That dumb boy/girl in class may not be dumb after all. They may just be dyslexics. At the first annual Africa Dyslexia Dialogue some adults shared how challenging it was passing through school as dyslexics KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE reports.
In every class, there is that odd learner who does not just seem to grab anything. He can be a boy or girl. His spellings may be poor and reading may be a herculean task. She may answer questions brightly but when told to put it down, cannot deliver. Such children are likely Dyslexic – a learning condition that makes it difficult to read, spell, and also manifests with attention deficit, mistaking b for d and p for q, poor handwriting and others.
In a country where data collection is an issue and over 90 per cent of teachers do not know about Dyslexia, hearing adults share their struggle growing up as Dyslexics in Nigeria was an eye opener for many who attended the First Annual Africa Dyslexia Dialogue with theme: “Unmasking Dyslexia: Dyslexia, Inclusion and the Future of school and work” at the Radisson Blu Ikeja last Friday.
It was certainly an eye opener for the Director, School Registration, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Martins Opeyemi, who said he had not heard of Dyslexia prior to attending the programme.
The struggle through school
For Dr. Ronke Agoro, a public health expert who had to take UME six times to get into the university, and Oladoyin Idowu who dropped out of medical school after attempting suicide; to Oluremi Agboola who managed to pass only when he sat in front of his teacher; and Oluwarantimisirere Oyesiji whose teacher recommended that she be demoted two classes because of her illegible handwriting these adult Dyslexics shared how passing through the conventional school system was tough.
Dr. Agoro said after writing the UME and failing six times, she attempted suicide.
“I failed JAMB six times. But I was teaching others who passed. I attempted suicide. It was a cousin who advised me to leave JAMB and do other things. I learnt to sew, and so many other things,” she said.
Today, Dr. Agoro, who has a Ph.D in public health, said she could do nine Ph.Ds but still not pass JAMB.
“If I had my way, I would scrap JAMB. I cannot do exams that have ABCD because my brain is wired differently. My memory does not process things that way,” she said.
Twenty-year old Idowu, a Psychology at the Redeemers University, once attempted suicide like Dr Agoro after failing pre-medical school at the University of Ibadan (UI). She said she thought she was dumb until she found out she was dyslexic.
She said: “I dropped out of school struggling with dyslexia. I did not even know it was dyslexia. I just knew I was different from every other student. I could not accept what people were saying – like maybe I was actually dumb. Nobody could understand what I was going through.
“One day I was thinking of what to do with my life I decided to tap into Google. It brought out articles about students who think they are dumb. And then I came across an article that talked about many difficulties like autism and the likes. So knowing dyslexia was the beginning of finding solutions and doing research.”
It was only in 2016, when she was 43 that Mrs Oyesiji, CEO, Closerlook Caregiver Foundation learnt she was dyslexic. Prior to this, she spent frustrating time in school and even in the work environment.
“When I was in Primary Three my teacher said I should be demoted to Primary 1 because of my bad handwriting. My parents were invited but on questioning me, the head teacher said I was brilliant, why would they want to put me back. My teacher sad, ask her to write.
“I had to put in more than every other person to pass. I had coping skills in school which helped me to pass. But when I got to work, it was something else. I could re-write a letter 20 times. When asked to describe me at work, someone said I was annoyingly slow,” she said.
Mr Oluremi Agboola, Head, SME Unit at FCMB said he was that child that showed so much promise but performed poorly in academics.
“I would answer questions in class but during the examinations, I could not perform. It took me sitting by my teacher to do well. At the university, a lecturer showed me my script and asked how I got to 400-Level,” he said.
Implications of Dyslexia
With as many as 36 million Nigerians dyslexic, convener of the conference, Dr. Adrienne Tikolo said it was important that Nigerians discuss how to educate dyslexics to live more fulfilled lives.
“This is the reality of dyslexia and this is why it is important for us to talk about it, and to address it. Twenty per cent of every population is affected by dyslexia – that’s about 36 million Nigerians. If we look, we’ll find at least 15 people in this room on the dyslexic spectrum and even more in our families, schools and workplaces,” she said.
Feelings of frustration are common among dyslexics thereby having serious implications for mental health.
“Unaddressed Dyslexia can cause mental health; self-esteem issues. Dyslexia ties into mental health because it is at the core of who you are,” said Dr Agoro.
Underscoring the importance of addressing dyslexia, Idowu in a presentation said people with learning disabilities were more likely to end up in prison or drop out of school.
She said: “A highly disproportionate number of students with learning disabilities end up in prison because we never teach them to read and they learn early that they cannot succeed in school. The hard truth is that we are more willing to spend money to put illiterate in prison than we are on teaching them to read. How? – The taxes you pay.
“Another upsetting consequence of our unwillingness to help students with dyslexia learn to read is the high suicide rate associated with learning disabled teens. The emotional impact of a lifetime of shame and feeling stupid should not be underestimated. Our failure to teach children with dyslexia to read is oftentimes literally killing them.”
Making room for dyslexics in the school system
Dr Tikolo said providing support to dyslexic children and making adjustments for them would help them learn more than if they do not get the needed support.
She said by giving accommodation in school – like more time to finish their work – schools would be “leveling the playing field for dyslexics.”
“When the ground is level for Dyslexic children, then it allows them to learn,” she said.
Project Director, Special attention Project (SAP), Ghana, said the education system must seek other ways than reading, writing to assess children with learning differences like dyslexia. He said written examinations was not the only way children could be assessed in school and determined to have learnt.
“If theycannot write, why can’t they speak and you assess the child,” he said.
Opoku lamented the low level of awareness about dyslexia even among policy makers, leading to poor policy implementation. For instance in Ghana, Opoku said despite having an elaborate inclusive education policy since 2016, many Ghanaian teachers still do not know about Dyslexia.
Dr Agoro called for a change in the way assessment is done in Nigerian schools.
“Assessment comes across different boards. I believe that the traditional way of assessing is fast becoming invalid. The way children are assessed will not be valid in the nearest future. Just because you don’t know something in the context I am assessing you does not mean you do not know it. It just means that you know it in a different way. So, being innovative about assessment is crucial,” she said.
With dyslexics being naturally creative and good organisers, the experts also advised that they be given opportunities to shine in their areas of strengths.
Dr Tikolo also said there were learning techniques that could help dyslexics learn. She said Dyslexia Nigeria was ready to partner with schools, and other institutions to help expose teachers and schools to such techniques.
“We need to realize just how much control we actually have over our own lives, and how simple adjustments and learning techniques can make all the difference in the world for dyslexics.
“At Dyslexia Nigeria, it is our primary aim to educate and convene stakeholders concerned with dyslexia to create an environment where children and adults who struggle with dyslexia in school, in a vocation, or in a profession, can develop to their full potential. That’s why we offer all the services we do, which you can find in your brochure,” she said.