Akeredolu, Akinjobi, others for test of orals discourse, book launch | EduCeleb
Press Release
21st September 2020
Foremost Professor of Language and Communication, Bolanle Akeredolu-Ale and  Professor of English Phonology, Adenike Akinjobi have been honoured as special guests to speak at a programme tagged: “National Discourse on Oral English.”
The duo are lecturers at the Department of Communication and General Studies, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and the Department of English, University of Ibadan (UI) respectively.
The Guest Speaker at the discourse is Mrs Haleemah Tijani-Balogun, Director, Pacesetters Phonics and Diction Institute, while the Guest Discussant is Dr Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose, Department of Mass Media and Writing, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.
The programme, which is jointly organised by Grammar Clinic has been slated for Saturday, 26th September 2020.
Meanwhile, themed: “Nigerian Students’ Ordeal at Oral Examinations: Challenges and Solutions,” the high point of the discourse shall be a book launch on English Language test of orals alongside diction competition and Spoken Word poetry.
The English test of orals book is titled: “Flashlight on Test of Orals, and authored by Yussuf Ayodele, a graduate of the University of Lagos, and director of Grammar Clinic Forum, Nigeria.
According to a statement by the author, Ayodele, the motive behind the discourse itself is to address some issues related to oral English in secondary schools.
He said, “A lot of schools do not take that aspect of English seriously, and thus they pass on that notion of little importance to students, therefore, they go into the examination hall ill-prepared and with that notion and nonchalance towards oral English.
“Test of orals part carries a whopping 60 marks, and it’s to last for just 45 minutes, whereas essay writing itself that most students focus more on carries just 50 marks. So, a lot of students lose great marks out of ignorance,” he said.
The author noted that the lecture aims at sensitising the public on this backdrop and correct some other critical factors that aid students’ failure at oral examinations.
He said, “The book itself Flashlight on Test of Orals aims at bridging the gap of the dearth of instructional materials on test of orals. Aside from the nonchalant attitude of students towards that paper, there are extremely few textbooks specified in that aspect.
“So, the book sheds light on those grey areas of oral English. It also aims at preparing candidate fully for the test of orals paper by analysing each of the 7 sections of the paper, giving concise notes on each topic, and drawing copious examples from pasts questions, with clearly explained answers,” he added.
Noting that, most times, students only depend on past questions, which are most often misleading and do not explain how the answers are obtained, Ayodele stressed that the book also presents topics relevant to students at tertiary institutions.
Grammar Clinic is an online community that aims at promoting the correct use of English in Nigeria.
The programme takes place 11am on Saturday, 26th September online via Zoom.
Participants are to register with the link https://sng.ng/gcoral