The dream of every parent is to see their ward go through college and graduate with flying colours, given the general societal belief that a good grade is equivalent to a great job with multinational organizations, to this end, they forever keep hammering on the need to study hard, some even tease their children boasting about their own performances during their schooling years, and then there is great pause; those good grades did not culminate into personal fulfillment, and this they blame on life accusing it to unfair, unjust, unrewarding, and biased in favour of some selected few. Some who are classical religious extremist would assert that it is all but predestination, adding that God would only show mercy to those he deem fit. Time after time, unfulfilled dreams are owed to one’s Inability to rule his destiny.
All through childhood, the dream of every child is to either become a doctor, a lawyer, a banker, or an engineer, having grown to see them as heroes and heroines of their favorite TV series, dramas. To some, inspiration is drawn from the love of the attires worn by the professionals, while others have eavesdropped on adult conversations concerning the huge salary and benefits that accrues to individuals who pursue such careers. Then they fall in line in a heavily saturated queue, waiting for their turn, one that may not come within their lifetime. Go to school, get a degree, then shall your ways be like a shining light. This great lie is sadly inscribed into the mind of several helpless children, so they buckle down and study till the midnight candle pass out for grades that cannot buy grapes. In this adventure, many get tired and inadvertently fall out sometimes due to lack of money to pay fees owing to loss of job or life of the parent, some are able to scale through the misguided path, a few go the distance and obtain the prize of the high calling, a Degree with a prestigious institution to cap the achievement and an academic mortarboard for certification.
When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable, so where the words of Myles Munroe of blessed memory. The primary purpose of going to school is to be educated, this involves two processes, teaching and learning. Education is the process of imparting knowledge, skill, and judgement. It is way beyond acquiring a degree, as we have been made to believe growing up. Education is a strong tool that breaks the veil of ignorance that naturally circumvents an individual, it sets slaves free, brings people out of pits and dungeons, and sets a platform on which learned can stand up to their rights. In 2016, Arop Joseph gave his thoughts, “Education is the slight hammer that breaks the yoke of ignorance, and moulds knowledge, skills, ideas, good moral values in a person be it a child, a youth or full grown adult, no matter a person age, learning never stops”. This sums up every argument on the subject. Good education is essential for a well-run society, the effects of not being educated are adverse and unforgivable. The economy of this great nation Nigeria is shrinking because of the absence of good education, good governance and policy making are all byproducts of the former, as they both find their roots in good education. Give the people education, give them power, goes the famous cliché but sadly falling to the deaf ears of our politicians, whom being slave masters would not want the freedom of her slaves. Year after year, large chunk of graduates are thrown into the labour ocean, thus widening the unemployment spectrum. My heart skips when I see these numbers, given that if Jesus tarries, I would soon be churned out by my institution to join the statistics.
Then it appears that we have been daydreaming all these while, seeking refuge where there is no shelter, the prescription is failing to solve the ailment, is it not pitiful that after spending over 2 decades of one’s life trailing a path whose course is not properly charted, then you discover it was not worth the hassle. Here is a thousand pills to swallow, with no guarantee of remedy tomorrow. If going to school to get grades is vanity, and life itself is vanity, when both are placed side-by-side it sums up a life pretty wasted for the sake of an unjust course. I do not wish to sound anti scholastic, but sadly I cannot help it, the system is wrong, archaic, and failing grossly in delivering the core purpose of education. In this clime, we are trained to cram theories, principles, and formulas, in place of getting hands on experience on how things work. La Cram La Pour has become a coveted technique in schools today, it is arguably the cheapest way to score A’s. Students who have mastered this technique, are often considered as gurus, that alone is another irony. Examination is never a test of intelligence, it’s rather a test of memory; how well you can memorized what has been taught you. True intelligence is displayed in scenes where problem raises its ugly face, it is regarded as the ability to think through problems and proffer solutions. This is what education is all about, but our colleges are failing yet and again to educate us, the system has turned us into grade mongers. This is why after one graduates, he discovers that there is more to learn. Life they say is the best teacher, what if our schools borrow some wisdom from life and polishes its mode of operation, because at the end of the day what you know and can do, speaks volume, not the printed grades on those concord papers.
Pills and portion, what then can be done to break the jinx of our schooling system, given that good grades no longer guarantee good jobs, nor being a graduate secures a job with multinational organizations. Taking a route through self discovery, will leave you with the best returns ever. Every man is born with a unique gift, a discovery of such is the first step on the ladder of personal fulfillment one that your grades will never give you. Some are gifted in oratory, others in acting, a few are built with bricks of literature, many sing and the audience are blown away, some also paints, dance, cook delicious meals, are tech savvy, the list is endless. Once you discover your innate abilities, next thing to do is get trained on it. Talent can only take you far, but until the talent becomes a skill, you would soon burnout. When you train your gifts and talents, they become skills, marketable skills at that. This is what separates a talented footballer in the streets of Ajegunle, from a professional footballer whom has made football his work, the chorister from the Grammy winning singer, it is the distinction between a good writer, and a bestselling author, a cook, and a chef de cuisine. Self-discovery is one life hack that increases productivity, if well harnessed.
I do not mean to spoil it, grades are sweet, the first class especially, at least it indicates that you were able to memorize all you have been taught in school. It will make you happy, your friend will be proud as well, your parents most especially will applaud you for a job well done. But you see, it will not get you a job, the best it will do is to qualify you for a job opening that’s all. It will not get you fulfilled, now this is not because life is regarded as being unfair, rather because life only answers to what you put into it.
Therefore, I put this to you, how much are you doing currently to build your inner capacity, and develop your abilities? Are you an educated illiterate, how much information do you have about things outside your field of study? Do you only depend on what is taught in school, and you do not take time to build your intelligence? You can be what you want to be, but you must do what you have to do. Be a peak learner, learn, unlearn, and relearn, acquire a skill, discover your talents and gifts and sail your life in that direction.
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