I was privileged to witness the on going processes of Registering for
JAMB at the e-library from Thursday 23rd till Thursday, 30th of March.
I came away with the strong impression that this is one process where
the idealistic teens get their first unveiling of a system geared to
disabuse their minds of a well prepared, well organised setup waiting to
warmly embrace them into a society were they can function well as young
adults.
I can think of no better way to describe a situation where
thousands of restless, anxious children arrive almost at the same time
to register at the different registration centres; the JAMB office,
e-library, and some of the private business centres.
They throng
about, pushing, shoving, and being pushed, and shoved by one another,
and by the adults who should have ensured orderliness and speedy
attention.
The first problem is an obvious unregimented process of
registration, where those who where released from the boarding houses
wish to beat the deadline of the schools exit permit, which is usually
just a couple of days. And also to rush back to school to continue with
their ongoing WAEC Exams.
The second and probably the real crux of
the problem is the unstable, unreliable internet networks which makes
the registration either very slow or outrightly impossible.
The
third problem and the most lamentable, is the human factor. Those
handling the registration process who either by virtue of suddenly
achieving celebrity status where hundreds of people depend on their
services, or by virtue of the unaccustomed workload and the stress of
the heat of the overcrowding, do often become egocentric, rude and nasty
to the children, their parents and guardians who may dare to accompany
their children.
A typical example is a pimply faced female Corp
member who talks down on all and sundry, children and parents included.
Her own case was magnified as she would go to the door and blatantly
bring in her favoured prospects, rudely ordering those already occupying
the space to get up and make room.
Man know man becomes the order and
if any would be JAMB candidate does not like it, they could as well
leave.
But leave to where? What are the guarantees of a better or more organised set up at any other registration point?
There is also the real danger of many of this up till this time, very
sheltered children who are suddenly exposed without previous orientation
to the pushing and shoving and the rudeness of the adults that should
have attended to them with kindness, quickly accepting any offer of help
by the more mature, more exposed and more worldly wise co candidates,
or from the staff or hands, cleaners or messengers who may not be in any
such position to help, but who may have rather placed themselves
strategically to destroy the innocence of some of the young and naive
children.
The Banks where the children pay are not that much an
improvement on the above scenario. Even the gatemen who claim to have
been instructed to stop letting in JAMB candidates, sometimes as early
as 10 0'clock in the morning, after a while relate with the children as
if with criminals, because of their overwhelming numbers and the
desperation to wind up the process and get back to school.
From my
perspective, all these are problems that can be solved if the relevant
private and government agencies care enough to solve them.
There is a need for greater cohesion.
There is a need for greater cohesion.
Timing is very important. Students don't have to be released from all
the schools at exactly the same time. There can be batches.
Registration can as well take place within the schools or one particular
school with the space and facilities, so students from other schools in
that environ can go there and register.
The Banks and their
officials can liase with JAMB to collect monies at most of the
registration venues. Instead of having an influx of students most of
them sitting on the bare ground within and around bank premises.
Parents and guardians can be encouraged to use the POS at registration venues.
If we truly believe that the youth is the future of a people, the JAMB registration processes is one of the first window of these young ones into the adult life.
If we truly believe that the youth is the future of a people, the JAMB registration processes is one of the first window of these young ones into the adult life.
We need to protect these children's psyche
against the rude shock and violent awakening to how cheaply their
purity, innocence, personal integrity and self pride, can be stollen
from them via a seemingly careless system instituted as a booby trap
against their sense of self esteem and patriotic zeal by the adult
world.
Credit..Florence Umoetuk
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