Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Effect of Ethnicity in Nigeria Essay Example

Effect of Ethnicity in Nigeria Essay EFFECT OF ETHNICITY ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA CHAPTER 1 1. 0 INTRODUCTION Nigeria  is  by  far  the most populated of Africa’s countries, with more than one-seventh of the continent’s people. The people belong to many different ethnic groups. These groups give the country a rich culture, but they also pose major challenges to nation building. Ethnic strife has plagued Nigeria since it gained independence in 1960. Officially known as the ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria’, she has  a  federal form of government and is divided into 36 states and a federal capital territory. Lagos, (formerly the capital of Nigeria) is the economic and cultural center located along the coast, and inhabited majorly by the Yoruba-speaking tribe. It is also the country’s largest city (in terms of population). The government moved from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 in the hope of creating a national capital where none of the country’s ethnic groups would be dominant. The  land size area  of Nigeria is approximately 923,768 sq km (356,669 sq mi). It was home to ethnically based kingdoms and tribal communities before it became a European colony. In spite of European contact that began in the 16th century, these kingdoms and communities maintained their autonomy until the 19th century. The colonial era began in earnest in the late 19th century, when Britain consolidated its rule over Nigeria. In 1914 the British merged their northern and southern protectorates into a single state called the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Nigeria became independent of British rule in 1960. We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Ethnicity in Nigeria specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Ethnicity in Nigeria specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Ethnicity in Nigeria specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer After independence Nigeria experienced frequent coups and long periods of autocratic military rule between 1966 and 1999, when a democratic civilian government was established Nigeria is very rich in raw materials like crude oil, tin, iron etc but is almost solely dependent on crude oil which is a major source of income for the country. While oil wealth has financed major investments in the country’s infrastructure, Nigeria remains among the world’s poorest countries in terms of per capita income. Oil revenues led the government to ignore agriculture, resulting in dependence on food importation. Fig 1. 1 MAP OF NIGERIA SHOWING THE 36 STATES 1. 1 The people of Nigeria Nigerias diversity, both in tongue and tribe makes it a very difficult region to subject to precise classification. This has led to the tendency among many scholars to focus on the three major ethnic or geographic zones in the country viz the Hausa-Fulani (Northern Nigeria), the Yoruba (Western Nigeria) and the Igbo (Eastern Nigeria). These geographic zones are not in any way solely occupied by the three ethnic groups. A plethora of smaller socio-ethnic groups may be located in these zones. The  highest  population densities are in the Igbo heartland in south-eastern Nigeria, despite poor soils and heavy emigration. The intensively farmed zones around and including several major cities of the Hausa ethnic group especially Kano, Sokoto, and Zaria in the north are also densely populated. Other areas of high density include Yorubaland in the southwest, the central Jos Plateau, and the Tiv homeland in Benue State in the south central region. Densities are relatively low in the dry northeast and in most parts of the middle belt. Ecological factors, including the prevalence of diseases such as sleeping sickness, carried by the tsetse fly, and historical factors, especially the legacy of pre-colonial slave raiding, help explain these low densities (Encarta, 2009). Table 1. 1: Statistics of Nigeria Population| 138,283,240 (2008 estimate)| Population density| 152 persons per sq km 393 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)| Urban population distribution| 48 percent (2005 estimate)| Rural population distribution| 52 percent (2005 estimate)| Largest cities, with population| Lagos, 11,100,000 (2005 estimate) Ibadan, 3,570,000 (2007 estimate) Ogbomosho, 861,300 (2007 estimate)| Official language| English| Chief religious affiliations| Muslim, 50 percent Christian, 40 percent Indigenous beliefs, 10 percent| Life expectancy| 47. 8 years (2008 estimate)| Infant mortality rate| 94 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)| Literacy rate| 70. 7 percent (2005 estimate)| Source: Encarta Encyclopaedia (2009) 1. 2 Social issues Wealth  and  power  are  distributed very unevenly in Nigerian society. This is due to several factors including corruption, political instability, and unemployment, amid others. The great majority of Nigerians, preoccupied with daily struggles to earn a living, have few material possessions and little chance of improving their lot. Meanwhile, chiefs, rich merchants, politicians, and high-ranking civil servants often accumulate and flaunt massive wealth, which to a degree is expected and accepted in the Nigerian society. Most of these elite maintain power through networks of patronage: They secure and distribute labour and receive political support in return. The system allows for some redistribution of income because patrons often pay for things such as school fees and marriage costs for relatives, community development, and charity work. Economic  inequality  has a severe effect on health, especially for children. One-fifth of Nigerian children die before the age of five, primarily from treatable diseases such as malaria, measles, whooping cough, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Less than one-half of infants are immunized against measles, and malnutrition affects more than 40 percent of children under the age of five. Adults are equally affected, although with less deadly consequences. Only 20 percent of rural Nigerians and 52 percent of urban Nigerians have access to safe water. One-third have no access to health care simply because they live too far from clinics or other treatment centres. Many others cannot afford the fees charged by clinics. While  average  incomes are higher and death rates lower in cities, urban poverty is as pervasive as rural poverty. Secure, well-paying jobs are scarce, even for those with considerable education. Food is typically expensive. Housing, too, is costly despite its rudimentary quality, prompting the poor to build basic houses in shantytowns. Sewage disposal systems in most cities are also basic or primitive, with polluted streams, wells, roadside drains, and other bodies of water increasing the risk of infectious disease. Industry, automobiles, and the burning of fuel-wood further pollute air and water. Crime  in  Nigeria  rose in the mid-1990s as a result of unemployment, economic decline, and social inequality, which are abetted by inefficient and corrupt police and customs forces. More than half of all offenses are thefts, burglaries, and break-ins, although armed robberies are also prominent. Nigeria is a major conduit for drugs moving from Asia and Latin America to markets in Europe and North America. Large-scale Nigerian fraud rings have targeted business people in other parts of the world. Nigeria  has  been  wracked by periodic violent clashes between ethnic and religious groups since the 1990s. The reasons behind these clashes have varied from local political disputes to conflicts between fundamentalist Muslims and Christians or moderate Muslims. In many cases, local civic or religious leaders have manipulated these conflicts for political gain. 1. 3 Ethnicity: The Ethnic Composition of Nigeria Ethnicity is a term not easily defined and for proper understanding of the concept related terms requires description; an ethnic group is regarded as an informal interest group whose members are distinct from the members of other ethnic groups within the larger society because they share kinship, religious and linguistics ties (Cohen, 1974). Ethnicism is another related concept used to denote ‘ethnic loyalty’ (Pepple, 1985). The concept of loyalty here indicates willingness to support and act on behalf of the ethnic group. Subsequently, ethnic loyalty or ethnicism usually involves a degree of obligation and is often accompanied by a rejective attitude towards those regarded as outsiders i. e. members of other ethnic group (Salawu and Hassan, 2011). Thus the term Ethnicity can be defined as the interactions among members of many diverse groups (Nnoli, 1978). It is a commonplace fact that Nigeria is a society with different ethnic groups, religions, languages, cultures and institutional arrangements. As a heterogeneous society of several ethnic groups, Nigerians are thus characterized by groups, desires, beliefs, values, customs, fears etc. These diversities in national life manifest in several ways including; music, language, culture, dance, beliefs, religion etc. The fact that over three hundred identified language groups exist in Nigeria has created some confusion as one may equate each language group with an ethnic group (Adejuyibem 1983) and thereby arrive at over three hundred ethnic groups. As Iwaloye and Ibeanu (1997) and Anugwom (1997) have argued, however, languages and ethnic groups do not necessarily coincide. One language may be spoken by more than one ethnic group and one ethnic group may have linguistic variations of the same root language. Moreover, while language may be one of the important factors for defining an ethnic group, some ethnic groups in Nigeria may have lost their original linguistic roots, while retaining their identity, as a result of intense interaction with larger socio-ethnic groups. In the same vein, many ethnic groups may use the same language to case communication, as is the case of the smaller ethnic groups in the North of Nigeria, where Hausa has become more or less a lingua franca. Therefore, it has been proven that there is no direct relationship between language and ethnic group in Nigeria. Thus, the 56 ethnic groups identified by Iwaloye and Ibeanu (1997) as the existing ethnic groups in contemporary Nigeria are adopted. It is important to note that the ethnic groups in Nigeria may exceed this number by far, though these 56 groups are both visible and easily identifiable. The 56 ethnic groups are presented in the table below. Table 1. 2: Ethnic group in Nigeria 1. Hausa-FuIani| 29. Buri| 2. Igbo | 30. Balta| 3. Yoruba | 31. Kanuri| 4. Edo| 32. Margi| 5. Bassawa| 33. Delta Minorities| 6. Igala| 34. Gwadara| 7. Idoma| 35. Chamba-Daka| 8. Ora| 36. Mambila| 9. Ijo| 37. Katang | 10. Isoko| 38. Berom| 11. Urhobo| 39. Kadara| 12. Itshekiri| 40. Kurama| 13. Baatonum| 41. Mada| 14. Karnbari| 42. Alago| 15. Dulawa| 43. Migili| 16. Kamaku| 44. Eggon| 17. Ebira| 45. Bokyi| 18. Nupe| 46. Ekon| 19. Gwari| 47. Agoi| 20. Tiv| 48. Efik| 21. Jukun| 49. Ibibio| 2. Chomo-karim| 50. Annang| 23. Jarwa| 51. Mumuye| 24. Angas| 52. Waja| 25. Yekhee| 53. Busa| 26. Karekare| 54. Dendi| 27. Eloyi| 55. Buduma| 28. Gade| 56. Shuwa| Source: Iwaloye and Ibeanu (1997) Nigeria is known for its cultural diversities but while these diversities have been positively harnessed for greatness by other nations of the world the opposite is regrettably the case in Nigeria despite the efforts of heroes past in ensuring that these diversities are harnessed for development; rather they have served as the bane of social, economic and political development. Consequently, Nigeria as a nation has been besieged by an array of social, economic and political problems; these include corruption, tribalism, lack of patriotism, political gangsterism e. t. c (Nduka, 2004 and Omo-Ojugo et al. , 2009). 1. 4 Ethnicity and Marginalisation Before the advent of colonialism, the area now referred to as Nigeria was a large landmass occupied by un-unified people of diverse ethnic groups but for administrative convenience they were fused and merged together by the olonialists. For the duration of colonial rule, the ‘marriage’ of the diverse ethnic groups was maintained and the diversities were united without any problem. With the exit of the colonialists, things started falling apart resulting in marginalisation and ethnic conflict thus adversely effecting the development of the budding nation. Ethnic conflict has been rightly defined as one of the greatest obstacles to meaningful development in Africa. The ethnic factor did not diminish with the advent of independence; rather, it became a yardstick for measuring contribution to the national development effort and especially for allocating and distributing power and national resources and eventually resulted in the 30- month slaughter in the Nigerian civil war (1967 to 1970) which was anchored on ethnic rivalry. The history of present day Nigeria is rife with cases of ethno-religious conflicts. Since the annulment of the 1993 elections, there have been increased demands and counter-demands for marginalisa1ion by various ethnic groups in the country. Marginalisation stems from a peoples perception of their treatment in the allocation or distribution of power and resources. A classic example is made for the Ogoni, who despite having provided the nation with an estimated $30,000 million in oil revenues, their people had no pipe borne water or electricity, and lacked education, health and other social facilities: it is intolerable that one of the richest areas of Nigeria should wallow in abject poverty and destitution (Saro-Wiwa, 1992). In this light, the Ogoni ethnic group has concrete reasons to consider itself marginalised, especially since these facilities can be found in other ethno-regional areas of Nigeria. 1. 5 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The general objective of the study is to 1. Investigate the role ethnicity plays in the socio-economic development of Nigeria. 2. Assess the impact of ethnicity on present day Nigeria 3. Examine the effect on day-to-day activities of Nigerians 1. 6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS i. Impact of ethnicity on social and economic development in Nigeria? ii. Role of colonialism in ethnic groups formation . 7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY The scope of the project envelops the influence of ethnicity in Nigeria’s social and economic development and its impact on present day Nigeria. 1. 8 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The importance of this study is made manifest in the form of understanding the role ethnic diversity plays in the development of a country, in this case Nigeria. 1. 9 CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION ET HNICITY: Ethnicity in this study is referred to as an affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties or the interactions among members of many diverse groups ETHNIC GROUP: For the purpose of this study, an ethnic group is regarded as an informal interest group whose members are distinct from the members of other ethnic groups within the larger society because they share kinship, religious and linguistics ties SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: in this project, socio economic development is defined as a comprehensive process involved in improving social and economic conditions on individual and group empowerment, community, national and regional building.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Experts Guide to the AP Human Geography Exam

The Expert's Guide to the AP Human Geography Exam SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips AP Human Geography is an investigation of how the human species has populated the earth and developed different cultures, political systems, and means of production. This is a subject that can be a little hard to pin down because it represents an intersection of lots of different types of information. How does the College Board test such a wide range of topics? Continue reading to gain a better understanding of the lay of the land (so to speak) on the AP Human Geography exam! How Is the AP Human Geography Exam Structured? There are two sections of the AP Human Geography test: multiple choice and free response. The multiple-choice section is: 75 questions One hour long Scored based on the number of questions you answer correctly (no points deducted for incorrect answers) On this section, you’ll be expected to: Consider maps and spatial data Show a strong understanding of how the world looks from a spatial perspective Interpret patterns and processes at different scales Understand different regions Characterize and analyze changing interactions among different places The free-response section is: Three questions One hour 15 minutes long On this section, you’ll be expected to: Interrelate different topic areas and to analyze and evaluate geographical concepts. Answer questions based on stimulus material such as verbal descriptions, maps, graphs, photographs, and diagrams Demonstrate both analytical and organizational skills in your writing The AP Human Geography test is two hours and 15 minutes long in total, and this year it’s offered on Tuesday, May 5th at 12 PM. It will be a spoooooky scaaaary AP test. AP Human Geography Topics AP Human Geography covers the following seven topic areas, which you’re expected to be able to link together conceptually on the test.These topics are connected to subtopics that the College Board labels â€Å"Enduring Understandings† (listed below each main heading) that you’re expected to master by the time you take the exam. Topic #1: Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives Geography looks at the world from a spatial perspective. Geography offers a set of concepts, skills, and tools that facilitate critical thinking and problem solving. Geographical skills provide a foundation for analyzing world patterns and practices. Geospatial technologies increase the capability for gathering and analyzing geographic information with applications to everyday life. Field experiences are important ways of gathering geographic information. Topic #2: Population Knowledge of the geographic patterns and characteristics of human populations facilitates understanding of cultural, political, economic, and urban systems. Populations grow and decline over time and space. Causes and consequences of migration are influenced by cultural, demographic, economic, environmental, and political factors. Topic #3: Cultural Patterns and Processes Concepts of culture frame the shared behaviors of a society. Culture varies by region. Topic #4: Political Organization of Space The contemporary political map has been shaped by events of the past. Spatial political patterns reflect ideas of territoriality and power at a variety of scales. The forces of globalization challenge contemporary political-territorial arrangements. Topic #5: Agricultural and Rural Land Use The development of agriculture led to widespread alteration of the natural environment. Major agricultural regions reflect physical geography and economic forces. Settlement patterns and rural land use are reflected in the cultural landscape. Changes in food production and consumption present challenges and opportunities. Topic #6: Industrialization and Economic Development The diffusion of the Industrial Revolution facilitated improvements in standards of living. Measures of development are used to understand patterns of social and economic differences at a variety of scales. Development is a process that varies across space and time. Sustainable development is a strategy to address resource depletion and environmental degradation. Topic #7: Cities and Urban Land Use The form, function, and size of urban settlements are constantly changing. Models help us to understand the distribution and size of cities. Models of internal city structure and urban development provide a framework for urban analysis. Built landscapes and social space reflect the attitudes and values of a population. Urban areas face economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental challenges. Overall, the course revolves around a thematic understanding of the human cultural landscape and patterns of global development.It deals with how human interactions and demographics are shaped by location and environment. Learning objectives you’re expected to master before the exam include: Read sophisticated texts and academic writings. Write well-constructed essays and research papers. Think critically by synthesizing a variety of perspectives and information from different sources. Discuss controversial issues effectively. Analyze geospatial data. Present fieldwork and research in visual and oral formats. Work with other students to analyze real-world issues. For more details on the curriculum, take a look at the full course description. World Regions for AP Human Geography Here are maps of world regions that you’ll be examining across all the topic areas in the course. These maps are important because you need to know exactly where different cultural, political, and demographic developments have occurred. Understanding the relative locations of different regions can help you to grasp their places in the grand scheme of the human geographic landscape. The first map is a broad survey of all the world regions, while the second gets into more specific labels: AP Human Geography Sample Exam Questions This section will give an example of a real AP question from each section of the test. I'll go over explanations of the correct answers and the ways in which points were awarded. Multiple Choice For this question, we have to figure out which of the choices is impacted by an intersection of all three factors.Which aspects of human society are strongly connected to environmental laws, labor availability, and access to markets? It appears that this must be something related to the production of goods because both labor availability and access to markets are important for that, and environmental laws have an impact as well. Choice A can be eliminated because these factors together don’t point to an impact on political affiliation. Political affiliation isn’t directly related to industrial opportunities. Choice B is more ambiguous. It’s directly related to the economy which is what the three factors would potentially impact.However, all the factors are happening on the ground level, not in direct relation to a country’s GDP. This answer doesn’t quite fit. Choice C is definitely incorrect. It seems like an irrelevant answer because property tax rates aren’t necessarily directly affected by any of these factors. Choice D looks promising.Companies choose manufacturing locations based on lack of environmental restrictions on production, labor availability, and ability to easily transport products to markets. Choice E isn’t right because transportation costs are not necessarily impacted by these factors, especially not as directly as manufacturing locations. The correct answer is D! This question could be answered through logical thinking and a basic understanding of the reasons for economic developments.You might know that many US businesses have moved manufacturing plants overseas in recent years because of the cheapness/availability of labor, lack of strict environmental laws, and increased ability to transport goods cheaply across long distances to their largest markets.Other multiple-choice questions on this exam may ask you to identify an example of a concept or read data expressed by maps or geographic models.They also ask about particular locations, so you should know the characteristics of global regions regarding population density, economic climate, and cultural landscape. Free Response This question is from the 2015 exam and was worth eight points total. For part A, you just need to define a term.This is the suggested definition provided by the scoring guidelines: A person who flees, is displaced, or is forced to leave his or her home country. If you said something along those lines, you would get the first point. For part B, you could earn up to three points, one for each description of a valid reason for refugees to leave their countries of origin. Example of a political reason: They were forcibly evicted by the government or the military in their home country. Example of a social reason: Their rights or opportunities were denied based on gender or sexuality. Example of an environmental reason: Their home country was experiencing food insecurity or famine. For part C, you could earn two points, one for the identification of a reason why refugees left one of the countries in the chart, and one for an explanation of that reason.If you chose Somalia, for example, you could say a reason for refugees leaving the country was widespread religious, ethnic, and gender persecution.The explanation behind this would be that Militant Wahhabis persecuted other Sunnis, Animists, and Christians; there were major conflicts based on tribal differences; and rights and opportunities were denied to many people based on their genders or sexualities. For the final two points on part D, you're asked to provide explanations of the economic impact of refugees on a receiving country.These could be positive or negative. Examples include: Additions to the low-wage labor pool Increased demand for goods and services that could result in price increases Refugees may provide added skills and knowledge to the receiving country For more information on the scoring of this question, see this document. Haven't these poor people been through enough? How Is the AP Human Geography Exam Scored? You'll get one point for each multiple choice question you answer correctly. There are no point deductionsfor incorrect answers, so fill in every bubble! Onfree-response questions, points are allotted for answering each part of the question thoroughly.The number of points possible for each question varies slightly from year to year.Maximum scores on free-response questions range from 6 to 10 points.Each free-response question will have an equal bearing on your score regardless of how many points it is worth. Multiple choice and free response are each worth 50 percent of your score.Your free-response score is scaled in accordance with this and added to your multiple-choice score to arrive at a scaled score that is then converted to a score on the 1-5 AP scale.Here’s a link to the score distributions for 2015. Study Tips for the AP Human Geography Test As you get started preparing for this exam, here are a few pointers to keep in mind! Tip #1: Make Flashcards Much of the AP Human Geography exam deals with key terms covered by the course.Two out of the three free-response questions in 2015 asked students to define a term to earn the first point in part A, and the subsequent parts of those questions were dependent on a strong understanding of that term and its implications. Multiple-choice also includes many questions that ask you to identify an example of a certain concept defined by a phrase unique to the field of human geography.Your score is dependent on your knowledge of this field-specific terminology, so you should make a set of flashcards of the terms you learned over the course of the year.Go over them until you feel confident that you understand all the definitions well enough to think of real world examples.If it helps, you can include a couple of examples on the back of each flashcard along with the definition! Tip #2: Know Geographic Models (and Practice Reading Them) There are several geographic models that are important to understand if you hope to successfully interpret data in human geography.Make sure you're familiar with all of them and can read them easily. Sometimes, the test will present you with questions about identifying different types of models or ask you to comment on data sets. Tip #3: Take Official Practice Exams There’s no better form of practice than official AP test questions which is why you shouldtake a practice exam to start off your studying. This will allow you to predict your scores on the real test and make an informed decision about how much more you need to study to reach your goals.You might find you have trouble on certain types of questions that you didn’t expect to be a problem. A careful analysis of yourmistakes on practice tests will help to ensure that you only revisit content that has the potential to trip you up on the exam (rather than trying to reread your entire textbook). Tip #4: Review Regions (and Connect Them to Key Terms) A problem that some students have on this AP exam is citing incorrect geographic regions in their responses.It’s important to know the names of the different regions of the world and the economic, political, and cultural climates that have evolved over time.Be able to identify the regions on the maps included earlier in this article, and think about their individual statuses in connection to each of the main topics of the course. Keep a map of the world's regions in your metaphorical back pocket. Emphasis on metaphorical. Conclusion The AP Human Geography exam is structured in a similar way to other AP tests. It's on the shorter side, coming in at just two hours and 15 minutes, but it has both multiple-choice and free-response sections, and its questions require a wide range of skills and content knowledge. The seven major topic areas you'll encounter on the test are: Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives Population Cultural Patterns and Processes Political Organization of Space Agricultural and Rural Land Use Industrialization and Economic Development Cities and Urban Land Use Some study tips to remember for this examinclude: Make Flashcards Know the Geographic Models Take Official Practice Exams Review Regions Make sure you block out enough study time before the exam to take practice tests, review all of your mistakes thoroughly, and revisit key concepts! What's Next? Should you include AP Human Geography in your schedule? What about other AP classes? Read this expert guide to find out which AP classes you should take in high school. Everyone wants to get 5s on their AP exams, but how important is that perfect score in the long run? Learn more about what it means to earn a 5 on an AP exam and whether this is a smart goal for you. If you're applying to super competitive colleges, you might plan on taking SAT Subject Tests. Check out this article for information on the differences between Subject Tests and AP tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Experiences with People of Other Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Experiences with People of Other Cultures - Essay Example I have traveled to different parts of the globe because I want to experience as many cultures as I possibly can. I believe that we can all learn from other cultures because everyone has different values and beliefs. Learning about someone else’s culture not only develops my understanding for their culture, but it also helps to develop my own. This is because I can use another culture and compare it to my own, thus critically examining all the strengths and weaknesses of it. My experiences with other cultures will help me to work with a diverse student population because I already feel comfortable working with students from different cultural backgrounds. I believe that every student should be treated fairly and not discriminated against because of their culture or race, which is something that they have no control over whatsoever. Promoting equality among students also helps to improve the overall learning environment in the classroom because it gives students of minority ethnic groups the chance to thrive. I understand that some people feel uncomfortable learning alongside students of other cultures, but it will be my responsibility to promote fairness and understanding among all students. This way, they will learn to respect each other no matter where they come from. One useful idea is to allow one student of each culture in the class to have a turn each week standing in front of the class and teaching the rest of the students about their own culture. This will break down cultural barriers.