Towards making museum visits compulsory for pupils

IN order for the coming generation to appreciate our culture, there is the need to encourage them to visit a museum.

In this technological age, young people, especially students, derive a larger percentage of their knowledge through the internet. However, the internet cannot substitute for physically experiencing those things being learnt.

Nigeria has a great history which can definitely be learnt on the internet, but visiting the museum takes the experience further. Seeing the weapons used to fight the numerous inter-clan wars in Yorubaland in the last century will definitely give the student a whole new dimension to learning.

However, left alone, the students would not come to the museum since there are other things competing for their attention. They may choose to visit cinemas to watch films, or the stadium to watch sporting events.

This then brings us to the need to enforce the need for students to visit the museum at least once in an academic term while writing about their experience during each visit.

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The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) can partner with the Federal Ministry of Education, as well as state Ministries of Education to achieve this.Apart from the materials which students will learn about, there are education officials in the museums who will teach them new skills like tie and dye, basket making, pot making, among other creative skills.

This will, therefore, broaden the horizon of the students, and can even use the skills to create employment.

Therefore, in order to transfer our cultural heritage and values to the coming generation, it is important students are carried along, even if they are not really interested in it now. They will definitely appreciate the efforts in the nearest future.

Having said this, it is also the responsibility of parents to take their children to the museum, as this is one of the easiest ways through which they can learn about their culture.

• Adegboye is Principal Museum Education Officer at the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan, Oyo State.