ZIK GBEMRE SPEAKS ON THE NEED FOR NIGERIA’S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM TO MOVE AWAY FROM MERE CERTIFICATION TO PRODUCING WELL INFORMED CRITICAL-THINKERS AND PROBLEM SOLVERS
• Our education system mostly tames our children to become ‘zombies’ who only give back what was given them without any critical thinking and character building.
• We cannot ‘memorize’ our way out of poverty. But we can critically think and innovate out of poverty.
I recently saw a video online that got me really thinking about Nigeria’s educational system and where exactly are we heading to as a people in the years to come? The said video, which has already gone viral on social media, was that of the Education Minister of Ghana, who narrated how he goes from school to school to talk with students. And after every session, he would ask them if they had any question for him. But for each and every time, no hands were raised to ask him any question.
He then made a profound statement that I believe, not only cuts across the sad realities of the educational system in his own country Ghana, but also the sad realities of that of Nigeria and the rest of Africa. In his words: “We have tamed our children – we just want them to write down what we tell them. And in the day of exam, they put down what we have told them. And we say you are the best student the country has ever known.
“That kind of education system will not transform Ghana. That kind of education system is not going to give us critical thinking, especially since we are in the 21st century and the fourth industrial revolution. You cannot memorize your way out of poverty. But you can critically think and innovate out of poverty. So, Ghana schools, African schools have to begin to take a serious look at what I call – the Assertive Curriculum. A curriculum that empowers the African child to ask questions and challenge the statuesque responsibly within the African context. But not a curriculum that tells the African child to be quiet and don’t say anything when the teacher is speaking or teaching”.
This is exactly the issue with the Nigerian education system and our perception about an educated person. Our education system mostly tames our children to become ‘zombies’ who only give back what was given them without any critical thinking and character building. I have repeatedly noted that, Certification is not equivalent to being educated and well-informed in my layman’s opinion. A well-educated person must be well-informed, but an uninformed person is not educated, even if he acquires a bundle of degrees/certificates. This sort of uninformed persons that have gone through the kind of education described by the Ghanian minister above, cannot produce the kind of critical thinking we need to transform our nation.
Many studies have shown that a nation’s economic growth and quality of governance is enhanced by having leaders who are well-read/informed, well-trained, well-knowledgeable and competent with the right leadership skills, exposure and behaviour. It is also believed that poorly-educated leaders are ill-informed and do not have the idea, critical thinking – for instance, that politics is supposed to be used to offer “selfless service” to the people that they represent. Furthermore, it is a general belief that a well-educated leadership is a competitive advantage for any nation and “there is a correlation between good governance and leaders’ level of education.”
However, it seems this theory is not working in Nigeria. As it has been observed; the present crop of political leaders in Nigeria – Councilors, Local Council Chairmen, Federal and State Legislators, Governors and those at the Presidency, are mostly individuals with high educational qualifications of First, Second, Third Class Degrees and Masters, including Professorship. But despite this, it has not translated into noticeable good governance and accountability in the country.
It is one thing to pass through ‘formal’ education and gather all the certificates one can gather, but it is a different thing entirely to allow formal education to really pass through one. Let us also not forget the importance of having good ‘informal education’ that adds in the shaping of one’s character and view of life. As a matter of fact, informal and self-education is even far more important in building one’s character with high moral values like honesty, integrity, sincerity, empathy, being good and responsible citizens. Most of these values are not gotten through formal education but can best be instilled through informal education. There is also the very important part played by one’s religion and belief system.
Looking at the Nigerian situation, do we call Nigerian politicians, who are college/University degree holders, educated? Of course not. A well-educated and well-informed person will not loot the public treasury of a state/nation. An educated person will not team up or collude with uniformed politicians to loot a state’s treasury dry. It is sad to say this, but all Nigerian politicians and their fronts who collude to loot public treasury are best described as ingnorant and uninformed persons. Also, all bankers who aid these politicians to loot our collective public wealth are equally uneducated and ill-informed. All lawyers who aid and encourage and then defend politicians to loot public treasuries are uneducated.
This is simply because a well-educated mind that is well-informed, will not join hands to destroy his or her people, state and country, no matter what. A person without a ‘conscience’ and empathy for others, no matter his/her attained level of certification/training, can best be described as an uneducated certificated person.
Education, formal and informal, is supposed to produce an ‘all-round’ developed individual whose character, mind and human intelligence are well groomed to serve and meet – not only his/her needs, but most importantly, the needs of others. Especially if in a position of leadership, and no matter the level of leadership. That is why when we look at our present crop of leaders in Nigeria and what is going on in our society, we can say that our political leaders of this era are mostly uneducated, uninformed certificated people. They are certificated but not really educated in the real sense, that it is only uneducated persons that will pay armed thugs to snatch ballot boxes and stuff them with fake voting cards in their favour during elections.
It is only ‘illiterate or uneducated’ persons that would bribe electoral officials to declare fake results in their favour, and then they go to the Church to give Thanksgivings for stealing political mandates. It is only ‘illiterates, uninformed or uneducated’ persons that would take our collective wealth meant for the development of society to benefit all, as if it is their private money which they mismanage and misappropriate as they like without any iota of accountability. Educated persons will not hire our jobless youths to harass/intimidate or assassinate political opponents just to remain in power. Educated persons will not carry armed thugs wherever they go as body guards. Educated persons will not loot our collective public treasury through the awards of highly inflated government contracts, and at the end of the day still abandon such contracts with impunity. Educated persons will not be involved in ‘praise-singing’ and sycophancy just to be in the good books of so-called political fathers or their political bosses. Obtaining degrees upon degrees, doctorate degrees in law or fellow in medicines, accountancy, pharmacy and becoming Nigerian professors of any discipline, does not make one act like somebody who is truly educated. It only means they have been trained/skilled to become this or that without actually being educated.
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