a series of steps

MORE INFO ABOUT US

1. We are academic forensic auditors, advisers, external examiners/markers, remedial studies specialists, and education consultants/mentors.
2. With over 30 yrs experience as back-up for the job spanning public and private secondary schools, tutorial centers and a sixth form college.
3. Areas of specialization include
a). Diagnostic and Remedial Testing  for schools and students.
b). Provision of Study Packs, Tools & Tips for students, tutors, schools and parents.
c). Organization of Educational Seminars/Workshops on topical issues of interest to both the public and private educational sectors
d). School Science Laboratory & Library Services  acting as representatives of reputable foreign suppliers of educational/library hardware/equipment, science laboratory materials, educational charts and relevant software. On library services LAGOS BOOKS CLUB formerly known as BOOKENDS is our flagship of 18 years of dedicated library services to the community around us.
THANK YOU.

ARE YOU ORGANISED OR SYSTEMATIC ENOUGH FOR THE NIGERIAN WAEC/NECO EXAMS?

1. Obtain a copy of the syllabus or the schemes of work your exam will cover.
2. Prepare your revision notes and key points or read topic summaries from time to time.
3. Read Examiners’ Reports where available noting factors pointed out as causes of failure for many students.
4. Study the marking scheme / mark allocation plan if available in your school library or ask your tutor to guide you.
5. When taking lectures sit where you can concentrate on the tutor. Ensure that you listen carefully too. Read in advance and choose a good place without disturbance from your classmates.Once in SS3 you are in the army now for your own progress in life Join in class discussions and speak out when ever required. Take part in practical sessions. Use your private study time table honestly. Do your assignments from school. Be active with your Novel Summary scheme and all the subject clinics and examination seminars organized by the school.
6. Set an objective for yourself for each session of study.
7. As soon as you settle down to read, get started. To start is always the most difficult part of studies. Seize the control of your mind don’t let it go astray from the objective. Remain focused on the objective all the time.
8. You can give yourself a break every 1 hour if you have to chat, take refreshment, watch TV or listen to music. Don’t punish yourself but be disciplined with the time you allocate for such breaks.
9. Keep regular hours of sleep between 11:00pm and 5am each day. 6 hours of sleep is enough while 8 hours is too much.
10. Use your school library during free periods or break periods as part of your study regime.
11. If your handwriting is not so good practice during your revision periods too.
12. Transfer all that you need into your revision notes and let this become your Bible / Koran. This is an emphasis for paragraph 2 above.GOOD LUCK!

BASIC ARRANGEMENTS FOR TACKLING WAEC/NECO ENGLISH LANGUAGE ESSAYS IN THE CLASSROOM

 The building blocks of an essay long before the actual exams are Words, Sentences and Paragraphs. To plan an essay, the following elements are important.
1.Characters involved: These characters can be human, non-human or both. They can be fictional or as real to life as you want them to be. But they usually have relationships or interrelationships within the composition.
2.Action involved: The characters should do things based on motives.
3.Setting for the composition: this has to do with the time, place(s) of the action or of the event.
4.Climax: In some compositions, it is necessary to describe the actions in such a way that they will lead to conflict or even an event which can be called a climax. This is especially true of short stories.
5.Instances/ Causes/ Effects: In some compositions, what would be required are instances, causes of these instances and their effects.
6.Political/ Social/ Economic/ |Financial: It is always good to remember that the above instances can be influenced to a certain degree by  political, social, economic and financial factors.
7.Pros & Cons: Remember also that the question may ask you to relate the advantages or disadvantages or both as effects arising from the causes mentioned
8.Memory Joggers: when writing an essay and you begin to run out of steam, you can always get back on track if you remember the following: what am I writing about?, who/whom, where and when and how. Remembering nouns, verbs and adjectives relating to the subject matter can also be helpful.
Other Relevant Notes:
9.Essays could be a letter, a speech, a narration, a description, a debate, an argument, a report, an article, an exposition or creative writing.
10. The minimum length ,time and mark allocated are usually as stated in the syllabus of the examination body
11.Students are best advised to choose a topic suitable to their interest i.e. they should be advised to make choices 2months before the exam, and practice a related essay taking the do’s and dont’s to be found later on this forum into consideration. For this purpose, students may regard themselves as letter writers (formal/informal), narrators/ storytellers/authors or journalists ( report/article/exposition) or debaters ( debate/argument). The tutor should divide up the class and use past questions for practice according to their chosen professions.This to be done with a view to  getting each student specialize in two aspects of compositions long before the exam date.
12.Purpose:After reading an essay question either in class or during private study, students should jot down ideas immediately as they occur to them. These ideas would form the floor plan for the essay. The tutor should then mark or judge the essay in terms of the writer’s success in achieving the PURPOSE- be it to entertain, instruct, inform, admonish, persuade or plead.
13.C.O.E.M:Essays are expected to be in relation to -CONTENT, ORGANIZATION, EXPRESSION,MECHANICAL ACCURACY
 Adequacy and treatment of subject matter (content)
Originality  of approach (content)
Balance and paragraph linkages (organization)
Appropriateness of language(expression)
Clarity of exposition or narration in argument (expression)
Avoidance of  spelling and grammatical errors and the  misplacement of punctuation marks(mechanical accuracy)

EDUPEDIA’S APPROACH TO PASSING WAEC/NECO ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAMS

1. Our contributions are more of a practical guide with special reference to the usual arrangement followed by WAEC/NECO and to some extent, JAMB examiners. They do not begin as some texts do “with the word slowly working up to the Essay , Sentence and Paragraphs”. Ours is a remedial approach intended to encourage the student to identify possible errors under Essays, Comprehension, Summary, Lexis &Structure questions. Thereafter he or she is also provided with boosters( as recommended by WAEC!) for producing answers with finesse or panache.
2. By using this approach, we have tried to avoid giving the student the impression that the essay writing is a mystery that he can penetrate only after a long and painful  journey. Moreover, the idea that an essay is built up word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph misleads students and ultimately leads to exam failure. Sorry to say that most English textbooks engage in this laborious “build up”process that has brought English examinations into some disrepute such that it now occupies a back seat in the minds of our students
3. On the other hand we think It is better for a student to study such finer points of writing techniques as paragraphing, effective openings and endings and the distinctive features of narrative essays, descriptive essays, argumentative essays and so on.Thereafter if a student has a something to say he can approach the composition going directly to the point and expressing himself  in an orderly manner.
4. What most students need is advice on errors to avoid and the finer technical points for boosting their performances. This can be done by giving many examples and exercises rather than long discussions.  Edupedia  therefore hopes that it’s write-ups will be used by tutors as basis for discussions and  loosening of students’ mental muscles while preparing for the actual examinations
5.An examiner reading the answer scripts of many Nigerian students these days is wont to say   English as a second language has definitely been transformed into a foreign language! The reasons for this have been listed on another related write-up.Why the situation is more of a comedy is the unrealistic attitude of existing teachers who handle the subject, as if it were still a second language. In reality, English is now a third language in Nigeria  with “Pidgin English” in a commanding second position. Or at the very best, smart teachers  should now regard English as a foreign language.As a foreign language, old teaching calabashes need to be broken and replaced by basic touch button techniques to make English interesting.Of course there are countless books on “Errors in English” or “Mistakes in English”. These books are however only useful as appendices to techniques which release systematically boosters and appropriate errors earlier listed  for exam purposes.
6. So let us release boosters for: Essay Writing/ Composition, Comprehension Passages, and Summary Passages.Thereafter, we shall list out various errors identified from past exams by WAEC and NECO.
7. There are also write-ups on JAMB’s Use of English and English Literature by WAEC/NECO  
Cheers…

WHAT NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS MUST DO TO ASSIST THEIR STUDENTS PASS WAEC/NECO ENGLISH EXAMINATIONS

1. A school can invest money in relevant novels, magazines, newspapers and set up novel summary schemes forthnightly or on a monthly basis to assess primarily, the level of comprehension and   vocabulary development and the applicaton of literary techniques. For example,each student should be asked to extract 10-20 new words from each book with their meanings for future reference.If the school does not have the required funds to sustain the scheme, parents should be asked to contribute financially or otherwise by ensuring that their wards read these novels.Parents can also encourage their children to join a well stocked public library in their domains like the LAGOS BOOKS CLUB…unfortunately there are not too many like LBC around.
2. It is also imperative that English tutors be monitored closely on their use of grammar from the first day they sent in an application letter for employment. These need to be continued through their Oral interviews to their eventual engagement. Their enthusiasm for turning English into a lively subject, should also be observed and taken into consideration for their employment.
3..The school should also set up disciplinary measures and controls to discourage the constant use of pidgin language spoken on school’s premises. Such measures include counselling, impositions, corporal punishment or monetary penalties are to ensure that students understand the school means business. Staff members should also be encouraged to act as soldiers at the gate of pidgin english. From experience, it is obvious that the battle for the “spirit”of pidgin english in a school will be arduous before it can be captured or exorcised. Only emphatic tenacity and determination by school management can make things work as expected.
4. Students should also be made to contribute articles and literary write-ups or extracts from other people or from the internet to the English notice board or the school magazine, or a combination of the two known as NOTAZINE at EDUPEDIA…
5.The school time-table should also be planned in a way that allows students organize or get acquainted with the nature of the 3 major papers in the WAEC and NECO exams. When students are able to identify these papers and are aware of the objectives of each, it’s possible errors, what is required for finesse, the marks and time allocation to each, they might start showing more interest out of familiarity with the nature of the subject. This is because students  normally appreciate techniques and short-cut methods theses days. However, teaching them ”techniques” should be regarded as a complimentary effort to peak their interest or to simplify a lot of explanations teachers would have had to make in their classrooms.
6.During after-school activities, quizzes and debate competitions should be well organzed not ony through well-articulated programmes but also by the aims and goals which should be methodically  identified and deliberately lnked to English. Those facing  final exams should have their regular classes for “text book” English according to their schemes of work. Whereas the remedial periods should be used for teaching them about mark boosters and mark reducers such as errors

A.BOOSTERS FOR USE BY SCHOOLS/TUTORS FOR WAEC /NECO ESSAYS
Here are some related topics already prepared by EDUPEDIA for use by schools and their tutors
1.BASIC ARRANGEMENTS FOR TACKLING ESSAYS IN THE CLASSROOM
2.HOW TO WRITE NARRATIVE ESSAYS OR ARTICLES(FOR SCHOOL MAGAZINES OR NATIONAL NEWSPAPER IN ACCORDANCE WITH WAEC AND NECO EXAMINATIONS
3.HOW TO WRITE DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS.
4.HOW TO PREPARE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS OR PREPARE STUDENTS FOR DEBATES/DISCUSSIONS.
5.HOW TO PREPARE SPEECHES
6.HOW TO DELIVER A SPEECH(NOT PART OF THE EXAMINATIONS BUT GOOD FOR TELEVISION COMPETITIONS, INTER-SCHOOL DEBATES OR INTERNAL SCHOOL DEBATES
7.HOW ENGLISH ESSAYS ARE MARKED BY WAEC/NECO EXAMINERS
8.HOW TO PREPARE FOR COMPREHENSION AND SUMMARY QUESTIONS AND HOW THEY ARE MARKED BY EXAMINERS.
9. FACE TO FACE WITH FIGURES OF SPEECH AND IDIOMS/WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LEXIS,STRUCTURE AND ORALS
10.1800 DIFFICULT WORDS FOR VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT AND SPELLING IMPROVEMENT(AS EXTRACTED FROM MORE THAN 20 YRS OF WAEC/NECO EXAMINATIONS
11.DECODING THE BIG PUZZLE KNOWN AS JAMB’S “USE OF ENGLISH” EXAMINATION PAPER
B.AVOIDANCE/REDUCTION OF ERRORS
12.750 PHONETICALLY DANGEROUS PAIRS FOR REDUCTION OF SPELLING ERRORS OR DEMONS
13.THE COMEDY OF ERRORS BY NIGERIAN STUDENTS COVERING GRAMMAR,PUNCTUATIONS AND SPELLINGS IN WAEC/NECO EXAMS.
14.UN-ENGLISH NIGERIAN EXPRESSIONS AND THE SAGA OF DIRECT TRANSLATIONS FROM THE VERNACULAR
15.HOW PIDGIN DISTORTS LEARNING OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE:BUT ANY SOLUTION YET?

WHO SAYS EXPERIENCE DOES NOT MATTER IN NIGERIA?(FROM OUR ARCHIVES)

….we started our tutorial school(PASS TUTORIAL COLLEGE) in 1988 with 15 students…by 1992 and 1993 we were already using remedial education to navigate the educational terrain for students…over 100 students were being admitted to universities each year…this achievements continued for years leading to the establishment of MASON COLLEGE approved by the lagos state government,waec and neco for national examinations…by 2005 edupedia associates was established to widen the service to parents across Nigeria from experiences gathered  from the operations of the two schools…an earlier write-up has shown what edupedia did immediately leading to where we are today…coming to the net is therefore a natural progression for our objectives…please see confirmation of what we said above as extracted from our archives…those involved will confirm what God helped us contribute to what they are today…we are proud of them too…they should kindly let us have their e-mails  telephone(gsm only) or physical location as indicated in an earlier post…thanking u.
Many of those on these lists  have already graduated as Medical Doctors, Engineers, Accountants, Lawyers and Specialists in various field.Today some are working abroad while others are faithfully contributing to the development of our fatherland,Nigeria. The lists are not really exhaustive as the names of students whose admissions were pending for those years were not included.
KEY=UNIBEN MEANS UNIVERSITY OF BENIN,UNILAG MEANS UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS….

S/N	NAMES	INSTITUTION OR LOCATION	COURSE	S/N	NAMES	INSTITUTION OR LOCATION	COURSE
1	ABURIME CORDELIA	UNIBEN	ENGLISH	52.	NWAJEI OBIAJULU	UNIBEN	MICROBIOLOGY
2	ADEDEJI OLUTOPE	UNILORIN	MICROBIOLOGY	53.	NSOFOR EMEKA	UNILAG	CHEMISTRY
3	ADEDEJI GBOBANIYI	OSUA		54.	NWOKEKE OLUCHI	UNIJOS	ENGLISH
4	ADENEGAN ADEWALE	UNIBEN	MICROBIOLOGY	55.	OBA BRIDGET	UNIBEN	SOCIOLOGY
5	AGBEBI YEMISI	UNIBADAN		56.	OBI IJEOMA	UNIBADAN	THEATRE ARTS
6	AGBUKOR AGNES	UNIJOS		57.	ODOGWU EMEKA	ASUTECH	INDUST/MATHS
7	AGUN YINKA	OAU	ACCOUNTANCY	58.	OGHOMEH CHARITY	UNN	MEDICINE
8	AINA OLUWALE	UNILORIN	HISTORY	59.	OGHOMEH CYRIL	UNN	MATHS
9	AKANIHUN HENRY	UNN	COMPUTER SC	60.	OGUN VICTORIA	UNIBEN	IND.MATHS
10	AKINFENWA BOLA	OAU	ENG/LIT	61.	OGUNDANA OLADUNNI	OAU	DENTISTRY
11	AKINSANYA ROTIMI	UNILORIN	COMP/MATHS	62.	OJOKOLO DATIMI	UNIPORT	ACCOUNTANCY
12	AKINYINKA TOUN	UNILORIN	AGRI-ECONS	63.	OKAY JANET	LASU	EDUCATION
13	AKPORE ANDREW	UNILAG	ZOOLOGY	64.	OKORO UFUOMA	RUSSIA	PHARMACY
14	AKPORE FRANCIS	UNILAG	MATHS	65.	OLAFIOYE SOLAPE	LASU	SOCIOLOGY
15	ALAGBA JACKSON	UNIBEN	PETROLEUM ENG.	66	OLAKUKAN OLANIYI	UNIBADAN	PETRO/ENG.
16	ALAGBA RINGO	UNN	ACCONTANCY	67.	OLANIAWO YEMISI	UNIBADAN	SOCIOLOGY
17	ANDERSON ALEX	UNILAG	ENIGINEERING	68.	OLAWUMI OLATUNDE	OYOUNTECH	AGRONOMY
18	ANENE D.C	UNIBEN	MEDICINE	69.	OLUFEKO OLUBUNMI	UNILAG	SURVEYING
19	ANNAH EMMANUEL	OAU	ENIGINEERING	70.	OLUMIDE TOYIN	UNIBEN	COMPUTER SC.
20	ANYABEM JOSEPHINE	UNICAL	LANG. FRENCH	71.	OMENE HERNY	UNICAL	ACCOUNTANCY
21	AROGUNDADE TONI	LASU	LAW	72.	OMOKRI RENO	UNIBEN	PHYSICS
22	ASAGBA  JITE	UNIBEN	LINGUISTICS	73.	OMONIYI BOSUN	OSU	ECONS
23	ATEWOGBOYE OLUFEMI	UNILAG	ENIGINEERING	74.	ONANUGA TOUN	UNILAG	PSYCHOLOGY
24	AWOBUSUYI FEMI	UNIBADAN	VET. MEDICINE	75.	ONIANA ANTHONY	UNN	PHYSICS
25	BAKOSHI CELESTINE	TAR BALEWA	MICROBIOLOGY	76.	ONU NNAMDI	UNN	ENGINEERING
26	BASHORUN MOTUNRAYO	UNILORIN	MEDICINE	77.	ORIVRI ANTHONY	UNIBEN	CHEM. ENG
27	CYRIL LILIAN	UNIJOS		78.	ORUNKOTAN FOLASHADE	LASU	BIO-CHEMISTRY
28	DIKE KATE	UNN	PHARMACY	79.	OSAKWE ALICE	UNIILORIN	THEATRE-ARTS
29	EBEWELE EVELYN	UNIJOS	PHARMACY	80.	OSARENREN IDUOZE	UNIBEN	ELECT/ENG
30	EBIE SUSAN	LASU		81.	OSONDU CHINEDU	OAU	MEDICINE
31	EDOHORE HARRISON	UNILORIN	CHEMISTRY	82.	OTABOR NORUWA	UNIBEN	PHARMACY
32.	EDOHORE NELSON	UNILORIN	CIVIL ENG.	83.	OWOYELE  TUNDE	UNILAG	MEDICINE
33.	EDOMOBI CHIMA	UNILAG	ARCHITECTURE	84.	SIPE ADEBAYO	UNILAG	MEDICINE
34.	ELESHIN KUNLE	UNILAG	ACCOUNTANCY	85.	OSUOLALE TAYO	UNILORIN	AGRIC/ECONS
35.	ENWEFA REUBEN	UNIBEN	LAW	86.	SULE CLIFFORD	UNIBEN	MECH/EGN
36.	FALAYE OLALEKUN	OSUA	POLITICAL SCI.	87.	SULE PATRICIA	UNIBEN	BIO-CHEMISTRY
37.	HASSAN OMOLARA	UNIBEN	DENTISTRY	88.	TOM-LAWYER ORIS	UNICAL	LINGUISTICS
38.	IBE NKENNA	UNICAL	GEOLOGY	89.	UCHENDU ODI	UNIBEN	MEDICINE
39.	IBITOYE YETUNDE	OSUA	BANKIN/FIN	90.	UDEMBAH UCHE	UNN	ENGINEERING
40.	IDOKOGI OSILAMA	OAU	COMPUTER SC.	91.	UMOH SARAH	CRSU	ECONS
41.	IHECHU MAURICE	UNICAL	SOCIOLOGY	92.	UWALAKA LINDA	UNIBADAN	EDUCATION
42.	INYANG ODION	UNIBADAN	AGRIC/ECONS	93.	UZOKWE CHRIS	UNIJOS
43.	IRIRI ARUS	BENSU	LAW	94.	UZOR PASCAL	IMSU	MEDICINE
44.	JAM KATHERINE	UNIJOS	LINGUISTICS	95.	YUSUF WALE	ABU	GEOLOGY
45.	JOSEPH HELEN	UNILAG	LAW	96.	ZUOKUMOR RANDY	RUST	BANKING/FIN.
46.	MADU CLETUS	ASUTECH	GEOLOGY	97.	ABDULSALAM KHAMIS	OAU	COMPUTER/ENG
47.	MGBOR IFY	UNN	SOCIOLOGY	98.	ABIODUN ADENIRAN	UNILAG	ESTATE MAGT.
48.	MUBARAK OLADIMEJI	LASU	COMPUTER SC.	99.	ADEGOKE TITI	UNILAG	MEDICINE
49.	NGEN BUCHI	UNN	PHARMACY	100.	ADEJINMI AYODEJI	FUTA	AGRIC/ECONS
50.	NIMYEL PAUL	ABU	INTER/STUDIES	101.	ADEKUNLE ADESOJI	OAU	MICROBIOLOGY
51.	NKANGA JENNIFER	UNICAL	THEATRE ARTS	102.	ADEOTI TEMILADE	UNILAG	ESTATE MAGT.

103.	AJAYI MOBOLAJI	UI	COMPUTER SCI.	157.	NWOSU JULIET	ASUTECH
104.	AJEWOLE OLUKEMI	FUT MINNA	COMPUTER ENG.	158.	OBASOHUN MARVEL	UI	ECONS
105.	AKANDE GBENGA	FUTA	ARCHITECTURE	159.	OBI SYLVIA	UNIBEN	LAW
106.	AKPIERY ALESE	UNILAG	ECONS	160.	OBUAH AGNES	UNIBEN	ENGLISH
107.	ALAGBE BUSOLA	UNIJOS	BUSINESS ADMIN	161	OBI OBY	UNN	ECONS
108.	ALISIOBI CHINWE	UNN		162	OBIDIGBO NKECHI	UNN	ESTATE MAGT.
109.	ALLEN TUNDE	UI	GEOLOGY	163.	OCHE OYINUADE	UNIJOS	ACCOUNTANCY
110.	AMGBAH CYPRIAN	UNILAG	LAW	164.	ODESEYE OYE	UNIPORT	ECONS
111.	ANIMASHAWUN KHARAT	LASU	LAW	165.	OFFIONG BASSEY	UNIJOS	ARCHITECTURE
112.	AWONUGA OLADELE	LASU	LAW	166.	OFODILE LINDA	BENSU
113.	AWOSEYILA BUNMI	UI	GEOLOGY	167.	OGBONNA CHINEDU	UNN	MEDICINE
114.	AZEEZ OLUSHOLA	LASU	POL. SCIENCE	168.	OGUN EBISEME	UNIBEN	DENTISTRY
115.	BADMUS LANRE	OSU	GEOGRAPHY	169.	OGUNDELE OLAWUNMI	UNILORIN	ECONS
116.	BELLO WALE	UNILAG	INSURANCE	170.	OGUNDELE	UNILAG	MECH.ENG
117.	BANJO OLUSEGUN	UNAAB	FOOD TECH	171	OGUNSOLA OLAYINKA	UNILAG	ACCOUNTING
118.	CHINNUBA NGOZI	UNN	LAW	172	OGUNTUOYO BOLAJI	OSUA	ENGLISH
119.	CHRISTIAN KELECHI	ENUGU	BANKING/FIN.	173.	OHAKA OBINNA	IMSU
120.	DIDIMAKON C.	UNICAL	ECONS	174.	OHAKIM PAUL	NAU	BUS.ADMIN
121.	DURU CHARLES	LASU		175.	OKAKA NGOZI	UNICAL
122.	EDET UCHE	UNICAL	ZOOLOGY	176.	OKALI DAVID	UI	POL. SCIENCE
123.	EGBONWON DOTUN K.	UNN		177.	OKAFOR NGOZI	UNN
124.	EKEMEZIE MACDONALD	UNICAL	THEATRE ARTS	178.	OKELOLA SEGUN	UNILAG	ECONS
125.	ELENDU CLARION	BAYERO		179.	OKECHUKWU JUDE	UNILAG
126.	ELOHO TEDEOGHO	UNIBEN	POL. SCIENCE	180.	OKON JUDE	UNILAG	MECH. ENG
127.	ENOH ANIETTE	UNICAL	AGRIC/ECONS	181.	OKORONKWO EDWIN	RUSSIA	SCHOLARSHIP
128.	ENOVWO OKOTIE	UNILAG		182.	OKUNSANYA DAPO	UNILAG	MEDICINE
129.	EZE NKECHI	UNN	LAW	183.	OLARENWAJU FUNMILOLA	UNILORIN	ECONS
130.	EZEOBI CHINELO	UNILAG	POL. SCIENCE	184.	OLUDARE	UNILAG	ECONS
131.	FADAHUNSI OLUSEGUN	OAU	CHEM. ENG	185.	OLUWOLE BUNMI	LASU	HISTORY
132.	FAKOREDE NIKE	OSU	PHILOSOPHY	186.	OLUDIMU OLUFUNMILOLA	UI	MEDICINE
133.	IBITOYE YETUNDE	UNN	ESTATE MGT.	187.	ONIANWA RITA	UNICROSS	MASS COMM.
134.	IBRAHIM HADIZA	UNIJOS	ACCOUNTANCY	188.	ONWUKA NKEDIRIM	UNIPORT	MASS COMM.
135.	IDOKOGI ESHIEKU	FUTA		189	ONWUCHA DENNIS	OAU	ECONS
136.	IGBENE OMATSOLA	UNILAG	MATHS	190.	OSALAME CHUKWUDI	BENSU	SOCIOLOGY
137.	JIBODU LEKE	UNILAG	ACCOUNTANCY	191.	OSOKOLO IFY	BENSU	LAW
138.	JOSEPH JUMOKE	UNILAG	MATHS	192.	ONWASONOYE OLUWATOSIN	LASU	MECH.ENG.
139.	JOLAAWO KEMI	OAU	ESTATE MGT.	193.	OYETUNJI ROPO	UNILAG	MECH. ENG.
140.	KOLADE MUYIWA	LADOKE AKIN	IND. MATHS	194.	POPOOLA KEMI	OSU
141.	LAARO TUNJI	ABUJA	POL. SCIENCE	195.	SHONEKAN ADEOLU	LASU	LAW
142.	LAYEDE SEGUN	OAU	CHEM. ENG	196.	SMITH OYINLOLA	OAU	MEDICINE
143	MABAYOJE OLUSEYE	OSUA	ACCOUNTING	197.	SOWEMMIMO .O.	UNILAG	POL. SCIENCE
144.	MADAGU CECILIA	UNIPORT		198.	NGOZI STEPHANIE	ABU	CHEM. ENG.
145.	MADAGU STELLA	UNIPORT		199.	TENEILABLE OKOME	ABUJA
146.	MAUREEN ONWUKA	BENSU	LAW	200.	TOM-MANUEL DABA	UNIBEN	LAW
147.	MAYEGUN BUSOLA	LASU	ENGINEERING	201.	TOM-LAWYER MANUEL	UNIBEN
148.	MBOR IKAY	UNILAG	MEDICINE	202.	UDUAK UDOFIA	UNILAG	PHARMACY
149.	MERE NGOZI	ASUTECH	SOCIOLOGY	203.	UGWUODO SEBASTIAN	ASUTECH	POL. SCIENCE
150.	MIKE KEMI	OAU	ENGLISH	204.	UMEH ELIZABETH	IMOSU	ECONS
151.	MOHAMMED SALAMATU	ABU	LAW	205.	UMESI HENRY	UNN	MAGT.
152.	MOMAM WINIFRED	BENSU	LAW	206.	UWAKWE U.M	UNN	MEDICAL LAB.
153.	MOSINDI UCHE	UNILAG	PHARMACY	207.	WILLIAMS HENRY	UNILAG	ENGINEERING
154.	NNANNAH FRANK	ABUJA
155.	NWANZE ADAOBI	UNIBEN	LAW
156.	NWOGU  CHIOMA	UNIPORT	ACCOUNTING

WHY STUDENTS PERFORM BADLY IN WAEC/NECO ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAMINATIONS

PREAMBLE : In this write-up, ‘’English’’ means English Language. Examination bodies refer to WAEC and NECO, while the main syllabus format relates more to WAEC.
1.MASS FAILURE IN ENGLSH: Available statistics from WAEC show that the percentage of student non-performers (those with grades D7 to F9) are usually more than 75% of the total examination candidates each year. The situation is so bad, that experts now feel that the level of English usage by our SSCE candidates  suggest that English is a foreign language in Nigeria and not a second language.
2.IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH: As a second language in Nigeria, English is important because it forms a bridge across our various local and indigenous languages. It also serves as a vehicle of mutual understanding within a neutral environment of ethnic and linguistic plurality. English is a mandatory subject that all students must pass  for the validation of their senior certificate exams.  Passing all subjects except English, renders the examination void as many courses in higher institutions require more than a simple ‘Pass’ in English for admittance.
3.FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR FAILURE: So what could be the reason(s) for the ‘systemic’ failure that seems to have become fashionable? We may attempt to list some reasons below, but it appears from the comments of our examination bodies that the problems are traceable to schools, teachers, peer groups, parents, and recently, the internet and the intensely popular e-mails and phone texting.
4.SCHOOLS: It has been noticed that many schools pay only lip service to the study of English. For instance, hardly can one find in majority of secondary schools, any programme deliberately designed to make students really appreciate and live for English as expected. Apart from badly arranged time-tables and tutors with only paper qualifications, the co-curricula activities arranged to promote the subject, hardly scratch the surface of the objective. Furthermore, deliberate efforts are not made to discourage “PIDGIN English”, which has become too common, even amongst the children from homes with high incomes and living standards. In our universities, “PIDGIN” is actually the LINGUA FRANCA and the roots for this can easily be traced back to secondary schools. Schools need to wage some war on what is called “PIDGIN” because it has become a huge phenomenon for many anti-social acts including cultism in higher institutions. Today’s  Nigerian student is exposed to different types of pidgin from home-grown pidgin, to the pidgin used in American films and west indian pidgin music, which could blur the lines between the proper terms of English if not correctly guided by his or her school.In addition, there is no emphasis on the oral aspect of the language or a simple corner or board created for pasting English-related articles to whip up the interest of students in the subject. Many schools do not have English indoctrinating materials to build up orientation or a culture of good English.  What exists in most schools is the over flogging of schemes of work and past examination papers. There is nothing to assist students in the practical application of the subject from the perspective of being a contributory factor for the much talked about “All round education”.
5.TEACHERS: From experience, teachers appear to be the major problem. Many tutors do not teach English to inspire their students to make appropriate use of it or make any effort at self-improvement after school hours or away from the classrooms. English is a living subject which reflects the quality of education a student has received at any point in life. Since most students here learn the culture of reading or self study, every good English teacher must appreciate the need to reformat his or her methods for motivating students. Unfortunately, many teachers, after attaining the pinnacle of self-improvement, display a general lack of awareness of, or enthusiasm for solving the current problems of each of their students. They also seem disinterested in the strategic imperatives required to inspire the interest of these students.
6.PEER GROUPS,PARENTS & SOCIETY: Peer groups, parents and the society generally make students fail English exams by encouraging the use of “PIDGIN”. Whereas the WAEC schemes of work is based on what may be termed “Queen’s English”. Pidgin language is counter-productive to the efforts of English teachers in grammar and phonology e.g. “I dey come” instead of  “I’ll be back”, “dem” instead of “them”or “sontin” instead of “something”. Please see our  more detailed write-up on Pidgin  and use by our students. It has become so bad such that an SS3 student recently begged the Lagos State House of Assembly to be allowed to address the gathering  in pidgin!
7.THE INTERNET:  The internet, whose popularity and usage has loomed large, has not been helpful either. This is because of its corner-cutting format of English for the purpose of speed during communication. In the process, a lot of grammatical and punctuation rules are broken, yet regarded as acceptable or web-friendly. With the enormous leaps and strides being made by “web-english”,and the unavoidable relevance of the internet to the lives and education of our students, it is likely that we are witnessing the dawning revolution of spoken and written English. This may eventually change the future structure of examinations too. Suffice to say however, that the pervading influences of the internet and other sources of mass communication is not very helpful for now.
8.CONCLUSION: Having noted that many students these days want to be spoon-fed, we have developed additional write-ups to either boost or point out likely errors to fill-in the gaps created by the problems listed above. And while many students prefer studies- made- easy gadgets popularly called “Exam Focus”, “Round Up” or “Key points for Examination Preparation”there are still several steps which can  be taken to encourage their quest for knowledge.We intend to itemize these through write-ups on this forum from time to time.

LETTER TO MY CHILD FOR SUCCESS IN A NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL

My Dear Child,

I give you good tidings from your mother, brothers and sisters at home. Also from our good friends, LAGOS BOOKS CLUB and their parent company EDUPEDIA ASSOCIATES. Last week I discussed part of what worries me about your education/studies with them and these are the notes they willingly and freely asked me to pass to you. Please go through them as I intend to have additional discussions with you for implementing many of their suggestions. My son, I pray God will bless them into your heart mightily. Amen.Kindly note I added my comments  in a few paragraphs  though.

 1. SELF-ASSESSMENT.THERE ARE SOME HARD QUESTIONS YOU NEED ADDRESS TO YOURSELF SUCH AS “DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL TO PLEASE YOUR PARENTS OR JUST  TO BE WITH YOUR FRIENDS?” or  “WHAT EXACTLY AM I ATTENDING SCHOOL FOR?”
2. MANNER OF SPEECH.A GOOD WAY TO SHOW YOUR EDUCATIONAL LEVEL IS THE WAY AND MANNER YOU SPEAK .FIRSTLY, WHAT  WOULD YOU SAY  AT THE MORNING ASSEMBLY IF YOU ARE WITHOUT ANY PREVIOUS NOTICE ASKED TO GIVE A SHORT EXHORTATION TO FELLOW STUDENTS ON MORAL ISSUES? SECONDLY,HOW ARE YOU LIKELY TO CONTRIBUTE TO  CLASS DISCUSSIONS OR CLASS PRESENTATIONS? THESE MIGHT BE OCCASIONS FOR YOU TO DISPLAY YOUR ABILITY TO SPEAK ELOQUENTLY OR DISPLAY YOUR LEVEL OF EDUCATION.THIRDLY, WHAT ABOUT DISCUSSIONS WITH TUTORS OR MANAGEMENT OF THE SCHOOL?
3. VOCABULARY TO IMPROVE AND DISPLAY WHAT YOU ARE YOU NEED TO IMPROVE/INCREASE YOUR VOCABULARY, LEARN THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING, KNOW THE RULES OF PUBLIC DEBATE AND OF PIDGIN ENGLISH WHICH IS NOW VERY COMMON IN NAIJA
 4.ONE WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY IS TO READ NOVELS, MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS. THE FREQUENT USE OF DICTIONARIES AND THESAURUSES NEED BE EMPHASIZED.A  NOVEL SUMMARY SCHEME AS PROPOSED BY EDUPEDIA BASED ON  PROPER USE OF A GOOD LIBRARY OR MEMBERSHIP OF SUCH WILL BE HELPFUL AND NEED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
 5.LISTENING IN CLASS.YOU ALSO  NEED TO CULTIVATE THE HABIT OF LISTENING TO YOUR TUTORS AND WHAT THEY SAY. APART FROM PASSING EXAMS, YOUR PURPOSE IS TO GET REAL EDUCATION AND  THE ROOT OF EDUCATION IS TO BE FOUND IN YOUR LISTENING HABITS. EXPERTS HAVE LISTED A  ”LISTENING HABITS INVENTORY AND LISTENING FACTS” WHICH EDUPEDIA HAS PROMISED TO MAKE AVAILABLE TO YOU IN FUTURE.

6. CLASS NOTEBOOKS.INCOMPLETE CLASS NOTES , ROUGH-LOOKING NOTEBOOKS, DIRTY NOTEBOOKS  ARE DANGER SIGNALS THAT THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL WITH YOUR STUDIES. THERE ARE  WAYS FOR TAKING NOTES TO GET YOU OUT OF TROUBLE WHICH YOUR SCHOOL OUGHT TO TEACH YOU.I ASSUME THEY MUST HAVE BUT ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO NOTES COMPLETION SESSIONS AT ALL? THERE IS  NIP SCHEME BY EDUPEDIA FOR NOTES COMPLETION WHICH I SHALL SOON ASK THEM TO EITHER TEACH YOU PERSONALLY OR  PROPOSED TO YOUR SCHOOL (SAY IF YOUR SCHOOL IS NOT ALREADY OPERATING SOMETHING SIMILAR)
 7.HANDWRITING.IT IS SURPRISING TO NOTE THAT THE PROBLEM OF MANY STUDENTS CAN BE TRACED TO THEIR HAND WRITING OR WRITING STYLES. BAD HANDWRITING ULTIMATELY LEADS TO SPELLING MISTAKES AND UNPLEASANT AND SOMETIMES ANNOYING RESPONSES FROM TUTORS OR EXAMINERS.YOU MUST THEREFORE FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE  YOUR HANDWRITING. WRITING STYLES ARE USUALLY CULTIVATED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
8. PLAN WHATEVER YOU WRITE/SPELLINGS.YOU MUST ALSO LEARN HOW TO PLAN YOUR WRITING LONG BEFORE THE EXAMINATION DAYS, WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT, THEN REVISE AND EDIT WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN. YOU MUST LEARN THE ART OF DEVELOPING WORDS INTO SENTENCES THEN INTO PARAGRAPHS AND THEN INTO ESSAYS, STORIES, ARTICLES, POEMS, ETC YOU MUST ALSO LEARN HOW TO WRITE RESEARCH REPORTS, LESSON NOTES, ETC. EDUPEDIA WILL ALSO IN FUTURE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL AND MORE DETAILED NOTES ON THIS
 9.TO BE A BETTER AND STYLISH WRITER YOU MUST ALSO MASTER YOUR SPELLING DEMONS.
 10.ASSIGNMENTS/STUDY TECHNIQUES/RED &SALVATION NOTES.YOU NEED TO MASTER THE TECHNIQUES OF STUDY AND DOING ASSIGNMENTS. YOU MUST MAKE SOME EFFORT AT IMPROVING YOUR CONCENTRATION WHEN READING AND YOU SHOULD FIND A WAY TO JOG YOUR MEMORY LATER ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE READ.. TO DO THIS,TWO TECHNIQUES CALLED  RED  NOTES AND SALVATION NOTES WHICH SHALL ALSO BE PROVIDED ON THIS FORUM BY EDUPEDIA  MIGHT BE USEFUL.
 11. AFTER MASTERING STUDY TECHNIQUES A GOOD STUDENT SHOULD TAKE HIS TIME TO MASTER VARIOUS EXAMINATION (INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL) TECHNIQUES WHICH CAN BE HELPFUL TO HIM OR HER IN THE EXAM HALL. SPEND SOME TIME TO PONDER ON THE WRITE-UPS TO BE PROVIDED BY EDUPEDIA ABOUT THESE TECHNIQUES..I HAVE SEEN THESE WRITE-UPS AND I THINK THEY MIGHT BE GREAT FOR YOU.A SUMMARY OF THESE TECHNIQUES IS EVEN ROUNDED UP BY A DIAGRAM CALLED “THE RE-FACTOR” THEY ARE INTERESTING AND REAL FOR  ALL NIGERIAN STUDENTS ESPECIALLY IN SENIOR SCHOOL YOU WILL ALSO READ  NOTES ON SALVATION LINES FOR LAZY STUDENTS.BUT I KNOW YOU ARE NOT LAZY..I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT  RED NOTES ARE CONVERTIBLE TO SALVATION LINES WHEN EXAMS DRAW NEAR.FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER FROM THESE NOTES STUDENTS NEED NO LONGER FEEL THE NEED FOR EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES DURING NATIONAL EXAMS.
 12.SCHOOL SURVIVAL TOOLS/COMPUTER STUDIES.YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO ASK YOURSELF WHAT TOOLS A GOOD STUDENT MUST HAVE IN ORDER TO SURVIVE SCHOOL
 13. YOU ALSO NEED TO SHOW MORE INTEREST IN COMPUTER STUDIES AND THE WEB. WHY?. THERE IS MORE EDUCATION NOW ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, FINANCE ECONOMICS,LIFE-SKILLS ETC ON THE WEB THAN ANY WHERE ELSE.THE INTERNET IS NOW THE BIGGEST SCHOOL/CLASSROOM THAN EVER EXISTED.
 14.TOOLS FOR ACADEMIC SURVIVAL AT COLLEGE.Textbooks / Writing Material / Maths Set / Exercise Book / Drawing Books / Science Or Practical Note Books
 15. Assignment Note Books /Red Notes Book And Salvation Lines Note Book / Maths Continuous Practice Notebook / Remedial Studies Note Book / Novel Summary Note Book.
 16. A 7- Day Personal Time Table Which Will Include Personal Study Plan and School Time Table (Time Management Chart). Use the one distributed by school.
 17. A file containing all your past examination and test scripts with their past question papers for future reference.
 18. Different write-ups prepared by Edupedia on Study Aid Series at school.
 19. Frequent use of your school library or external library like that of the LAGOS BOOKS CLUB.
 20.Use of Microsoft Encarta / Encyclopedia Britannica CDs and frequent reference to Web sites such as ‘Wikipedia.com  and How to Study. Org.
 Your mother,siblings and I pray each day for your success in school towards becoming a responsible citizen of our fatherland. By God’s grace you shall be part of the new crop of intelligent hard-working youth Nigeria is empowering to give us a better image in all nations on this planet. Please face your studies seriously and revert back to me as soon as you can on any of the 20 issues raised above. God bless you.
 Your father,

TO ALL LGA/LCDA CHAIRMEN AND THEIR DEPUTIES IN NIGERIA !

THIS IS  TO THE  HONOURABLE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN IN NIGERIA!

Dear Sirs,

PROVIDING  LIFE JACKETS  OF FUNDING FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN YOUR DOMAINS

 (A) PREAMBLE/ASSUMPTIONS

1. All protocols observed. Kindly permit this presentation in a summarized format in order to focus clearly on what is most important.
2. We all know that government funds whether from national, state, ETF or World Bank sources shall never be adequate for funding primary schools in your domains. Hence there is a need to tap or source funds or voluntary donations in cash or in kind from within and outside your domain through those linked to or resident within. One obvious advantage of this method is its ability to perpetuate itself no matter the party in power.
3.The overall aim for sourcing these funds shall be the reduction of the gap between public and private schools in the LGA. It will at the same time aim to overturn the unnoticed trend in the country whereby 3 classes of citizens as identified by us are being generated through the educational system.
4.In making our proposals we will itemize the needs of primary schools in your domains which if fulfilled can help dissipate the feeling of inferiority complex amongst public primary school students. It is a well known fact that the best teachers and probably the best students are more often than not to be found in public primary schools.
5.With local participation in funding it shall be expected that more interest shall be shown by your local residents  in the education of their children.
6.However, there is a need for determination of purpose and political sagacity to implement these proposals once they are accepted wholesale or partly. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was told that his educational objectives were too far-fetched and not achievable. Well, we are all witnesses to the fact that history proved him right. By now it must be obvious to the you Chairmen how difficult it can be to implement some programmes no matter the good intentions and careful thoughts put in place for them.
7.Kindly note that our proposals will not dabble into things which your LGA cannot modify or cancel. These include overall national educational policies, curriculum arrangement, subject schemes of work etc. But surely something can be done about quality and control of educational inputs for our children. Specifically, your LGAs can  do something to improve homework/classroom assignment, tests, performance reports etc.
8.We have therefore divided the needs of students in our primary schools as follows:
(a)      Hardware-related (fixed assets) needs
(b)      Academic-related needs
(c)      Co-curricula-related needs
(d)     Personal-related needs
(e)      Remedial-related needs
These are listed in detail below… but we do understand that conditions are not the same all over Nigeria and that what is desirable in one LGA might not be implementable in others.

(B)     WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF OUR CHILDREN?

(1)   Hardware Needs
-      Renovation of existing but damaged infrastructure
-      Provision of additional classrooms and relevant furniture
-       Provision of teaching and educational charts, audio/visual equipment
-      Provision of Library services, textbooks, and reference books
-      Provision of  basic science rooms
-       Provision of computers/printers
-       Provision of rooms for arts and craft
-       Provision of games and sporting facilities or playgrounds, indoor and      ball games
-     Landscaped environment demarcated properly into walk ways with
stones, playing fields and areas of greenery made   up of grass and/or  flowers to provide a  conducive atmosphere for schooling
-      Provision of perimeter fences and fenced gates
-       Provision of secured storage facilities for keeping school assets
-       Provision of cafeteria, health bay, water supply and toilet facilities
-       Provision of SKOLEE buses marked with  the LGA’s names
-       Provision of 5KVA generators for special programmes or for pumping                         water
-       Provision of musical instruments.

(2)  Academic Needs
-        Manpower training and staff incentives
-       Extra manpower needs for staffing additional programmes being  proposed  especially under remedial needs
-       Implementation and follow-up of home work, class assignments,                                  lateness and absentee records.
-      Preparation and delivery of monthly/terminal reports to parents.
-       Inter-school competitions covering debate, essay writing, quiz, maths, english etc.
-      Setting up of academic-related students’ clubs
-      Scholarship schemes based on examinations administered by the Education Department  of your LGA. This will be for admission into                                 reasonably-priced   private secondary schools within the   domain with   up to 60% reduction in fees granted by the schools to the LGA
-      Educational Tours and Excursions.

(3)   Co-curricula-related Needs
-          Inter-school games and sports competitions IN DECENT SPORTING     ARENAS
-         Inter-school competitions covering choral/singing, dancing, drama as    well as use of musical equipment
-         Setting up of students’ co-curricula-related clubs including those of Man-O-War, Scouting, Red Cross, Green Movement etc.

(4)  Personnel-Related Needs
-         Well-tailored uniforms not looking like those produced in war-torn zones
-         Implementation of appropriate shoe/sock schemes coupled with proper hairstyles
-         Monitoring of personal hygiene, through uniforms, finger nails etc
-         Implementation of a mentoring system for those about to take national examinations

5. Remedial –related Needs
- This is more or less guidance and counseling directed at those taking external examinations. It involves the use of extension classes on Saturdays between the hours of 10am to 3pm. (unheard of in public schools  you might say. Maths and English classes can also be followed up with motivational discussions targeting the inferiority complex mode that is usually in existence amongst them. Parent Days should also target school leavers. Parents need to be presented with reports covering many performance indices. And these can be provided by us. Please let us also note that Parents’ Days are not to be equated to PTA days or events.

(C)      SO HOW DO WE FINANCE/ IMPLEMENT ALL THESE?

(1)  BY FUNDS GENERATION
(a)  Setting up of an overall Educational Foundation for your LGA with launching to be done by the State Governor, Commissioner of Education and various political leaders from all parties. Leaders of industry and Commerce from the private sector and high net worth individuals from the society etc should also be invited.
(b)  Setting up of Local Management Committees for schools or groups of schools.
 (c) Reaching softly to private school proprietors in the domain for assistance or adoption of public schools as initiated by Dr. (Mrs.) Ezekwesili when she was the Federal Minister of Education. Other organizations which can be useful are Rotary and Lion clubs, International Society of Women etc especially for books and health bay facilities. NGO’s and foundations such as that of General Danjuma,Dr Dangote and other businessmen will also be helpful.

 (2)   BY EXPENDITURE REDUCTION
(a)Your LGA should consider acquiring SKOLEE buses either brand new or through the State Government by conversion from their old fleet.
(b) Instead of buying some of the hardware for each school your LGA may consider opening one or two multipurpose educational centres which Edupedia has named CENTRES OF LIGHT. If well equipped they can be operated with a time table which shall be integrated with the time table of school leavers in each school so that those from each school can be the center once or twice in a month for computer education, ball/indoor games, library facilities such as novels comics, newspapers, magazines and audio/visual programmes such as educational films and computer games.
(c) But if the CENTRE OF LIGHT cannot accommodate sporting facilities, each school can have paved centres within for ball games such as basketball and volley ball and five-a-side football.
(d) NYSC students can also be used to fill the staffing gaps which are likely to be created by remedial needs and relevant programmes. On the other hand, your LGA can institute a volunteer Corp of young school leavers properly briefed by the consultant for the project (EDUPEDIA) to fill in the gap. Those used might be given token stipend for the job as long as they are made to understand what volunteer service really implies from the beginning. Above all, EDUPEDIA can be used for implementation of these programmes at a reasonable cost. Of course all these have to be done hand-in-hand with the Education Department of your LGA
Thanking you.
Yours faithfully
EDUPEDIA ASSOCIATES
Managing Consultant.

NOTE:…kindly refer this write-up to the LGA chairman closest to you…thanks