As a teacher, I've seen the transformative power of cycling on the lives of the schoolchildren in the school where I worked as a teacher years ago. Who would have taught that cycling would improve the academic performance of these schoolchildren? Well, the advent of current inflation has exposed us to this possibility, and this all draws down to how parents of these students delve into the purchase of bicycles as the perfect way to cut costs in this harsh economy.
Since the advent of inflation, I've seen most students ride into the school compound with their bikes, and it's a beautiful sight to behold. Personally, all I thought was that the usage of bicycles would reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, but it has done more than that; it has gone on to improve their problem-solving skills and cognitive ability. I guess the physical exercise they indulge in while cycling helps improve their ability to think broadly and outside the box more than they did in the past, when their performance was nothing to be proud of.
Before I dive into the details of how I feel cycling has impacted these students, first I'll love to talk about what led to this situation in the first place. So here in my country, Nigeria, the government removed subsidies on petrol, and this caused a lot of damage to our economy. This literally went south because the price of petrol increased from 165 naira to over 650 naira. That's like a 293% increase, and it impacts everyone negatively.
Take, for instance, my daily transportation fare, which increased from ₦500 naira to about a thousand, and yet my salary didn't increase by any cent, and I'm sure this is the case for almost everyone else. This affected most parents of my students, and ended up making them turn up late for school every morning.
The school management where I worked had to call the attention of the parents to this and see how that could be curbed. One of the suggestions was to have a school bus, but the current hike in fuel prices might bring the school to a loss, so the school came up with another suggestion that most parents agree with.
And the advice was regarding the purchase of bicycles, either new or fairly used as a means of transportation for the students to ride to school daily, and one good thing about this is that it's a one-time payment, after which all they'll spend on it would be for maintenance. With the inflation, a school bus being provided is a great solution, but whose value can increase by the day as long as inflation keeps rising, it's not different than public transport, whose fair has doubled the initial price being paid in the past.
At the end of the PTA meeting, the parents were grateful for the advice, and some almost immediately adopted it for their ward, while others got it brand new, others could only afford a fairly used one, and others even purchased them on loan with the promise to pay gradually, and this has really improved the rate at which these students arrived in school early every day.
Unlike then, when most arrive late due to trekking a long distance because their parents can't afford the high transport fare, now they ride to school on their bikes and arrive early at no cost, which is great and helps reduce the rate at which they missed the first two periods, but aside from coming early, cycling improves more than just that, and it's in the aspect of their academic performance.
One thing I noticed as a class teacher is that this student's performance is greatly appreciated, and this is due to the physical exercise they partake in while cycling. I guess this boosts their brain power and helps them concentrate more in class than they did before. It has also improved their problem-solving skills. Personally, even though I perform my duties as a teacher to make them better, I believe cycling has been instrumental in the recent changes.
And I traced it down to their encounter on the road: the need to concentrate and focus, the need to be attentive to the happenings around them while they pedal, and being observant of the traffic rules, which I believe aids their concentration, while the aspect of making the right decision about when to move and what to do in trialing situations on the road helps improve their problem-solving techniques.
Among others, it has also promoted mental well-being among these students, healthy living, and most of all, improved discipline and time management, which is a win-win for both the teachers, parents, and the students themselves.
With this experience and what I've noticed so far, I believe cycling is more than just a recreational activity and mode of transportation to cut costs; it's a catalyst for personal growth and academic excellence, and as a teacher, it's a delight to behold the improvement cycling has had on my students and the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of cycling that have brooded their determination and resilience.
All photos in this article are mine.