Blame mass failure in November/ December examination on students poor reading habit, says Woman leader

A woman leader, Mrs Francisca Obasuyi, has identified poor reading habit among students as the major factor responsible for mass failure in the last November/December external examinations.

Obasuyi, former President of the Catholic Women Organisation, Ijegun branch, Lagos State, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the advent of computers, phones and internet had distracted the children from studies.

`` The problem is that they don’t have the habit of reading, unlike those days when our parents bought story books for us.

"During holidays, we read story books and we read magazines, we read newspapers.

``But children of these days, don't do that, and in those days when you read newspapers when you met a word you did not understand, you would go to your dictionary." she said.

Speaking further, Obasuyi said, ``Children of these days don't do that, they don't even read newspapers. The habit of reading is not there during the holidays.

``During holidays that children were supposed to be reading, they go back to school, to continue where they have stopped.

`` They are supposed to be at home, read newspapers, read novels and diversify their knowledge, but it’s not there, they go back to the same old knowledge.

``And apart from that, we parents, calculator, phones, GSM, have spoilt our brain, we just come out to start pressing.

``And apart from that, these abbreviations, where they type messages. Abbreviation is what kills us. So these are issues, we should look into." She said.

She further urged the parents and teachers to take up the challenge of inculcating the habit of reading in the children.