Restoring The Pride Of Education

Sometimes i wonder if the only talents in Nigeria are in science or art related fields.

I am one to often sit with chuldren regardless of their background and listen to their dreams. Very often, what you hear is children speaking of their limitations and why dreams are beyond them. So after I joined Women Inspiration Development Center to deliver Agency to girls, ibstarted challenging the children once they start with the rhetorics.

I would ask what they would like to be and the response could be ' I would love to be a lecturer but i can't even dream of entering university because who will pay and I don't know anyone in that field, so i would do fashion design since i like sewing too "

Do you see the problem, the child has innate passion to be an educator but the environmental and family background which is beyond her control has made her settle on fashion design even before she completes secondary school.

While as a society, we might call this cutting her cloth according to her size, where is the room for growth in this mindset.

Where is room for opportunities and the maximizing of same.

In thinking this way, she is thinking of survival not growth and so as fashion designer, she is not going to think big simply because that is not her passion. That is merely a means to an end.

Information is crucial to ensure we develop the right skills for our industries. Real educators are fast becoming extinct, by design or by the error of design.

From teachers to lecturer, the salary scale does not favour them.

Do we talk about the society appreciation? The word ordinary teacher is quite common in our social circles, teaching is what many resort to due to unemployment once they know when recruitment is on and this being common knowledge even students now find it hard to respect an ordinary teacher.

A role that continues to determine quality of professionals cropping up in our skilled industries 10 years later is now looked upon with disdain and can be occupied by anyone who has a referral.

Is there anything we can do as change makers to reverse the current lack of respect for teaching and restore the job back to its pedestal

of glory.