Restructuring The Education System: A Case Study In Nigeria
Education has an essential role to play in the development of an individual from childhood to adulthood where he or she will get to learn how to read and write.
But doesn’t stop at reading and writing or even speaking.
I will like to define my knowledge about education in clear terms.
What is Education?
Education is the process of acquiring knowledge for the benefit of solving a problem.
If I studied computer engineering, I should be able to pick an area of interest. Let's say computer hardware and maintenance and fix a faulty system. Then one can say I have acquired knowledge. Knowledge comes with education.
If I go to law school to acquire legal knowledge, then use it in practice, I have acquired knowledge as regards the law field.
There is a great line of difference between knowledge and education.
You might be educated but you may not know what you were taught especially after some period of time or if it’s more of real world practice.
This is typically the system practiced in Nigeria.
You will be given series of courses to read which are even irrelevant to your field. At the end of the day you read just to pass those courses which after three months what you have read had already been forgotten. This is just a waste of time, effort and resources.
I will like to use myself as an example. I studied computer engineering in the University of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state. Only what I was thought as regards the field of computer engineering is head knowledge of computer system and maintenance, the semester we were taught that course, we never even used our eyes to see a dismantled computer.
My lecturer was so engaged the time he had was only to give us long notes to read and pass our exams.
How about the software aspect?
We were only thought PASCAL programming, Q- basics, Visual basic and other old programming languages which are no longer in use.
I had to help myself after graduation by learning computer technician job. This was only what helped me that I could stand before my employer during national service.
What is the reasonable way out of this menace?
Restructuring is the only out which will have to cause a revolution in the educational sector.
Anyone who is studying a particular area of specialization should be left in that are to study the basics to the advance part of such field starting from the first day on campus.
The difference is that with this approach been implemented students will get more familiarized in his or her field especially in handling devices that relates to his or her area.
When this is done coupled with external experience a student is said to be knowledgeable in his field which means he or she has to be educated before the knowledge can be acquired.
After graduation, I went in search of a job and only found a teaching job for the computer engineering studied. I was asked what I can do to make a faulty computer rise back again.
Then I was looking at my interviewer like a ghost from Lebanon. I couldn’t even answer a word, then I knew the educational system is messed up and my dad had to pay for me to personally learn computer system hardware and maintenance.
But right now I have the knowledge of computer system maintenance and I see a big gap difference between learning from the university to earn a degree and learning the actual job to be certified.
Thanks for reading; I am wishing all a nice weekend and a happy new week.