Guide Children on Media, Information Use, Asije Tells Educators, Parents

The  Implementer, United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance, in Nigeria, Victor Asije, has called on educators and parents to always guide children on media and information usage.

Asije, who made the call ahead of this year’s UNESCO Global MIL Week, scheduled to hold October 23 -25, noted in Lagos that millions of children had become vulnerable to the negative use of media and information at their disposals.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, he said it had become vitally important for educators and parents to offer guidance to, “the unsuspecting and exuberant children ” on the meaningful use of media and information.

“As educators and parents, what should be of utmost concern to us all, must be to know what our students and children are doing with the media and information in their possession.

“With the increasing number of media and information channels with and around us, there is a worrisome seduction of our young men and women to  the good, the bad and the ugly from these internet platforms.

“This should, therefore, make us as educators and parents, to keep asking ourselves this very crucial question ‘What good things are these boys and girls doing with the phones, computers, laptops, and other gadgets they are endlessly poring over?” he added.

According to him, it was imperative for educators, parents and guardians to monitor and  ensure that children in their custody acquire media and information literacy.

He also admonished educators and parents who have no media and information literacy and competencies to urgently do so, adding that ‘you can only give what you have’.

Asije said  through media and information literacy, children would be able to access, analyse, evaluate, and communicate messages, meaningfully, in different ways.

The Implementer, who stressed the urgent need for media and information literacy in Nigerian schools, added that such literacies and competencies would enhance their global education and relationships.

The Envoy noted that lack of media literacies and competencies have continued  to lure young men and women into misuse of media and information for different social vices.

“Some international longitudinal studies have shown that misuse of media and information has exposed children to violence, aggression, murder, robbery, gangsterism, lesbianism, homosexuality, rape, racism and racial discrimination.

“The misuse has also exposed them to terrorism, insecurity, fear, unemployment, drug abuse, gambling, fraud, illicit money transfer, and  other forms of national, trans-national and international  criminal tendencies.

“So we need to act well, act committedly, act fast in rescuing our children from the wrong use of these new information, digital and communication landscapes.” he said.

Asije said Nigeria would be joining the rest of the world in observance of this year’s UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week with the holding of a Three-Day  programme with school children in Lagos.