James Sowole in Abeokuta
Worried about the poor reading culture among Nigerians, a professor of Language Education at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye (OOUA), Ogun State, Busurat Adekola, has called on academic institutions to place a greater premium on the teaching of reading.
Adekola said this as part of her recommendations to stem the declining reading culture while delivering the 104th OOUA inaugural lecture.
The lecture, held at the Otunba Gbenga Daniel Multipurpose Hall, was chaired by the OOU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ayodeji Agboola and attended by principal officers of the institution, members of the senate and other stakeholders.
The 104th inaugural lecture was titled ‘The World Cheats Those Who Cannot Read’.
Adekola said emphasis should be given to both cognitive and meta-cognitive aspects of reading, saying “reading and study skills should be cultivated to learners to stem the tide of examination malpractices.”
The lecturer also called on the government to intensify the adult literacy campaign to affect family literacy, which is the veritable foundation of the reading culture.
Adekola lamented that in Nigeria, unlike in advanced countries like the US, the UK and other countries, reading still attracts third-class attention since society has a positive attitude towards paper qualification.
Adekola said, “Teachers’ training institutions must constantly evaluate their language education programmes as they relate to reading pedagogy so that pre-service teachers can be well grounded in the right knowledge, attitudes and skills that can foster the reading development of various categories of learners.”
