SHAPING A CHILD'S FUTURE THROUGH READING

By Sina Adelaja-Olowoake

"The more that you read the more things you will know.
   The more that you learn, the more places you will go"  - Dr Seuss

Reading is an extremely powerful tool but many are yet to  realise its potential to literally transform lives. Take a look at world today - great men and women always point to the books they read as part of what helped them to achieve great success.
In Australia a research was carried out on two sets of 8 month old babies. One set was read to regularly while the other set was not. By the time they were ready for preschool, the set that was read to regularly had developed a rich vocabulary than the group that did not engage in any reading.
Therefore it most pertinent that parents and guardians do all in their power to get their children / wards into the habit of reading from an early age.

• Creating a love of reading is one way of improving the academic standards in school. Schools should invest in a variety of books for all ages and tastes. There are many organizations worldwide that can assist schools with the provision of suitable books. 
• Reading aloud develops speaking skills which in turn helps build self confidence. 
• Helps children gain new ideas
• Reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school. 

Reading is about acquiring meaning, enjoyment, information and understanding. Teachers, Parents and Guardians should always bear this in mind. Reading is not reading unless what is read is understood. 

• Set apart a regular time for reading - usually 20 minutes a day. 
• Ensure the atmosphere is fun not tense. A tense atmosphere will affect the children's composure and focus and is likely to negatively affect the outcome of the exercise. 
• Choose good books to help develop vocabulary which can then be transferred to other areas such as speaking and writing. A child with a rich vocabulary will also exhibit great oratory.
• Listen to the children reading. Show them you are interested. Give them undivided attention
• As the children read, ask them questions about what they are reading to ensure they understand. You can even ask them questions that are outside the text.
• Let them struggle with words. That way they will learn
• Give lots of encouragement. Don't shout at them when they struggle with words or struggle to remember what they read. 

• For children who show a reluctance to read, find out what they like. For example boys are more likely to read football comics, magazines, and action hero books than other types of books. 
• Children have the ability to remember stories depending on how it is presented to them. if you are reading to children, don't just read. Give life to the text. Dramatise. Make it interesting. Teachers / Parents / Guardians, you may even have to dress up as a character in a book to get the children interested. Sing.  Dance. Do anything to create an interest.
• Once is never enough - Encourage your child to re-read favourite books
• Take control of the television. Encourage reading as a distraction free activity. 

If you adopt these measures, the children will quickly fall in love with reading and by so doing will expand their horizons effortlessly and place them at a vantage point . 

4 Arrested for Exam Malpractices

Olaleye Aluko
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four lecturers of the Lagos City Polytechnic, Ikeja for their alleged involvement in examination malpractice in the institution.

Our correspondent learnt that the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, arrested the lecturers last Thursday and detained them for about three days before releasing them on bail.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Joe Offor, a deputy superintendent, who confirmed the arrest, noted that the police only released the lecturers on bail, as investigation into the matter was still ongoing.

Offor also did not disclose the names of the suspects.
He added that the registrar of the institution had brought the matter to the attention of the police.

He said, “The registrar of the school reported the case against them. The allegations preferred against them bordered on forgery, theft and manipulation of examination results. Our men at SDCI arrested and detained them at Yaba. Based on issues arising from our findings, the police decided to release them on bail. Meanwhile, we are still investigating the matter.”

A reliable police source told our correspondent that the lecturers were accused of falsifying the results of a student of the institution who had relocated overseas.

The source added that the action of the lecturers elicited a protest from other students.
The source said, “A student of the institution, who travelled out of the country and was unavailable for exams, was said to have made a distinction in the school, while other students had average grades. This led to a protest among the students, and it got to the ears of the management.

“The management then reported the matter to the police, and the concerned lecturers were arrested.”
When our correspondent visited the polytechnic on Monday, the security official at the reception said the rector was unavailable for comment.

The official added that the school authorities would get across to our correspondent on the matter through a phone call.
He said, “The rector is in a management meeting. He is the only one who can talk to you on the matter. You can drop your contact. He will get back to you after the meeting.”

Meanwhile, as of the time of filing in this report, by 6pm on Monday, the rector had not called our correspondent.
One of the students, who identified himself simply as Femi, noted that the arrest of the lecturers’ was the issue at stake in the institution for some days now.

Culled from Punch Newspapers

WATCH OUT FOR A NEW SCHOOL LITERACY PROGRAMME

Parents / Guardians / Teachers. Watch out for our forthcoming article on a new school literacy programme for kids aged 4-11 designed by top British education consultant to create fluent readers, confident speakers, and willing writers.