Textbooks are important for a strong academic foundation

Feb 27, 2005

I visited a private school recently after getting the rosy picture of what the school was offering. <br>One of the facilities mentioned in the brochure was a well-stocked library. Out of curiosity, I insisted on visiting the school library to confirm.

I visited a private school recently after getting the rosy picture of what the school was offering.
One of the facilities mentioned in the brochure was a well-stocked library. Out of curiosity, I insisted on visiting the school library to confirm.
What I saw not only shocked, but also amused me. I was led to the staff room and showed a small shelf at a corner. The dust-coated shelf was littered with old newspapers, a few exercise books and less than 10 old textbooks. The thick coat of dust on the books gave a testimony on how unused the books were. This was the well-stocked library!
Did you know that most of the promises on school’s brochure (especially in private schools) is more of a marketing gimmick than the reality on ground.
Stiff competition pushes many headteachers to promise parents heaven on earth. As a result, many parents have fallen into the trap of schools that promise heaven, but deliver air. But why do schools talk of a ‘well-stocked library’ that is non-existent? It is because they are aware many parents dread the burden of purchasing books for their children. Why should you expect the school to provide your child with essential textbooks anyway?
Our reading culture is collapsing irredeemably. Many parents are poor readers and they find it difficult to buy books for their children. Did you know that many parents find it easier to spend on foodstuff than on textbooks? It is not unusual to find a child with a suitcase stocked like a canteen, but with no textbook. Textbooks are very important for a strong academic foundation.
Many students face difficulties at university because of a poor foundation. Children are entrenched into an educational style where the teacher is the sole source of knowledge and the teacher’s ideas are the ‘gospel truth’. This is mental colonisation that every child must break lose from.
Children must develop an insatiable thirst for knowledge coupled with a sceptical mind that subjects information to scrutiny.
Has your child ever told you something like “Mummy what you are telling us is wrong. The teacher told us this....” This is the mental colonisation I am talking about.
In the absence of textbooks, your child might remain chained in intellectual bondage for life.
Books at any level broaden your child’s mental horizon and improves their language proficiency. Good readers excel not only in academics, but also in other spheres of life. This is because wide reading produces a broad and creative mind.
Many unscrupulous businessmen are selling books and you must be careful where you buy books. Avoid cheap books sold by hawkers on the streets. Do not buy pamphlets or books with summarised notes. Although many children love pamphlets, they are intellectually ‘poisonous’. Pamphlets are often characterised by numerous grammatical errors, inaccurate facts and unnecessary repetitions. Pamphlets deprive students of the opportunity of acquiring critical reading skills and an ability to extract important points from a sea of words. Students, who are accustomed to reading pamphlet notes normally hit a dead end at university when faced with research and reading assignments.
Has your child ever pestered you to buy him or her a well-summarised pamphlet? Even teachers recommend some of these pamphlets especially for Arts subjects in O’ and A’ Levels. Pamphlets are flourishing in the book market because many students do not want to tax their brains with lots of notes. They prefer to swallow what has already been chewed. Your child should understand that there are no short cuts in education.

jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
077631032

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