IT is time Nigerians stop over relying on formal education as the only path to success and start prioritizing skills.
People have become so focused on using schooling to succeed that they forget to explore their natural talents, abilities, and skills. They have no concept of what they can accomplish after secondary school or varsity since they have no idea what their talents are.
Nigerians spend an average of about nineteen years in school, only to graduate and face the harsh reality of unemployment. Besides, anything taught to a child after 1pm is almost pointless, the brain is exhausted by then. Let’s go practical.
Did you know that due to the rate of unemployment Nigeria is faced with, NYSC is encouraging graduates to go into entrepreneurship by instituting compulsory skill acquisition programs for corps member while in the 3 weeks camp (SAID) and also granting loan of about N500,000 to interested outgoing corps member and withholding their discharge certificate as collateral while the loan lasts?
Did you know there’s a whole course on Entrepreneurship in the University? The Did you knows are much, I am not trying to bore you on todays piece, let’s get straight to it.
Most people go to school with the sole aim of getting a befitting job thereafter, that’s at higher level, We all were sent to school because our parents felt we should be educated. As such, eliminate our creative powers by casting doubts on our innate abilities and will only depend on the theories that are taught in school and these theories are based on other peoples’ opinions.
Being educated is not to make us slaves to erratic employers rather it is meant to give us a competitive advantage based on our exposure and levels of socialization.
Mere schooling is not enough,what we need now is appropriate and quality education that is impactful to cause unavoidable ripple effects for the common good of us all. Don’t have the mindset to just go to school to feel among school leavers or have the best of jobs rather go to school to be educated, nurtured and assured.
You see a person that studied Zoology working in a bank, or a graduate of Biology working in the ministry of Arts and Culture. You study a different thing and work in an entirely different space. For those that were able to secure one.
Times are hard, we can’t deny that, so it’s best to acquire at least a skill or develop our natural talents then apply our “book knowledge” to make them better.
we can not all be entrepreneurs, likewise we can not all have white collar jobs. Education is meant to help expand our coasts, and widen our horizon to see hidden potentials that needs to be explored and effects to be created.
Therefore, whatsoever your hands find to do, do it well; be good at it. What is worth doing is worth doing well. Do not let that passion to write a poem or cook die; do not let that acquired skill fade away as it could earn you a fortune now or in the future.
Besides having a degree, acquiring a skill/developing a talent is an alternative backup strategy. Creating a job by oneself gives one a sense of belonging and confidence and not solely rely on getting a job, for our sake and others too.
Both are not enough, so you’ll have to carry both along and see what works for you. But have the knowledge of both from the very beginning-Education and skills.
Great teachers motivate, inspire,encourage and lead. They interact with their community to affect positive change through their students and themselves. Sadly, teachers today are the lowest paid, with little to no regard, Sometimes treated like a plague. Most teachers are teachers because that’s their last option. Half a bread is better than none. Why blame them though?
You hardly see a school teacher who has prospered in this part of the world. I am not going to go about how they are underpaid, unappreciated and so on. My argument in this piece is to allow school teachers go out and hustle. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel in this country we are. Schools should close by 1pm, and maybe operate three days a week to enable students learn new skills and allow teachers hustle.
Developed countries like China that Nigeria is always borrowing from are teaching their kids in the kindergarten skills. There’s one craft clip I saw that their kids make things seamlessly but here people are paying to learn. I inclusive. Had it been we were thought this earlier, we would have been way past this stage in this country. Well, let’s not ponder on what was and look at the way forward.
Let our children acquire skills, allow them showcase their talents, encourage them in entrepreneurial activities- it’s not spoiling them with money or distracting them from school. So that when they grow, some that are fortuned to be school teachers will not find it hard.
I rest my case.
- Kabara, is a writer and public commentator. Her syndicated column, Voice, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays. She can be reached on hafceekay01@gmail.com.