Revisiting the Nigerian Educational System – SCHOOL NEEDS TO GO TO SCHOOL!

I never really liked school or, should I say, the Nigerian Educational System.

Quick suggestion before we dive in…

We (you and I) must begin, in our small ways, to put our education to use to foster the development of all Nigerian citizens. We must help ourselves reach our full potential, just as the Federal Ministry of Education’s mission is.

Okay…Why I disliked School?

I had a conviction: School Needs To Go To School!

Guess what!
I didn’t care to hide it from those close to me at the university. Despite my dislike for school, it always surprised them when I came first in my courses. This could be because I have decided to succeed at anything I do. However, I always believed there was more to learn beyond the classroom and our outdated textbooks. This was because I had already started reading business books and attending seminars that opened my mind to new possibilities. Despite all these strivings for personal growth, I felt trapped in school with little room for adventure and expected growth.

The Untold Fact

After a while, I realized that my dislike was not for school but the curriculum. Over the years, it has been unprogressive and keeps people ignorant, which is an irony for an institution of knowledge. The Nigerian educational system continues to prepare students for a world that no longer exists. Look around you. Only most of the graduates are practicing what they studied in school. The rest visit the search engine, looking for realistic ways to make money offline or online, acquiring skills unrelated to their courses of study, with tech courses being the in-thing today.

I had questions I needed help answering. I always wondered what the true measurement of intelligence was and how intelligence was limited to passing exams and tests. How about other forms of intelligence that don’t require such measures? But we can only successfully answer these questions if we acknowledge that there is not just one form of intelligence but multiple intelligence.

School Needs To Go To School

You’ll agree that if only reading and writing make people intelligent, then the world will be filled with many dumb people, but that’s not true. The major problem with the Nigerian educational system is that FISH is forced to climb TREES, using a One-Size-Fits-All approach that gives no room for multiple intelligence. This is why I believe that School Needs To Go To School.

I had friends who were great at different art forms, but their school grades told another story. I knew students who were some of the smartest people when it came to business, trading, and entrepreneurship, but they were failing classes. So, are we to say they were unintelligent because they had poor grades? While I am not making excuses for failure in anything, I believe the Nigerian educational system does not give room for all forms of intelligence, where people can flourish in their areas of strength and interest. See why it is important for the school to go to school?

But like every problem or challenge, there’s a solution. While it may be impossible for a complete do-over of the school system, at least not overnight, foundational changes can still be made to begin the overdue journey of getting things right. You and I have important roles in ensuring Fish is no longer forced to climb trees.

What are your thoughts?