Author Calls for Emergency in Education, Right Values in Youths
Funmi Ogundare
An author and the Director of Family Value Development Initiative ((FVDI) campaign, Mr. Greg Nwamadi has stressed the need for the government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector such that would channel the minds of the youths towards imbibing the right values.
Nwamadi made this known recently in Lagos while briefing journalists on the public presentation of his books titled ‘Legend of the Lost’ and ‘Lush Garden in an Arid Land’, scheduled to hold on March 10 in Ikoyi, Lagos.
He argued that the youths are not employable and that the curriculum is not developed in a way that would ensure that they have the requisite skills to survive before they graduate.
“There has been a paradigm shift the value for education has totally changed over the years. We should be looking at correction strategy for the youths. We need to teach them values like character, work, diligence, sacrifice and perseverance. We are confident that if they can get into the education system to re-channel the minds of the youths and social expectations of them, it will in turn build a young generation of youths who would have imbibed the right values for a better nation.”
Asked what spurred him into writing the books, the director said it is to promote a good reading culture among the youths. “Reading helps our children to grasp concept and think logically. At FVDI, we have assumed the moral responsibility of ensuring that the values that are the mainstay of traditional family system are sustained.”
Nwamadi expressed concern about the decline in the reading culture in the country, saying that this comes at a time of increasing media saturation.
“Simply put, just because people are not reading does not mean they are not informed. They are watching television, movies, listening to music and podcasts. Regrettably, all channels of information are not created equal. Someone reading a book and someone watching the movie adaptation, in fact, think differently. The difference is the level of assimilation.”
On the books, the author said “Legend of the Lost’ is a fiction that looks into contemporary events that will eventually lead to the end of times saga. The plot builds up to reveal how environmental crisis and technology will play critical roles in the apocalypse, while ‘Lush Garden in an Arid Land’ is a collection of poems on essential values for social development.
The publication is a response to our periodic youth programme ‘Values for Future Leaders’. It targets different categories of young people, challenging the emergence of a better society. Both books will appeal to different categories of readers and help them make right decisions in their day to day life.”
A keynote address on the subject ‘Technology and Values for Future Leaders’ will be presented by the Chairman, Governing Council of the Institute of Information Management (IIM), Dr. Oyedokun Oyewole, while the special guest of honour and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture and the Real Sector, Dr. Dolapo Bright will also give a keynote speech.
The book is expected to be reviewed by the former Sub-dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Lagos, Professor Emmanuel Adedun.