School Vs Education: What Is More Important Than A Certificate
Naij.com guest writer Stephen Afolabi, CEO of the Africa Business Classroom,
argues that Nigerians worry too much about schooling and getting a
certificate while they should be focusing on entirely different things.
Join our ‘school vs education’ debate!
“I believe that education is the real solution to problems, not a school certificate (which our fellow countrymen value so much).
“Most people define education as possessing a certificate and think they are ‘educated’ simply because they have a degree or two. But, in fact, education and a certificate are two different things. You can have one but not the other.
“Education is an English word which originated from the Latin word ‘educo’ – ‘to draw out’, ‘lead out’, ‘bring up’, ‘rear’. In Italian, the word still means ‘upbringing’ rather than ‘instruction’.
“Dictionaries, with little variation, define education as follows: The act or process of acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself for the life (or task) ahead.
“See, education has nothing to do with your certificate, the university you attended, or even whether or not you attended school. Education is 100% about your mind and the power therein. You may have attended the best university in the world and/or have highest grades, but all of this does not matter if you’re not prepared to face life and achieve your desired success after school. This prompts me to ask, how many Nigerian graduates are prepared for life after graduation?
“I think, one of the most serious problems we have in Nigeria is that about 95% of our population (including the graduates) are not educated. They may have BSc, HND, or even PhD, but they do not train their minds.
“I would like to list five reasons why I advocate for paying more attention to education and less to school.
“Let libraries become your best friends. That ugly old adage is very true: “If you want to hide something from an African, keep it inside a book because he will not read it.'” This has to stop. Reading is the single most powerful secret of great men.
“I remember reading a short biography of our father, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. All his life, books were his companions. In fact, Awolowo advised that every living being should read at least 4 hours daily. Don’t be surprised, Awolowo bought a book just one or two days before he left us in 1987.
“Our fathers, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe, ruled us by the book. I was inspired when, reading Bill Clinton’s autobiography, I came upon a story of how he read 300 books in just two years as a youth.
“I suggest you make a research on the richest people in the history of the world, the greatest artists, musicians, even footballers. Somewhere in their ‘secret room,’ you’ll find books.
“Think about these words by Dr. Seuss, a world-famous American writer and cartoonist: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
“What kind of books should Nigerians read? First, any good books that relate to your passion and dreams, books about people who have achieved greatness in that field before. You will be enlightened, encouraged and guided, have more courage to pursue your goals. Secondly, enrich your general knowledge, broaden your horizons. Read popular science works on psychology, medicine, geography, law, business, economics.
“There are plenty of books, articles, blog posts freely available on the Internet if you’re worrying about your finances.
“Another way to educate yourself is to actually trying for real, making attempts.
“American author of books on strategy, power and seduction, public speaker Robert Greene was right when he said we human beings really don’t learn anything worthwhile until we make mistakes.
“We Nigerians tend to stay indoors expecting miracles. Mistakes and failures are the best source of education. They make you smarter and more experienced!
“In conclusion, I’m calling on you, my fellow Nigerians, to think less of your certificate and more of what is in your mind by equipping it with all kinds of information and experience.
Source:Clement Ejioforre-posted by Abdulgafar Esho (www.econsforumnews.blogspot.com)“I believe that education is the real solution to problems, not a school certificate (which our fellow countrymen value so much).
“Most people define education as possessing a certificate and think they are ‘educated’ simply because they have a degree or two. But, in fact, education and a certificate are two different things. You can have one but not the other.
“Education is an English word which originated from the Latin word ‘educo’ – ‘to draw out’, ‘lead out’, ‘bring up’, ‘rear’. In Italian, the word still means ‘upbringing’ rather than ‘instruction’.
“Dictionaries, with little variation, define education as follows: The act or process of acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself for the life (or task) ahead.
“See, education has nothing to do with your certificate, the university you attended, or even whether or not you attended school. Education is 100% about your mind and the power therein. You may have attended the best university in the world and/or have highest grades, but all of this does not matter if you’re not prepared to face life and achieve your desired success after school. This prompts me to ask, how many Nigerian graduates are prepared for life after graduation?
“I think, one of the most serious problems we have in Nigeria is that about 95% of our population (including the graduates) are not educated. They may have BSc, HND, or even PhD, but they do not train their minds.
“I would like to list five reasons why I advocate for paying more attention to education and less to school.
- It is proper education that prepares us for life, not school. Tell me, when you compare what you know so far about life with what you were taught as a child, would you say attending school, or obtaining a certificate, guarantees further success? Most of our ‘graduates’ today were never prepared to face real life outside school.
- Proper education could eradicate (or drastically reduce) the rate of unemployment in Nigeria. What is the point of schools teaching our youths how to get job when there are no jobs? Education can bring out the best in all of us, prepare us for the life ahead and give us the courage to follow our dreams. Thus, we’ll eventually become more daring and successful. Believe me, too many of our ‘graduates’ are cowards who don’t know how to pursue their passion.
- Proper education could teach us of a different value system as Nigerian citizens. In my opinion, the present generation of Nigerians have a faulty system of values (including me). Where is patriotism, love and sacrifice for our fatherland? Who out there is thinking ‘What can I do for my country?’ It is like this because most of us are not educated enough to know that we owe our country and our countrymen.
- Proper education could help us to grow into independent and responsible citizens. An average Nigerian is having dependence-ailment (if there is anything like that). We love to see who and who can help us. We love to look up to people. This leads us to be irresponsible. This is because we were never prepared for what life is. Education will help us to see ourselves as warriors. Come on, no real warrior is dependent in the battle field.
- Proper education could solve our economic and political problems. I am not a political critic and I won’t blame C or F for our country’s woes. However, I believe, if all the above points are combined (reassessment of values, having courageous, independent and responsible citizens, increasing numbers of entrepreneurs and nation-builders), we are definitely going to create a better country.
“Let libraries become your best friends. That ugly old adage is very true: “If you want to hide something from an African, keep it inside a book because he will not read it.'” This has to stop. Reading is the single most powerful secret of great men.
“I remember reading a short biography of our father, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. All his life, books were his companions. In fact, Awolowo advised that every living being should read at least 4 hours daily. Don’t be surprised, Awolowo bought a book just one or two days before he left us in 1987.
“Our fathers, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe, ruled us by the book. I was inspired when, reading Bill Clinton’s autobiography, I came upon a story of how he read 300 books in just two years as a youth.
“I suggest you make a research on the richest people in the history of the world, the greatest artists, musicians, even footballers. Somewhere in their ‘secret room,’ you’ll find books.
“Think about these words by Dr. Seuss, a world-famous American writer and cartoonist: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
“What kind of books should Nigerians read? First, any good books that relate to your passion and dreams, books about people who have achieved greatness in that field before. You will be enlightened, encouraged and guided, have more courage to pursue your goals. Secondly, enrich your general knowledge, broaden your horizons. Read popular science works on psychology, medicine, geography, law, business, economics.
“There are plenty of books, articles, blog posts freely available on the Internet if you’re worrying about your finances.
“Another way to educate yourself is to actually trying for real, making attempts.
“American author of books on strategy, power and seduction, public speaker Robert Greene was right when he said we human beings really don’t learn anything worthwhile until we make mistakes.
“We Nigerians tend to stay indoors expecting miracles. Mistakes and failures are the best source of education. They make you smarter and more experienced!
“In conclusion, I’m calling on you, my fellow Nigerians, to think less of your certificate and more of what is in your mind by equipping it with all kinds of information and experience.
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