Let’s re-imagine Education together

I remember a while ago when asked what I hoped to become (as a student in secondary school) in the future, my first response was to become an Astronaut. I smiled when I heard a teenager say the same thing recently. Did I forget to mention this was the first time? After a while, I guess, the next exciting ambition for me was to become a Petrochemical Engineer. Come on, with all the rave about oil the biggest thing in the country and adverts on TV of Shell, Chevron, Mobil, Texaco and the likes and yes, there was Medicine, one of the regular family templates for a successful life. It was either Law, Medicine or Engineering or you were not going to amount to anything.

Interestingly, I did not become an astronaut or a petrochemical engineer or a medical doctor, no. I have a B.sc in Computer Science and I work with an EdTech startup working to help children in schools learn better. I spend a lot of time in the classroom and everytime I watch the children in one of their sessions, happy and excited to be learning something new, I am reminded of the joy, passion and enthusiasm of growing through each phase of primary, secondary and tertiary education. I remember the goals, motives and why I think we did what we did.

Goals

To start with, in primary school, I remember the goals we were raised to achieve. ‘Make ‘A’s, go outsmart others, become the first, be the best….get certified’. I remember having to compete with my colleagues for the 1st position at all times. I remember competing to become the Senior Prefect in Year 5 and felt really hurt when I lost to some other guy.. Chike … I can’t forget his name. We even competed to join the school choir/dance team. It was always a contest.

In secondary school, you had to acquire a certificate so you could attend a university. It was about passing the subjects and doing enough to stay on track. I remember decisions to get into the arts or Sciences were primarily influenced by external suggestions (friends, TV characters, stories, role models/teachers we admired) or sometimes these decisions were made for you.

And then came tertiary institution, regardless of what course you chose to study or were offered to study or fortunate enough to secure after trying for long to get in, the goal was to get a first class so you could land a high paying job. Yes, the job (so important) and the pressure to perform or exceed expectations became fuel for the fire that consumed the self-esteem of those that couldn’t cope.

Competition

Let’s talk about competition, and how it can be helpful and harmful too. How it challenges us and causes us to increase our current level and strive for improvement. This is only true for healthy competition. On the flip side, competition also feeds insecurity, becomes a mask for fear of failure and affects the emotional stability of an individual. Ever met someone who no matter what it is, would first think of their counter partner and how they can win?

The mind is always in constant pressure, can cause one to lose friends and forget value in things, can even cause one to lose one’s mind in the event of failure. In offices/organizations, you find colleagues who can not work in teams!

It starts with little things as a child and eventually grows with the individual and becomes everything

What If?

Just what if we changed the goals … Just what if we encouraged children in primary school to go to school and learn, to work together with peers instead of making it about certificates and outsmarting others?

What if children in secondary schools were encouraged to discover themselves, to find their interests and passion in the Arts or Sciences?

What if the goal of attending university was to get polished in one’s craft so that one could gain mastery for optimum performance in the marketplace?

I believe we would have a society of young adults who are happier, creative, productive, satisfied, in healthier relationships, people who value interactions, collaboration with others, who appreciate the beauty of our diversity, who appreciate our unique strengths and embrace each other’s’ weaknesses. I believe we would have younger people with the potential to live longer and healthier lives and set themselves free.

It begins in the mind. Let’s imagine together