The essay is very important for students to get familiar with. This is because almost every examination bodies test the student on continuous writing, comprising essays and letters.
The examination bodies such as WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, IGCSE, and Cambridge A-Level test students’ ability to use the English Language effectively as a means of communication.
Introduction
The paper covers a wide variety of writing skills, such as arguments, narrative, exposition, description, creative and letter writing.
It also tests students’ competence in grammar, good paragraphing, the proper use of formal features, the preposition of ideas, correct spelling, appropriate punctuation, and the skilful usage of rich vocabulary and idioms.
Writing a good essay needs some planning. Many students fail simply because they fail to plan before writing. There are four you have to quickly pass through in writing a good essay.
They are as follows: Gathering ideas, developing the ideas, organizing the ideas, and revising the ideas. Two samples of common essays that are commonly coming out at the Certificate-class examinations.
1. Incidence of Drug Abuse among the Youth
. The menace of drug abuse among the youth in Nigeria is one too many. The growing incidence of drug abuse is capable of creating a lot of social problems in schools and many families. This danger is caused by many factors.
It is disheartening that there is a high incidence of drug abuse among the youth. This is occasioned by peer group influence. Stories abound, pointing to the negative role played by peer group influence regarding drug abuse among the youth.
Factors responsible
Lack of adequate education
Lack of adequate education on the dangers of drug abuse is also one of the causes of the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth.
Once the youth are not given adequate education and information on the havoc capable of being caused by drug abuse, society will pay the price of having a high number of drug abusers.
To feel high
Moreover, it is fashionable among the youth in Nigeria to indulge in drug abuse to ‘feel high’. Many youths cannot perform simple tasks without resorting to the use of excessive drugs.
This sheds light on the fact that the need to ‘feel high’ contributes to the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth.
Poor parental care
In the same vein, there is an alarming incidence of drug abuse among the youth as a result of the fact that many youths are completely hooked on drugs due to poor parental care.
Many youths received a poor upbringing from their parents. Some parents find it difficult to instil discipline in their children and wards.
This is a bitter pill to swallow in a country where the youth constitute a larger percentage of the population!
The environment
There is a growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth because of the environment in which they live.
What can one expect in an environment where there are many abusers? The youth can be motivated to abuse drugs when they see drug abusers daily.
Ways of curbing it
However, the tide of the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth can be stemmed by advising the youth to avoid bad friends that abuse drugs.
The youth need to stand their ground that they can never be influenced by peer group pressure. This will bring down the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth in Nigeria.
Education
Adequate education on the dangers of drug abuse will go a long way toward discouraging youth from drug abuse.
This will arm them against the temptation to engage in drug abuse. By so doing, the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth will be brought to its knees.
Discipline
The growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth can be halted if parents, guardians and teachers instil discipline in them and discourage them from drug abuse. They should be made to understand that drug abuse can destroy one’s life.
Parental care
The growing incidence of the monster called drug abuse among the youth will become a thing of the past if parents and guardians spend quality time with their children and wards.
This will enable parents and guardians to monitor their children’s and wards’ activities.
Good environment
Living in an environment devoid of drug abusers is a good step in the right direction. This will curb the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth.
The youth can never wallow in drug abuse if there is no motivation to do so in their environment.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, some of the causes of the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth are peer group influence, lack of adequate education on the dangers of drug abuse, the need to ‘feel high’, poor parental care, and an environment that boasts drug abusers.
Nevertheless, ways of curbing the growing incidence of drug abuse among the youth include:
Advising the youth to shun peer group pressure, adequate education, instilling discipline, parents spending quality time with children, and living in an environment devoid of drug abusers.
If these suggested ways are upheld, the growing incidence of the menace of drug abuse among the youth will be reduced to the barest minimum.
2. The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)
The Parent-Teacher Association in secondary schools has its advantages and disadvantages. It is a necessary association as it enables parents and teachers to team up to see that a child receives a good education.
When the financial burden becomes too heavy to carry alone, the government can easily seek the help of PTA, to supplement its efforts in providing education for all.
Besides, Principals benefit a lot from a well-established, cooperating Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
Benefits of PTA
It assists the Principal
It assists the principal in achieving discipline in school, as it takes necessary steps to see that problems posed by both staff and staff and students are promptly and explicitly handled.
For example, it suggests measures to adopt to curb late-coming, advises its parent-members to procure needed textbooks for their children/wards and helps in curbing truancy.
It helps the school
Parents so involved see themselves as part and part and parcel of the school and are proud and eager to contribute their quota towards the progress of the school.
They tax themselves to provide necessary amenities and infrastructures that are non-existent in the school or refurnish those in dilapidated forms, for effective teaching and learning to take place.
Weaknesses of the PTA
The chairman can work against the school: However, the PTA can be a thorn in the flesh of the principal, especially where the Chairman of the PTA or other influential executive members are over-ambitious, pessimistic, corrupt, and troublesome.
Such a chairman and his cohorts may feel at par with the principal, blatantly refuse to recognize his authority, to be executed in schools. In addition, parents’ minds would be poisoned against such PTA officials.
PTA officials can work against the Principal: PTA officials at times descend as low as mobilizing forces against the principal by painting him black and instigating teachers to write petitions to the Ministry of Education against the principal.
A chairman, in collusion with his officers, at times, demands a PTA office be located in the school, and on refusal, the principal becomes his number one enemy.
Conclusion
A wise and diplomatic Principal will know how to handle PTA to get the best out of it. You can read further related posts on our examinations page of the site.
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Editors
