There is nothing that portrays a man great than “knowledge”. That is why it is said that knowledge is power and one without it is living in bondage because illiteracy is a disease. Little wonder why prolific writers like William Sheakespeare, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe etc. always attract accolades whenever their names are mentioned. The respect they attract does not lie in their body structure, nor in their size or good looks but rather the beauties they radiate lie in the greatness of their thoughts and knowledge. Over the years what they know have remained the light on their paths, illuminating their ways as they wade through the thick atmosphere of their existence.
One is said to be knowledgeable when he moves beyond his field to other fields of life and at the same time make meaningful contributions for the overall goodness of his immediate society. An educated mind is classic, polished and purified in thought. One acquires knowledge either formally on informally.
Education is a prestigious venture and that is the reason every government has it as a priority.
Through education, one receives discipline, clearly, ones way of life is different, as the way one talks, dresses, eats, walks, sits and their likes are quite distinct from that of others.
A man who is truly educated radiates the air of decency, dedication and commitment in what ever he does. In any work he does, he exhibits a touch of class. His environment exudes peace and love. He maintains peace and a high level of decency. I will forever remain grateful to the progenitors of knowledge who brought education to mankind. It is true that some people may argue that the coming of the Europeans to Africa was a loss for Africa. Loss since their coming destroyed our norms and values. For them, the white man came to Africa with deceitful tendencies. According to them, the white man presented the bible as cover while his real intentions were exploitation of Africa’s vast economic potentials – like ivory, salt, gold, palm oil and several other economic benefits.
For me however, I believe that the coming of the Europeans brought more positive values than negative. I may be wrong but I believe the white man brought so much blessings to Africa and Nigeria particularly. Imagine the state of darkness our society would have been in without the illumination of education, of course, we would have been too ignorant of our very environment. Our lives would have been brutish and short crude tendencies would have been unlimited. The level of awareness would have been low and we would still have been undeveloped.
The sound of the aeroplane and cars would have remained strange to our ears and we would have had no other material of clothing than animal skin and leaves. There would not have been much cultural exposure for us as we all enjoy today. Our homes are paradise on earth because we have come to learn goodness. The beautiful flowers in our homes, the wonderful edifices, cozy furniture and beautiful gardens are all legacies of our educational values. Surely, education is a key part of our progress as humanity today. Through education we have seen the light and today the light of education is what every Nigerian thrives on.
Days there were when the acquisition of education was not a tea-party. It was characterized by hard work, commitment, dedication and discipline. Our brothers who were engaged in this quest for knowledge were like Gold which passed through the furnace to be purified. The process of purification was one hard task but still harboured great rewards.
Those who had the privilege of a good education were seen as small gods. This was because they radiated joy and happiness wherever they were. Their starched and properly ironed dresses were a sight to behold. When they walked they walked with dignity and power because they rode on the wings of education.
Today long after our forefathers had left the world, people crave for the cherished value of good education. The poor ties his belly and wades through thick and thin to provide education for his children. The rich look for the best schools, even in the moon, for their children all because they want the best. They want their children to even study in foreign lands if it guarantees quality education. Some of these rich parents crave for foreign schools because the standard of education is falling by the day in Nigeria.
In Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God, Ezeulu sends his son to the whiteman’s school, to “be his eyes”. The meaning is that Ezeulu wants the child to receive everything the white man had to offer. The son was to gather every information about the white man and report back to him and this kind of exercise requires commitment and dedication. When Oduche his son goes to school, he listened with rapt attention and eyes wide open so as to receive the white’s man’s education so that he could report effectively to the father.
Today, however, the case is different as our contemporary Oduche’s go to school with different motives. When you ask the average Nigerian student why he is in school, the answer will be “to get my own certificate” as though it is the Nigerian national cake. However the certificate is realized is a totally different issue altogether. Yes certificates are issued but they have to be through hardworks and dedications to study. Excellence in academics requires a lot of intensive and extensive reading. It is not what scanning and scheming can do. It requires real hardwork.
The falling standard of education begins at the primary school level. Often times the teachers in rural schools do not do their work well. They engage pupils in slave labour more than in the class work. Pupils are sent to teachers homes to do house chores during school hours. In the midst of such scenario, how then can a child learn effectively? Some of these schools have no good learning environment. Pupils sit under trees and open roofs to take their lessons. The end performance will always record more depreciation.
These teachers, in the bid to justify their laxity to duty resort to exam made easy during regular terminal exams. This reminds me of an experience some years back. I had visited home to see my parents and met Ekene preparing to write his common entrance examination same day. Well, I wished him good-luck in his exams. After a short while, Ekene returned back with a joyful song on his lips. When I enquired the reason for the unexpected mood, he told me that not only had he finished all his questions and on time but also that he got all the answers right. I was baffled and asked him how he knew, he got all the answers right. In reply, Ekene told me in Igbo “Madam anyi kporo anyi ya akporo”. Holy Moses! I exclaimed. What Ekene meant of course was that their class teacher dictated the answers for them to copy and because the answers came from their teacher, they definitely were all correct.
I wondered at how bad our educational system had degenerated. How can a teacher who ordinarily should invigilate and supervise students and make sure they do not cheat in examination now become^ the one who dictates answers in the hall. One who is a custodian of morals, a character molder, a disciplinarian turns to be the one who engages in exam malpractices. Definitely such a teacher can never produce good and excellent students, because she has compromised her professional calling.
The secondary school level is not spared in this aberration – because it is the same pupils for who answers of common entrance examination questions have been dictated that populate our secondary schools especially the public schools. When they gain admission at JSS 1, ask them to spell their names and you will be shocked at the response because the foundation was faulty. No matter how hard a teacher battles to bring them to the lime light of knowledge, the result will always be poor. The feedback the teacher receives becomes too discouraging.
Students exhibit laisser fare attitude to study. They are lazy, easily distracted by negativities. In their world, they see no reason why they should labour in study when the school system is such that nobody fails. Even those that fail, all receive promotion to the new classes at the end of the session. How can a society move forward in this situation? Those that failed and those that passed move to the next class! Massive promotion of values indeed. It sounds very discouraging and such can affect a hard working student and make him redundant.
As a matter of fact, children and teachers should be constantly checked by those whose responsibility it is to do so. Teachers should be made to rise to their responsibilities of teaching their students well and their teachings should be helped by the teaching aids provided by the government. They must always base their teachings on the provided schemes.
Students on the other hand should be made to rise to the challenges of study. The parents and teachers have great work to do in this regard. When everybody rise to face his challenges, our educational system will be better and the lost glory will be restored. Then perhaps I will find suitable teachers for my own children!!
