REDEFINING EDUCATION, A PANACEA FOR THE REVIVAL OF AFRICA,
According to Wikipedia: Education is the process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits.
In my definition education is the study of humans and their related problems to get an indept understanding of how to solve such problems. it is a deliberate inquiries into the challenges of man and how best to solve them.
Education is about solving problems that confronts man on daily basis, it should not be viewed as jamboree or rictuals that qualify you as a job seeker.
That is why you see today, every nation that is doing exceedingly well in the world are those nations who sees education as process of research into the problems of man with the sole aim of finding solution to them.
For instance, man needed to eat and good food at that, if man does not eat he will die, and if he eats the wrong foods he will fall sick, so men began to seek knowledge(education) on the subject of food (Agricultural science), men needed light and Thomas Edison educated himself by research, to make an electric bulb. In a bid to understand nature the more, and efficiently relate with it, people had to get educated about science. As the world evolved the problems of men gets more complicated and we needed to compute data easily, people had to create computer and study computer science. People needed easier ways to get job done hence engineering emerged, people fall sick and eventually die, so people had to study medical science. On daily basis great nation's invests into researches that will further reveal the solutions to man's problems.
Funny enough, in Africa, we often see education as a process you have to undertake in other to get good jobs or ATLEAST quailfy you as a job seeker. We see it as the only means to launch our children into the social class. No wonder African students in African schools will do everything to pass exams including cheating and bribing teacher but they would do nothing to improve skill and knowledge. No wonder they produce graduates in engineering who can not handle a spanner nor explain the principle of mechanics. No wonder parents send their children to schools with American, British and Turkish curricula in Nigeria. Not understanding that NIGERIA curriculum is designed to solve the unique challenges of NIGERIA and America curriculum designed to address the unique challenges of America.
No wonder we hire technicians and artisans from Europe and Asia as expertrates while we have certified Engineers.
The misconception of Africans about edication is the reason we have not been able to develop major inventions nor develop technologies that can be exported. Africa is backward because we have misinterpreted education all these while.
This is why today Doctors works in banks while there are not enough Doctors in the hospitals, and engineers works as sales persons.
It is because we feel that education is just an exercise, that is why at this stage what computers scientist still studying in African schools is c++ when the world has long outgrown it as a programming language.
Until we realize this, and take intentional steps to correct it, Africa's revival will remain a mirage. China got it right and turned from the poorest country in the world into the fastest growing economy in the world. Singapore redefined education and their revival surfaced.
We must therefore stand up as a continent, as a government and as a people to address this very important issue, if we must grow beyond this current state of under development,backwardness and dependence.
Thank you.
Comr. Ugagaoghene ogheneyole
DG OPERATIONS
REVIVE AFRICA INITIATIVE
According to Wikipedia: Education is the process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits.
In my definition education is the study of humans and their related problems to get an indept understanding of how to solve such problems. it is a deliberate inquiries into the challenges of man and how best to solve them.
Education is about solving problems that confronts man on daily basis, it should not be viewed as jamboree or rictuals that qualify you as a job seeker.
That is why you see today, every nation that is doing exceedingly well in the world are those nations who sees education as process of research into the problems of man with the sole aim of finding solution to them.
For instance, man needed to eat and good food at that, if man does not eat he will die, and if he eats the wrong foods he will fall sick, so men began to seek knowledge(education) on the subject of food (Agricultural science), men needed light and Thomas Edison educated himself by research, to make an electric bulb. In a bid to understand nature the more, and efficiently relate with it, people had to get educated about science. As the world evolved the problems of men gets more complicated and we needed to compute data easily, people had to create computer and study computer science. People needed easier ways to get job done hence engineering emerged, people fall sick and eventually die, so people had to study medical science. On daily basis great nation's invests into researches that will further reveal the solutions to man's problems.
Funny enough, in Africa, we often see education as a process you have to undertake in other to get good jobs or ATLEAST quailfy you as a job seeker. We see it as the only means to launch our children into the social class. No wonder African students in African schools will do everything to pass exams including cheating and bribing teacher but they would do nothing to improve skill and knowledge. No wonder they produce graduates in engineering who can not handle a spanner nor explain the principle of mechanics. No wonder parents send their children to schools with American, British and Turkish curricula in Nigeria. Not understanding that NIGERIA curriculum is designed to solve the unique challenges of NIGERIA and America curriculum designed to address the unique challenges of America.
No wonder we hire technicians and artisans from Europe and Asia as expertrates while we have certified Engineers.
The misconception of Africans about edication is the reason we have not been able to develop major inventions nor develop technologies that can be exported. Africa is backward because we have misinterpreted education all these while.
This is why today Doctors works in banks while there are not enough Doctors in the hospitals, and engineers works as sales persons.
It is because we feel that education is just an exercise, that is why at this stage what computers scientist still studying in African schools is c++ when the world has long outgrown it as a programming language.
Until we realize this, and take intentional steps to correct it, Africa's revival will remain a mirage. China got it right and turned from the poorest country in the world into the fastest growing economy in the world. Singapore redefined education and their revival surfaced.
We must therefore stand up as a continent, as a government and as a people to address this very important issue, if we must grow beyond this current state of under development,backwardness and dependence.
Thank you.
Comr. Ugagaoghene ogheneyole
DG OPERATIONS
REVIVE AFRICA INITIATIVE
It is imperative to understand that Education is the fundamental basis for the growth and advancement of any people or nation.
ReplyDelete'A well educated mind is an informed mind'.
Dr Nelson Aluya M.D.