Asides academics, we’ll ‘Kinetise’ creativity in students –FUNAI VC

 

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, has called on Nigerian writers to strive towards kinetising people’s creative potential as well as capacity for logical reasoning.
The VC, who stated this during the just concluded 2-day international conference and creative workshop, organised by the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) in collaboration with FUNAI in Ebonyi state, institution is doing everything possible to help students in that direction.

According to him, a good school should find a way to get the young people to bring out what they have in themselves, aside from the core courses these people pursue.

He said: “For example, Chinua Achebe went to the university to read Medicine but ended up becoming a great writer. Chimamanda was also a science student but is now doing very well in the literary world.

“A good school must make you discover yourself. So, this collaboration is an attempt to kinetise the potentials our students have in the creative industry.

“Also, we believe that our students are gifted in one endeavour or the other and we feel we need to kinetise these gifts or talents.

“We want to do things differently that is why we introduced ‘Language Enhancement Program’ and made it compulsory for all students of the institution. The program is aimed at exposing the students to the basic rules and practices of how to write and speak good English language.”

In his address, the National President of ANA, Malam Denja Abdullahi, said the ANA-FUNAI collaboration was targeted towards addressing the seemingly decaying or declining reading culture among our young population.

Denja expressed optimism that the collaboration will go a long way in making writing and literary appreciation a fashionable venture among students.

According to him, writers have a godlike responsibility of pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge and ensuring a better society.

The president promised to embark on an advocacy to the national examination bodies to partner in the selection process of texts to be included in the school curriculum.

Blueprint Weekend reports that the workshop with the theme: Expanding Frontiers: Nigeria’s Creative Writing in 21st Century, drew participants from various universities across the country and were exposed to various skills in poetry, prose, drama and drawing.

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