By Idowu Olaide

The Headmistress of Petros Halls School, Egbeda Idimu, Lagos, Mrs. Adefunke Irabor, has blamed government and students for the falling standard of education in the country, with distraction noted as the major cause on the part of students.

Speaking at the school’s graduation ceremony, Irabor pointed out that rather than cultivating reading habit, students stay glued to television sets and are always found at cybercafés.

“We hardly watched television back then but now, there are so many things distracting students from learning, making it difficult for them to read. They spend so much time in the cybercafé or playing games with their phones or watching films.

“Rather than saving money to buy books, today’s students prefer to save money to buy handsets, DVD games and other electronic gadgets that cause distraction.”

In order to improve the falling standard of education, Irabor called on government to invest more in the education sector, saying: “In our days, we were just 30 in a class and I had my own locker and chair. Facilities like well equipped laboratories and libraries were available. I learnt how to play hockey, handball and throw javelin and discus in a public secondary school.”