olugbenga osunkoya
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read

IN SEARCH OF MENTORS

He insisted he was going to study Engineering in the university, a 17yrs old boy who couldn’t answer a simple question of twelve multiplied by twelve, the worst part of the story was that he couldn’t even string a correct sentence together (wetin dey there, afterall we know graduates who can’t too). In a discussion with a friend of mine who became an unofficial mentor of the teen, she was surprised at the young man’s insistence that he was going into the university to really study engineering and she further put him to test to be sure that he really knew what he wanted; but do we really blame the young man going by how messed up our education has been over the years and how there seems to be no concrete plans and solution in sight to tackle the decline and also not forgetting our emphasis on paper qualification in this part of the world.

My friend took up the role all by herself and has committed herself to taking up more of his type to mentor them onto the right path, a cause that would seem awkward when there is the opportunity of sharing in the so called “National cake”, which she could have directed her energy towards instead of “wasting” her precious time and talent. Our “Engineer” would be writing his final high school exams in about 3 months and madam mentor said she was secretly praying that he quickly realizes that it may not be his calling (but madam mentor, wetin be your own sef?) so that he would realize that he could be better doing something else. What if “Engineer” eventually gets admission into university obviously with the assistance of Jamb “Special Centers” and after graduation and youth service, he is put in charge of a bridge or building construction? Your guesses are as good as mine.

The time has come for us to mentor some of these kids so that we can all be better for it at the end of it all. “Engineer” and his likes should give it a thought too and decide deep down in their heart of hearts if they actually think they will be able to cope with the rigours of university education. They could try getting into a vocational school, learning what they are good at and afterwards get a degree in that field to give them an edge; after all knowing a vocation in this new world now is as important as the air we breathe.

Thousands of “Engineer” abound around us, the time to place such huge emphasis on paper qualification should be drawing to an end, and rather we should redirect such emphasis on skills and competence except for a few endeavors. Our teens and young adults are really in search of mentors who can impact positively on their lives and guide them along the path of life. Once the foundation is as solid as it ought to be, we sure would have done our bit and will be proud of it just as the ripple effect will be great for our dear country.

Let’s learn to take care of the little things around us that may seem inconsequential and the big things will become as easy as A B C.

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