Students in Nigeria use poetry/Art to raise awareness on climate change

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In View of How Climate change seriously poses a threat to Human Health, economic growth ,environment and long-term prosperity of many countries around the world. Africa is not an exception, considering the actual and potential impacts of climate change and climate variability that will threaten its vulnerable sectors and human populations.

African countries are projected to experience changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, and higher temperatures that will affect food security, agricultural production, water availability, and public health, among others, and these are some of the issues that makes community school and Climate expert team-up in other to sensitizes kaduna community students

Sequel to the widespread misconceptions in the traditional African society that climate change and its impacts manifest only when the gods are angry, some students have, through poetry, debunked this and submitted that human actions and inaction were mostly responsible.

Mallam mohammed Jamilu Abdullahi is the Vice-principal of Abakwa Community secondary school in kaduna state , North -western Nigeria,who organizes the one day sensitization campaign to the school student while celebrating their 7th annual traditional cultural day,which is aim at promoting cultural activities which include norms and values

according to him the use of Art work and poetry becomes mandatory,because they want to educate the students about climate change and other ecological challenges bedeviling the environment.

Jamilu says the reason for the introduction of climate talk and the importance of climate change education to the school students during the school cultural Day activities ,is that the world is changing day-by-day due to so-many factors affecting the universe, hence the need to sensitize students to contribute their own quota in saving the environment, adding that educating the school student about climate change would helps learners truly understand the root causes and consequences of climate change, also prepares them to live with the impacts of climate change and empowers learners to take appropriate actions to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.

Jamilu further says ,it is importance to educate the young once about climate change today, so as to plan for Tomorrow, and plan on various ways to protect their surrounding against all forms of threat related to desertification ,deforestation, and environmental degradation, and also learnt about the importance of Trees painting and various ways of protecting their communities

According to him ,Climate education would surely help young Nigerian student s really understand and address the impact of global warming, and to encourages changes in the perspective view among little once for the safety of their environment;

“They need to know all about Environmental degradation, climate change, species extinction, rising sea levels, excessive or unequal consumption, resource depletion and lack of wellness in our world are local and global problems, they need to learnt what is going on in their environment, so as to enable them plan for the future”

Additionally, it was observed that during the school 7th Annually Traditional school cultural day, there were local Food exhibition, Traditional dance competition, as all the school student were dressed in their Various traditional cloth.

The school vice –principal says, they invited some climatologist from African Climate reporters and some members of the community to participate in the annual event, so as to beautify the occasion and make it looks different than any other school.

Comrade mohammed zakariyya is the African coordinator of African Climate reporters who presented a lecture on”Climate change education and the importance of Trees planting “

Mohammed has drawn the attention of both state and federal Government and Nigerian educational stake holders in Nigeria on the need to encourage climate change education through out all Nigerian primary,secondary and Tertiary institutes , so as to save the country from all form of threat and related diseases associated with climate changes,

The comrade specially noted that Currently the Nigerian curriculum does not sufficiently expose students to the dangers of climate change,hence the need to introduce that to all Nigerian schools

Mohammed also stressed that Basic knowledge about climate change, including both the science and its potentials, should be taught in an objective and evidence-based way in schools to ensure all students understand the fundamentals.

The activist concluded by saying that climate change education should be considered with all seriousness and given the attention it deserves in our educational system,while calling on federal colleges of education ,National teachers institutes NTI, and other related teachers institutes to find means of organizing annual National teachers conference on climate change education,so as to train more teachers on various ways to impact Climate change knowledge to students.

While appealing to the association of private school owners to be organizing Annual climate change conference for private school teachers ,in other to acquire more skills and techniques in teaching student sign and dangers of global warming and climate changes in their communities

Most of The school students that attended the cultural day celebration happily expressed satisfaction over the climate change lectures and presentation ,and calls for more lectures in class rooms atleast once in a week,

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