This is the Mid-day news broadcast from your international station for all things NYSC. I am your host, Berry Choco Latte and now the headlines...
- NYSC Members posted to schools result in Mass Failure! The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, has called for the NYSC program to stop posting corps members to schools. If you remember, starting with Batch A 2012, the new NYSC Director-General mandated that all youth corps members would no longer be allowed to serve in private organizations; Instead corpers would effectively serve the year in Schools, Rural Government, Hospitals, or Agriculture. According to the Teachers organization, the only Youth Corps members that should be allowed to teach students must be graduates with Education degrees. As it stands now, any corper posted to a school is expected to teach subjects based on their own discipline - or general subjects. The TRCN decries this practice as majority of youth corps members are not qualified or trained to teach!
In my humble opinion, the corps members should not be blamed for the widespread education issues in the country. They are being forced to teach, regardless of their background or skills. I remember in secondary school, I had a few NYSC teachers - some of whom were hitting on my classmates. The female NYSC teacher taught Maths and was pretty good. The male NYSC teacher - thanks for making me HATE Physics! Dude would come to "teach" once a term, and then make us copy whole chapters of P.N. Okeke into our notebooks.
Apart from the inability to teach, a lot of schools happily accept corpers because of 'cheap labor.' Some teachers then refuse to teach, and hand over a lot of responsibilities on unsuspecting corps members who can barely handle teaching one subject.
How can this be handled, I wonder? Maybe during camp, NYSC can work in conjunction with TRCN, in initiating an intensive curriculum on 'How to Teach,' for the graduates who studied specific subjects (Physics, Literature, Biology, etc). I dunno - just thinking aloud... What do you think?
And with that, we have to come to the end of our broadcast. Have a good evening.
Berry
Check out The Aje-Butters Guide to NYSC (v1).
ReplyDeletehttp://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/20108332
By Gbenga Olaoye (08033607477)
gbengaolaoye57@yahoo.com
Hmm, this looks interesting. Imma email you.
ReplyDeleteHey girl i have a question, Can you explain the different batches and the times they resume/meet, and do "foreigners" still get first pick? And do you know anything about NYSC in Abuja?
ReplyDeleteHiya.
Delete1. There are generally three batches a year: Batch A starts serving in March, Batch B in July, and Batch C in November. Service year starts with the three weeks in Orientation Camp
2. Nope, foreigners do not get first pick any longer. Of course, being Nigeria, there are ways around it, but it's become harder recently.
3. Ermm, no I can't say much about Abuja - just that it's one of the better places to serve in Nigeria.
Thanks for the response : )..one more question. So if i go in July of this yr, i would have served a complete year..would i be released or "graduated" by July 2014? Another question. I went to Nigeria this past Christmas to "check" out the state of the country...i've not been back in ten years, and i was disappointed, it was hot (all my makeup melted), the traffic..the state of the restrooms..bla bla bla..i can go on and on, but every one says you will adjust...how did you adjust? and how quickly did it take you to adjust and are you happy living in Nigeria? Sorry this is really long : )..i guess im a little scared...
DeleteLOL, it IS long! Ok, lemme get to it *cracks knuckles*
Delete1. Yes. If you start in July 2013, you'll pass out June 2014.
2. It's different for everyone. Some people come back and thrive - they just LOVE it here. I personally think they're crazy. BUT you learn to cope. I hardly stay outside, and am in an air-conditioned room/car 98% of the time (it's either that or become a nudist). You get used to driving but that doesn't mean you're less frustrated. You pick and choose where you use a public restroom. I've stopped at Four Points Sheraton just to pee!
3. Am I happy? Well, I was VERY unhappy for quite a while. I cried a lot and threatened to go back to Atlanta. But the thought struck me that I shouldn't let my circumstance or situation or location dictate my happiness. In fact, as a Christian, there should be unending joy, no matter what. So I approach living in Nigeria in that manner. I certainly don't love it. But I find things to do that I could have done back in my other home - stage plays, nice restaurants, cafes, etc.
Basically, it's what you make of it. I have friends that moved here and promptly went back cos they hated it. I know others that can't stand being out of Nigeria for more than 2 minutes. Does this help?
Hey Berry,
DeleteThanks for answering my questions from last time, but i have more questions. And i was rereading your previous answer and i live in Atlanta too : ) but how do i start the process of NYSC, like how do i apply, can i apply online? And i have looked into Batch B, do i have to be in Nigeria weeks before the program starts or should i be there a month before...my email is mayowat5@uga.edu feel free to email me cause i feel like im blowing up your blog. Thanks : )
Hola!
DeleteI'll send an email, but also want to respond here just in case someone else has the same questions. What you need to do...
1. Make sure you have all the required documents
2. Come to Nigeria (Abuja specifically) to register. You MUST register in person - there's no going around it.
3. For Batch B, chances are foreign grad registration will start in April and run through the last week of May or first week of June. Subsequently, Orientation Camp will start in July.
I think that covers your questions.
Yes it does : ) Thank you : )
ReplyDeleteabsolutely not lol! I'm doing English Literature and have no intentions to be in the teaching field. That degree doesn't just boil dan to that, it's an analytical course just like law and history and has many career paths even in finance. Besides, it don't mean the person will be a good teacher. I think croppers should indicate interest lol.
ReplyDelete