MY VIEW ON EDUCATION, ENLIGHTENMENT & QUALIFICATIONS.

Feb 23, 2017 · 6 min read

MY VIEW ON EDUCATION, ENLIGHTENMENT & QUALIFICATIONS.

I was asked this important question, at what level can an individual be regarded as educated?

This is a complex question, but for me, on the basics, Primary school Education level is enough for me to call someone educated, because a lot depends on SELF DEVELOPMENT.

On the other hand, with the way things are in the Society, it is one who has been "further Educated" to University level some call Educated, Society has a way of looking down on people if they are not Educated up to the University level.

Again, to me, I can call an individual Educated once he/she knows what is right and what is wrong, because In truth, to be Educated at times may not involve going to school at all, depending on the angle one wants to look at things from.

Education starts from the early stage when a child is born, beign able to understand and recognize father and mother, family members and relatives up to the level of beign able to learn and speak, be it mother's tongue alone or English Language and beign able to understand where to go to and where to stay, where to stand and who to talk to and who not to talk to, all these are the Rudiments of Education, putting in mind that Education means

DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE.

With self Development and exposure, an individual that has never been to the four walls of a school could get himself to a level that another individual who has been to the University is, and compete effectively

WHY IS THIS SO?
Because:

Education cannot be Exhausted

Education Is not limited to the four walls of a school

One can make up for Education with ENLIGHTENMENT.

What is Enlightenment?

This means to be aware, to understand, to know.

That one did not go to school does not mean that one should not be aware of things, get interested with what is happening around you, ask questions even if they laugh at you, never mind as long as you get to know what you did not know before!

Do not have low self esteem because you did not go to school, seek to contribute to your immediate environment and CONTRIBUTE WISELY.

The reality is this, there are various types of education, the popular one is the one that we get when we go to school and let me say rightly that the outcome of that is QUALIFICATIONS AND DEGREES.

So, if one has finished from a primary school, A secondary School or a University, the person is QUALIFIED WITH DEGREES depending on the level the person stopped this education at, and he/she is rightfully Educated because the person has DEVLEOPED KNOWLEDGE, irrespective of whether the person has been to the Univeristy or not!

The Problem I have with Nigerian Youths is that, the fact that they have been to school and have degrees makes them to relax and feel like they have arrived, meanwhile in reality, they are yet to start their journey in life.

SCHOOL IS NOT EVERYTHING AND SCHOOL DOES NOT TEACH YOU EVERYTHING.

As a University Graduate, there are lots of Self Development and personal Developments that one needs to become EMPLOYABLE, most of this, I am afraid, You will never learn them in School no matter how good the school you finished from is.

Here is the Advantage a serious person that never went to school has, the individual has all the time in the world for personal devlopment unlike his age mate that went to school that has a curriculum fixed for him, Classes here and there, lectures, assignment and before you know it, EXAMS.

One thing I tell graduates is this, you are more that the degree you have, do not get belittled by what your degree says, be it First Class, Second Class Upper or third Class, what you did majorly in school is to test how one can prepare for exams, and how one can learn formulas and all, this does not PROVE YOUR LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE.

ONE PAINFUL THING is that one may never get rightly compensated for the years one spends in school, in Nigeria for example , 6 years in Primary School, 6 years in Secondary School, and 4/5 years in University. That is minus periods of Strike( if you passed through Public School system) and period of waiting to get admission.

As a degree carrying individual, I want to encourage fellow graduates to work more on ENLIGHTENMENT & PERSONAL DEVLOPMENT in any sector of life, especially the area one has passion in, be it Tourism, Teaching, Agriculture, Sports, Entertainment and all.

At the end of the day, as a Graduate, you may not get employed based on what you read in school, but based on your other area of interest and this is why Further DEVELOPMENT after leaving school is KEY.

When a Graduate gets employed, a lot of things are expected from the person, in fact most of the things your employer expects of you were never taught in your Days in The Univeristy, unless you read a very practical course and you are working in a practical oriented company.

What is out there on the street is different from what is inside your school compound, but still, you have a edge, and what is this edge? COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.

You were able to beat some people in Common entrance, to be able to make it to a secondary SCHOOL, and then you passed WAEC and JAMB and gained admission to the University, and finally you were able to come out with a certificate from the Univeristy, this means that you are a CHAMPION.

DEGREES ARE GOOD BUT THEY DON’T GUARANTEE FINANCIAL BLOSSOMENESS THAT WE SEEK, Personal Developments and ability to see Opportunities and provide Solutions to problems is CRUCIAL.

In Conclusion, as long as you are able to read this piece, and you are able to understand it, even if it was translated to you to your Mother Tounge by another person, there abounds limitless opportunities for us all out there, that you have not been to the four walls of a school to say the least does not mean that you have no Value, and that you are Educated does not mean that you have arrived, let us all get ourselves enlightened and tenaciously work towards SELF DEVELOPMENT AND SELF ACTUALIZATION.