One major aspect of early education in Nigeria as organized by the missionaries and colonialists was the provision of boarding houses for pupils and teachers in public schools. This practice encouraged and promoted hardwork and dedication to duty among the academic and non academic staff.
The introduction of boarding school had especially help girl children to grow to responsible adults that are useful to the society in recent time.
Boarding school also promotes discipline, sportsmanship and competitive spirit among the youngsters of school age.
Living in the boarding house saves the school girls from the over indulgence and pampering, most of them receive from their homes.
Boarding school system brings about reading culture, students (girls) have time to focus on their studies when they are in boarding houses, that why Women Focus is using this medium to urge the government to bring back boarding schools to our girls to avoid laziness to adulthood and responsible mothers of our future.
Women Focus wants to highlight some of the benefits derived from boarding school by our girl children.
If you compare our girls of yesteryears with our girls of nowadays, you will see that there is a very big gap in between in manner and others.
Here are the benefits
Being away from the custody of your parents, and being left alone in the boarding school make one to be independence. Boarding schools bestow on students (girls) an independence they would not have, living at home. It is an ideal preparation for the challenges and responsibilities of adult life. You have no mum and dad to run to, if you have any complaint. Thus, you have no choice but to depend on yourself. Being independent also help students (girls) in learning how to make right decisions after series of wrong choices.
Another greater benefit a girl child have from boarding school is how to mange and master her time. The prep time and other periods scheduled in the boarding school teach her how to make judicious use of her time, knowing that she will be punished by her tutor, if she is late for activity.
Majority of the prefects that are appointed in a school that is both day and boarding are always from the students that are usually boarders. So they have the time to instill discipline in the junior ones. Taking up such a leadership roles enables them to develop the skills needed to lead a group of peoples, skills they will find useful later in life.
Stealing in school hostels is very common; this usually makes students to learn to keep their belongings because you hardly get what is lost back. This experience enables students to develop a sense of responsibility. Everyone learn to develop a sense of responsibility for her belongings and actions.
As a girl child that is not living with her parents, she will be forced to live on a budget; this is because boarders do not know the exact day parents will visit.
In boarding school, girls were shown how to have good behaviour or be of good manner. Because of the discipline, one goes through in hostel, any girl child that have rudeness in character will always succumb to a reasonable and responsible lifestyle.
Seniority is a serious matter in boarding school. It is either you respect your superiors or stay at home where you can do as you like. The number one thing you do to your superiors in the hostel is to show respect to your superiors. And because of the attitude many have learnt to have respect for their senior even at home.
Personal hygiene is one of the major things one benefit. In the hostel girls are forced to imbibe the culture of personal hygiene on getting to the boarding school. Why wont you be hygienic when you know senior students will not allow you rest unless you are neat and decent. Even in situation when water and soap were scare, students still find all means to maintain their hygiene.
Teamwork is one benefit a student (girl) gain in boarding school. All students had chores they have to do daily. Portions to be worked on were usually assigned and they have to be done together. Students also develop teamwork among their peers in order to protect themselves and help each others in doing their assignments.
Punctuality is one of the basis things a girl learnt in the boarding school since everything is timed, time for prep, time for eating, time for siesta amongst others, you will be in soup if found late to any of these activities. This help a girl child to be effective in time management outside the school walls and this also had gone a long way to help a girl child to be a responsible woman as a mother, woman in power, etc.
Boarding school is a place for learning spiritual, interpersonal growth, a place to make life-long friends and where to develop strong and responsible women in the future.
In boarding school, students (girls) are conditioned for future success because they are encouraged to achieve their full potentials. Research has shown that boarding students do not only excel at the university, but advance rapidly in their professional career also.
It is the plead of Women Focus to bring back the boarding schools for our girls to be up and doing. ###
EDITH NSE FRIDAY
08025293937
