Sunday, 10 April 2016

AFRICA MUST REDEFINE HER EDUCATION CORE VALUES TO GROW



Africa is where she is because we have refused to appreciate the real essence of education. So we have so many inoperable Master and PhDs Degrees flying about unproductively.  Like my friend will humorously say: ‘’nobody is going to give you ( x-y= 2 find x) in the office To solve’’ We were taught to find X in school because there will be so many Xses to find in the real world. Education is an adventure into finding solutions. The reason you are meant to write a project before any certificate is awarded in most parts of the world.
 Currently, in Nigeria for example, someone needs to find the missing X in why Nigeria, one of the highest oil producers in Africa is suffering from scarcity of it. Why after more than 50 years of independent nationhood, a country as blessed as Nigeria in terms of human capacity cannot power her homes talk more of power for industrial use.
To me, education is about learning how to find solutions to the daily challenges of mankind. If you are not, then, your education is useless. It does if matter if you become a consultant Neurosurgeon, if 80% of your community are dying from simple water-borne diseases on daily basis, your neurosurgery is as well useless to them.
What is the essence of aspiring to be a Master in solving complex problems when they are a million simple ones you are yet to solve?  We have too many architects in Africa who are professionals in designing and managing of construction of skyscrapers and complex buildings but cannot design cost-effective low income housing that will put a roof over the heads of the poor.
We must redefine our outmoded core values. Education must not stop at the level of acquisition of certificates to land better paying jobs. We must go further than that. Let the reason why I want to become a lawyer, doctor, architect, programmer, economist etc not be limited to the much I am able to accumulate for myself and my family.
There is so much and too much theorizing in our educational and formal sector. The current Nigeria minister of finance is an example of a product of that system. Unable to explain how the system works without theorizing it. It is responsible for why we still import the simplest implement or technology.
Like Isaac Newton rightly noted ’’it is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded’’ If your educational experiment do not bear any weight (substance) on the society, it is of no regard (use)

Adanu Moses                                                                                                  
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