National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Bayero University Kano (BUK) has on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA with a view to promote reading culture and research in the country.
The two institutions signed the deal at the senate chamber of BUK with principal representatives from both sides expressing commitment to ensuring the initiative achieves its desired objectives.
Speaking at the ceremony, the deputy governor of Kano state, Professor Hafiz Abubakar who is also the state’s commissioner for education, science and technology blamed poor reading culture for the bad omen in the education sector of the country.
He said Kano state being the most populous state in the federation suffers the highest burden of education at the basic level.
He promised to support the initiative in all ramifications to ensure that it yields results not only within the federating states of the country but across West African countries.
Earlier in his address, the Vice Chancellor, Bayero University Kano, Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello attributed the current decline in reading culture to the evolution in information and communication technology which he said offers alternative means of communication among students and youths.
‘’Information and communication technologies are changing the way we do everything including reading. Interest in reading is dwindling as these technologies are replacing reading with other means of communication.
‘’The situation is even more disturbing in the case of students at the tertiary level of education. Many of them rely on copying and pasting material from the internet without bothering to read them’’ he added.
The VC while expressing gratitude to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for financing the project, expressed willingness to partner with other relevant bodies to ensure that the initiative achieves its noble objectives.
On his part, Professor Jeffery Milligan who signed the document on behalf of the management of Florida State University described the initiative as an avenue for exchange of ideas between the two institutions.
