The word education is derived from the Latin word educare, which means to bring up, rear, and train. To educate, therefore simply means to teach, train, or inform somebody. Shakespeare borrowed it in the 1500s to mean schooling or some tutorial within a confined environment, purposefully. The original idea might be upright and awesome but it has suffered some infiltration and contamination. Education is a wholesome foundation, no doubt. It builds a concrete platform upon which the latent potential and in-depth human capacity can be explored.
Without proper and authentic education, the evolution of humankind may have been stalled and stagnated. The savages will reign supreme. Civilisation and modernisation may have remained in the daydreaming realm but for education. Think about the four strategic modernisations that have swept the world like a whirlwind. The modernisation of industry, agriculture, national defense, and science and technology. These growth indexes also represent the core pillars of rapid development entrenched by the Chinese reform and revolutionary political elite in the new era of opening up. So, let the wise and rational ones welcome the refining structure or furnace called education.
Nevertheless, in one of his classics “Up and Out of Poverty”, China President Xi Jinping reiterated the words of Socrates, thus “If you know what you know, and you know what you don’t know, that’s knowledge.” Paraphrasing it in the words of Analects of Confucius, 2:17) “Know what you know, and know what you don’t know; that is true knowledge.” The matter concludes that you require a deliberate action plan to learn and unlearn, to know both known and unknown things, and yet be disposed to dig deeper and wider into the world of knowledge. Unfortunately, however, and particularly in most former colonies, the higher institution’s curriculum retains certain kindergarten styles of garbage in garbage out. It has no provisions for a dialectical arena that encompasses the individual students’ exploration of genius talents. Nigeria’s tertiary institutions are mere glorified secondary school, to say it mildly. To be fair, there are exceptions. The University of Lagos (Unilag), the University of Ibadan, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik), Awka, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), etc, are among the few that can be said to rub shoulders with prestigious universities around the world.
I intend not to employ the embellishments of statistics to drive home my point here, nevertheless, it was only about 12 years ago (2012) that one out of the numerous public and private tertiary institutions in Nigeria made the record to the 100 best universities in West Africa. I suppose that is the University of Ibadan. I will tell a shocking story to buttress my point. Sometimes, before I did my diploma in English Language for Professionals (DEP) in Unilag, I sought to do my first degree at a federal university in Nigeria. I have been a writer since 2001. But I had a certain emptiness that although I took it upon myself to undergo self-development I had yet to submit for authentication purposes at a traditional school system and then obtain the paper certification. I have a doctorate holder friend resident in Aberdeen, Scotland, Dr. Sunday Odaa, who savors reading my writings but does not hesitate to knock me to go to school. I wondered what more to do when my editors weren’t complaining who often published my materials and manuscripts unedited because they came flawless.
Well, long story short, I decided to inquire about the enrollment process at the university. When I entered the university premises, I refused to be carried away by the back-and-forth movement of some beautiful damsels mixed with their nice-looking opposite gender – youngsters. I also sighted men and women who dressed responsibly; their appearance was reminiscent of the “ol’ court man,” (bailiff) or the olden days teachers in khaki dresses. Only this time they have a touch of modern costume such as the tie and official colour suit. Quickly, I selected a male passerby from the crowd and approached him for some on-the-move inquiries. Herein comes the artificial shortcomings now rampant in our universities, especially the public ones.
Following the exchange of greetings was the formal introduction. Then my inquiry. Without much ado, I asked him what it would take to gain admission to the school for a course in the art faculty. Then the bombshell!!! He gave me a rueful and probable reply thus…”It is very difficult to gain admission here, very difficult,” he emphasised with an unpromising tone. A while ago when I introduced myself, I did not give him a clue of my intellectual qualities as a writer and freelance journalist, just a businessman in the importation of goods and services with offices in Lagos and Nnewi in Anambra state. But my quick response to his depressing and heart-rending information pulled the rug under his feet. I disarmed him. I said, confidently and with a strong voice “Of the 1000 best universities in the world and specifically the 100 best universities in West Africa, none of the Nigerian universities qualifies the entry list. Yet, if I so decide to gain admission to any of these other top-notch universities, I can do that effortlessly while standing with you here on my laptop.” The man was dumbfounded and when he regained himself, he asked me who I said I was again. I reminded him that I had already informed him. He insisted I reiterate. When I magnanimously added that I had found fun and flair with reading and writing since the early years of my life even as a school dropout at JSS in the late 1980s, he initially disbelieved such a claim. He asked in specific terms if I had hard copies of newspapers or links that bear my name as the author. I quickly answered that I could bring 10 copies, and then he became humble and asked if I could present such proof, that he would ensure I get the admission. I quickly reminded him that he told me just earlier that admission is very difficult in this school”. His final words could serve as a topic for a whole volume of a book. “For creative people like you, admission is not difficult.”
To many folks, therefore, the inbred capacity and “follow-come” (apologies Nigerian parlance) potential suffices to fetch them all that this life needs for them to blossom with or without education. I had addressed this discourse previously in my writing, calling for an overhauling of our university curriculum that will create an enabling environment for individual students to bring to bear their natural abilities for the solutions to our societal ills. The stereotype style of study and locked-up template programmes operational in higher institutions exist to preempt the demonstration or exhibition of rare talents in our burgeoning youth population.
Steve Obum Orajiaku,
Lagos
[email protected]
08035530832