Eight reasons you should still change your child’s school

The decision to change a child’s school is sometimes a hard one to make, and that could be due to many reasons. Sometimes, it could be that the child has been used to the school or whether there are no suitable alternatives, among many other reasons.

In many parts of the country, it’s just few days to resumption for a new session, and a lot of parents would already have made a decision on whether to change their children’s school or not, but experts have said it’s never too late to make that decision, especially when it has to do with the well-being and the future of such children.


Therefore, below are certain things that could still influence such decision, even if belated;

If you find out the school is not registered: It has been observed that some private schools operate without licence from government, and some of them have even been in operation for long without being detected. Thus, it is incumbent on parents to independently verify the legality of the school their child attends. In fact, it was somewhat surprising few months ago when the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, disclosed that out of the about 17,000 private schools operating in the state, only 5,105 were approved, meaning that the remaining 11,895 schools were operating illegally. Thus, it’s never too late to withdraw a child from a school that is not approved by government, even if the discovery was made on the day of resumption, because such schools stand the risk of being closed down, which would inadvertently lead to regret and a colossal waste of the child’s time.


If the school has a bad reputation: There are schools that are known for hooliganism and examination malpractice, and such a notion does not help any student that graduates from such schools. In fact, there are times examination bodies like the West African Examination Council and the National Examination Council place a red alert on them, such that in general examinations, answer sheets from such schools attract special attention and are deeply scrutinised. Therefore, parents who discover such about their child’s school could still go ahead to withdraw their child from there, especially when there is nothing they could singlehandedly do to correct such an impression. A psychologist, Prof. Toba Elegbeleye, said, “If there are unanticipated occurrences that seem to smear the image of the school, and if the damage is done beyond a reasonable limit, parents could consider withdrawing their child from such a school.”

If your child keeps complaining about the school’s negative vices: Paediatricians and psychologists have often advised parents not to always dismiss their children’s complaints because there could be substance in them. Whether before or during the holiday or now that it has ended, if a child keeps complaining about negative influences in school, like abuse from teachers or caregivers, lackadaisical attitude of the teachers to the pupils’ well-being or presence of reptiles in or around the school and the school didn’t seem to be doing much to address it, especially if the child does not look forward to resumption, based on the issues raised, perhaps such parents should not only investigate the reservations expressed by such a child, they could also consider changing the child’s school, for the child’s overall well-being.


If the child is not improving academically: While a school might not be to blame when a child does not seem to be making progress in their academic work, given the issues of lack of seriousness and psychological imbalance on the part of the child, there are also instances when the school might be responsible, maybe due to lack of good teachers, outdated curriculum or poor assertiveness in handling the children. Thus, if parents, after due investigation, are able to ascertain that the school is contributing to their child’s woes, because a child’s academic performance could sometimes be a reflection of the kind of school they attend, they are advised to change the child’s school without delay, especially if it seems that the school is not making efforts to improve. Elegbeleye said, “This is one of the main reasons parents should not contemplate changing the school of their children, especially if they could ascertain that the school had not been doing enough. So, if the child is not performing well and it’s traceable to the school, parents can withdraw their child.”

If you can no longer afford the bills: Without doubt, every parent loves to have their children in good schools, but sometimes most of such good schools do not come cheap. But, with the current economic situation in the country, parents who can no longer afford such expensive schools could as well look out for cheaper schools that are good academically. Given that sustaining a child in an expensive school goes beyond paying the school fees, as there might be need for excursion, project materials and gadgets; therefore, parents who know they might not be able to cope with the huge financial burden could opt for cheaper ones, and they could support that with arranging a tutorial class for such a child.

Elegbeleye said, “If there is a drop in the income of the parents or they have other responsibilities to cater to, maybe other children are now in school, they could change the child’s school, but make sure that the child’s academic performance does not reduce as a result of that. It could be a hard decision to take, but it could be the sustainable choice.”

If you sense your child is unrepentantly keeping bad company: Any parent could summarily dismiss this factor as not sufficient to withdraw a child from a school, as they tend to rely on the training they give the child at home. But given the enormous impact bad company could have on a child’s future, parents who observe that their child seem to be keeping bad company and are finding it difficult to discourage him from keeping such friends, could take a more drastic option by withdrawing the child from the school, and taking them to one where morals are the hallmark and such peer pressure would not be present.

If the school is located in unfriendly environments: Due to abysmal enforcement of planning laws, there are schools that are located close to brothels, certain drinking joints where people drink and inhale all kinds of substances and motor parks that could expose them to all kinds of negative things, especially when such joints came after the school had been established. Parents who observe that such environment could have a negative impact on their child should not hesitate to withdraw them from such a school. Elegbeleye added, “If a school is overtaken by environmental exigencies or attacks, like kidnapping, parents could decide to have a change of school.”

If the school has traits of religious extremism: Due to the overbearing religious proclivity of certain school administrators, there have been instances where pupils have been brainwashed or inducted into certain societies in school. In fact, the case of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 deadly attack on the United States, was quite instructive. His mother, in her first interview since his death and the attack, in August revealed that her son was radicalised in the university. The woman, Alia Ghanem, said bin Laden who was in his 20s, was radicalised while studying Economics at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. If someone in his 20s could be radicalised, then pupils are therefore not spared. Therefore, parents who observe strange religious awareness or beliefs in their child should pay more attention, and if such persists, even after formal complaints to the school, they could consider withdrawing the child from the school.















Rainbowgist

Delta APC crisis deepens as factions divided over primaries

The crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has worsened following the failure of the two factions to agree on whether to use the direct or indirect method in the forthcoming primaries of the party in the state.

While the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led faction of the State Working Committee adopted the direct primaries for electing candidates in line with the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee’s decision, the other faction led by Prophet Jones Erue went for the indirect method.

Delta APC has been embroiled in a crisis following the outcome of the last Congress of the party in the state as the factions held parallel Congresses across.

Erstwhile National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had sworn in Chief Ogodo which has the backing of Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor and Chief Hyacinth Enuha and majority of the governorship aspirants as chairman.

However, Oshiomhole upon the assumption of office inaugurated Erue as chairman with the support from Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Chief Great Ogboru. Since then, all efforts to broker peace between the warring factions had been unsuccessful.


Both factions rising from separate SWC meetings adopted the direct and indirect methods for the exercise.





















Rainbowgist

UBA appoints four new board members

The Board of Directors of the United Bank for Africa has announced the appointment of four new members to its board, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The new board members are Mrs Erelu Adebayo, Ms. Angela Aneke, Alhaji Abdulqadir Bello and Mr Isaac Olukayode Fasola.

These appointments follow the retirement of Mrs Rose Okwechime, Mr Adekunle Olumide, Alhaji Ja’afaru Paki, and Mr Yahaya Zekeri, with effect from August 30, 2018.

“I am pleased to welcome Erelu Adebayo, Angela Aneke, Abdulqadir Bello and Kayode Fasola to the group board,” the Group Chairman of UBA, Mr Tony Elumelu, said.

“These men and women bring a wealth of experience in their fields and will be of tremendous assets as we deliver on our mission to become the leading pan-African financial institution in all our countries of operation,” the group chairman said.

He added, “I am particularly pleased that two of the newly appointed non-executive directors are women, bringing the total number of women to four, a further demonstration of our commitment to ensuring equality for both men and women.”

Elumelu, however, thanked the retiring directors for their contribution, hard work and commitment to the bank.

“I would like to express my appreciation to our retiring directors for their leadership and dedication to UBA and for their contribution to an already impressive 2018. I wish them the very best in their future endeavours,” he said.









































Rainbowgist

No big deal being my wife’s photographer –Banky W

There is hardly a time celebrity power couple, Banky W and his wife, Adesua, step out for an event that they do not make headlines, especially online.

On several occasions, the renowned singer has been seen in different positions trying to take good photographs of his wife and one of the occasions was captured at actor, Gabriel Afolayan’s wedding.

In an exclusive chat with one of our correspondents, the Lagos Party singer said that there was no big deal in taking his wife’s pictures in public despite his fame and fortunes.

He said, “Why would I feel bad taking pictures of my wife in public?

She is my wife and the two of us are one. We are always there for each other and if she needs me to take a picture of her, I would be her photographer. It is the same way around as well; she does the same thing for me. “Marriage is a teamwork and you should be the one that your partner can depend on and it goes both ways. That is the way we operate, there is no big deal in being my wife’s photographer or taking pictures of my wife. What is it in taking pictures of my wife?”

Commenting on a post his wife put on her Instagram page earlier in the week about how her university, University of Wolverhampton, honoured her by putting her picture on the wall, the ecstatic husband said, “I am very proud of my wife and I am happy for her. I mean she is an amazing and talented woman and one of the most incredible people I have met in life.

I am very happy for her because to be celebrated by a university is not a small feat. I feel she posted it to encourage people and let them know that even if they are struggling about a situation at the moment, it does not mean that it cannot turn out fine or turn around for good. If you are struggling right now, it does not mean that you would not be victorious eventually. When I read the post, I was also very encouraged because to move from a point where you were struggling to actually be celebrated is really a good thing and it shows that there is nothing God cannot do with your life.”

The Jasi singer further said that he nurses no fears of getting fat and gave some tips he follows to ensure he keeps fit. “The thing about gaining or losing weight is that it is a combination of diet and exercise. First, you have to work on your diet and make sure that you do not always eat junk food or meals that would make you fat. You also need to work out. Once you are able to balance these two factors, you would be alright,” Mr. Capable said
































Rainbowgist

Ease UK visa policy, business forum urges May

The Nigerian London Business Forum has urged the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, to review her country’s immigration policy to make it easy for the partners to obtain visas for travel on the business ground.

In a statement signed by the Director, NILOBF, Prof. Chris Onalo, the forum said it was happy about the visit of the Prime Minister to Nigeria.

The forum said the visit would strengthen economic and bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

It stated, “In particular, there is an urgent need for a critical review of immigration policies of the two countries. The review specifically is required on the business front. The businesspeople ofthe two countries should find it easy to obtain visas for travel on the business ground.

“Considering the traditional ties of the two countries, time is now for specific visa policy which will make it easy for the businesspeople of the two countries to visit each other with a view to transacting business and promoting investments. Structures thatneed to be considered in reviewing the immigration policy for businesspeople of the two countries should recognise membership of local trade associations and chambers of commerce.”

The NILOBF stated that the investment profile of the two countries were not encouraging but could be improved upon and made bigger.

While speaking on Britain’s dis-engagement from membership of the European Union, the group stated that the governments of the two countries should seize the visit of the Prime Minister to consider the establishment of a credible commonwealth market which would serve the very purpose that made the UK to join the EU in the first instance, and to discourage situation that made the UK to opt out of the EU.

The statement said, “It is a serious oversight on the part of the United Kingdom to have ignored the development of a unified trade, investment and business market for the Commonwealth member nations; just as it is also a show of weak diplomatic engagement on the part of Nigerian government for not being able to canvass for greater economic integration of the Commonwealth Nations.

“After all, all the countries that formed Commonwealth were individually colonised by the Britain.”
























Rainbowgist

Buhari departs for China with Aisha, daughter

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday departed for China accompanied by his wife, Aisha Buhari and one of his daughters.

The presidency had on Thursday released a statement that the president would be attending the 7th Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled to hold from September 3 to 4 in Beijing.

In the statement signed by Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Buhari’s first engagement in Beijing would be an interactive session with the Nigerian Community in China at the Nigerian Embassy.

Before the formal opening of the FOCAC Summit, he said the President in his capacity as current Chair of ECOWAS, would deliver remarks at the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese and African leaders, business representatives and African entrepreneurs.

He added that the Nigerian President is scheduled to join President Jinping and other African leaders for the opening and roundtable sessions of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit with the theme “Towards an even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”
















Rainbowgist

No politician has ever gifted me money, Seyi Law boasts

During the week, popular humour merchant, Seyi Law, posted pictures of the interior of his newly acquired house on his Instagram page. In the post, he noted that he had only N63,000 when he bought the house.

While most people congratulated him, there was a post on the comment section by a journalist which called for the police to investigate the comedian’s source of income.

That comment stuck out like a sore thumb and had since gone viral. In an exclusive chat with one of our correspondents o, the comedian said that it was a good thing someone called the police to investigate his source of income but he pointed out that the call was misdirected at him, stating that everything he has today is from his hard work.

He said, “I feel that it is good that Nigerians are asking questions. If someone asks the police to investigate me, I think it is a good thing but I think that there are people we should demand that from. We should demand more of that from our politicians. If someone demands that the police should investigate, it is not a bad thing. However, one thing people should know is that I am one of the very few entertainers that can swear on his life that no politician has gifted me money. Everything that I own today came from my sweat. One of the questions the journalist who called me out on social media should have asked is, ‘have I fully paid for the house?’ He did not ask me and that is part of his stupidity and where he made mistakes.”


When asked how he was able to afford the apartment, the comedian gave an insight on how he makes his money through comedy.

“If I invested about N15m in my Lagos show and made about N20m, I do not think I have made too much profit. If I invested about N5m in my Ibadan show and made about N9m, I do not think I have made too much profit. It means that I made a profit of about N9m. I also did a show in Port-Harcourt and right now, I am planning another show in Lagos. When I said that I lost some money at the shows I did in the UK and Dublin, I did not mean that I lost everything I invested.

“The reason I said I was so broke that I had N63,000 in my account was because I had paid for the hall I would use for my Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja and Port-Harcourt shows among other expenses and it ran into millions of naira. These were investments that cost me about N20m. If I invested N20m for my shows and had N63,000 in my account, does that mean that I do not have money? I spoke about my landed property in the post but no one referred to it,” he said.

The comedian who is known to often share his testimony on social media said that he would not stop doing so because he sees it as a source of motivation for others who look up to him. “I would not stop posting my testimonies on social media. I have been on a tour with PAL Pension, and my duty was to motivate students. The journalist that made that statement about my post is someone that knows me. He could have messaged me privately to explain how I was able to buy a house based on my testimony but he did not do that. That is the way a journalist is supposed to ask questions. I repeat it again and I swear on my blood and that of my mother’s that I have never been gifted money by any politician. I dare any politician to come out and say they have given me money. In fact, I have been the one that have helped most rich people I know because I could do a show for them and they would make me do another three for free. Am I not the one helping them? I have helped more people than they have helped me. I am not one of those celebrities that do good things in front of the camera,” he said.























Rainbowgist