Only Education Can Bring True Change.

My nerves are constantly unsettled, my mind, overflowing with creative ideas and just as that is happening, a part of my brain empowered by the voice of reason, speaks to me by illuminating and highlighting a failed system that would not properly aid the procreation of these my beloved ideas and would consequently even be detrimental to their growth. This is where myself and my many friends find ourselves; in a lost and unfocused system, trying to find our own direction and focus-the Irony. I was once asked what I thought about the educational system in Nigeria and just like my many overflowing creative ideas, the many flaws of this very crucial system in a individual’s life came rushing into my head like an ocean of vast water. We do not realise this, but change is not in the hands of some political party’s agenda, it begins from the mindset and the impartation we give individuals that may assume positions of power. In my humble opinion, that’s where education comes in. It is true that one need not necessarily get educated in school, but, that is where the problem begins. We have seen a school as a place to come and learn definitions and pour them out on one final day of examination and move on to the next and continue that trend for years until we are left at the end with the mind bothering questions of, what can I do and what have I really learnt? Sadly, I have passed through the same. I think we really need to revisit what “Learning Environment” really means, after all, that is what “they” say a school is. Learning is not restricted; especially not to the, “What is” questions and the “Explain this” command of our educational system. It is much more than that. It is supposed to be a real life simulation; a sample for what lies ahead. A place to explore the vast oceans of possibilities and let our children take their minds to various places. The school should be a practical place. Practicality is the key to innovation. Knowledge is good, but the application is its essence. A friend once told me she studies “Child Management” in the university. I was in awe. Of course, not in Nigeria. That is a school that understands that education and knowledge are not streamlined or subjective. We are exhausted from the, ” what is, explain, define” and what not. Let’s move on to the, “In a situation where… or if placed in a……” type of questions. Change should not be affiliated with some political party. It should be the mantra and slogan of education.