This was how Boko haram started o. @OP Abeg, We need education.

The same White guys that came to Africa, went to Asia and south America. They are doing fine today.

We're always looking for whom to blame for our inadequacies

In summary, you just told us Boko is Haram!

I feel your pain Mr. OP
Though the average Africans will only ask this question when they are they are done studying to Uni level (First degree or Masters), or don't have what they desire, i think the problem should be addressed at Primary and Secondary school level.
As an Elect/Electronis Engineer your job is not to repair radio or should not require you to repair a radio before you can prove yourself. Your job is 99% design and 1% implementation. This is the same mistakes Computer engineer make when, as undrgraduate they look forward to being able to do the job of an IT Technician.

The OP is non-Islamic Boko Haram
The whites enhanced our knowledge base, but we seriously lack WISDOM to implement the knowledge we have!
Nobody can teach you wisdom.

arm4u:

My brother, i have a B.Eng in electrical/electronics engineering. with focus on electronics by my training, i should be designing electronics devices. All i learnt was equations! many of us here cannot repair ordinary transistor radios let alone designing and producing. when my tv have a problem, i take it to the "illitrate technician". the little repairs i did, i learnt from the road side repairers.

What then was my purpose of the education?
my brother, i have also have a masters degree, in computing, but our computer scientists end up as computer operators.

As for my age, i left the universtity in 1996. my words are words from an experienced and a matured man.

then ur article should be about the poor state of the nigerian educational system and not condeming Education as a whole.

arm4u:
My problem is not even the traditions and the cultures, it is that schooling make us to become so narrow minded, that we are not productive.

The teaming of unemployed graduates is a pointer to the fact that something is wrong with our educational system.
Education supposed to make to become productive and not opposite.

You couldn't have said it better. The large army of unemployed gratuates is a pointer that something is graviously wrong with the system. Education should geared toward solving problems be in agriculture, science or engr. But ironical, the large the number of graduants the more the problem. I listened to a documentary some years back on how it was stated that the country doesn't have the capacity to produce even a pin, i mean, i was devasted. In as much as i blamed the govt for doing so little in education, i think graduates should also engage in more critical thinking to profer solution to the challenges of their surrounding expecially in agriculture where expertise is needed. An engr should be humble enough to become an apprentice of a road side mechanics to learn the practicality of automoble, like wise an eletronic engr under the tutorship of a tv or radio repairer. This added knowledge could make a lot of diff instead of jottling for white collar job. When education becomes a fashion to boast of rather than avenue to improve the environment then, you are bound to have graduates who are heading nowhere.

Kay-Dee:


You make it sound like education brings a negative effect when the problem is people not using it properly.
Education doesn't keep you from being open minded. In some places, college professors encourage you to challenge them and when you teach them your ideas, they listen attentively . That's open-mindedness, thinking outside the box and coming up with new ideas. It's up to you to apply your education in a way that it puts bread on your table using what you learnt in the classroom.
The only thing the technician TV repairer has over you is his 'priceless' experience but if you have equal practical experience to go with your MS and BS degrees, you won't be on the same level.

Your logic is sound and great, except.....

The realities are contrary. Technology is too far, let us focus on Agriculture.
Why can't we grow our won foods?

Anyway, we are not saying that "Education" brings negative effects, we are saying that we should review the African approach to education.

We should redefine the goal of education.
Is it to have certificates or is it to become productive?
Our education today is clearly has nothing to do with productivity. It is as simple as getting certificates.
We must do something now.

Nwa Teacher: Why are you using abusive words on me? Do you want us to embark on an e-war? Do you think you can be as educated or more educated as i am? I hold Msc in Chemistry, what of you? I'm talking on an experiment that education and religion have not done any good to Africa than to deprive us our rich cultural heritage and your here fighting an e-war. Wise up my guy

you wise up! education has done us nothing but good and if u say education is not good why study up to msc level? dont u think it's hypocrisy?. i might agree with u on d religious part but dat's not d topic of discussion now.

deor03: This was how Boko haram started o. @OP Abeg, We need education.

The same White guys that came to Africa, went to Asia and south America. They are doing fine today.

We're always looking for whom to blame for our inadequacies

If all you have understood so far is that i am saying that we dont need education, apologies are mine.
Yet, please note clearly that the heart of the matter is this:

Education should help us to improve and not to retrogress. We need to review to our approach to education.
Our education today is focused on certificates and not productivity.
We learn definitions upon definitions without the ability to design and produce.
It is time to rise up.

Onyegecha:


Using the brain is not a prerogative of the west. Please use yours.

i can't believe the level sanity of some people

omenka: In summary, you just told us Boko is Haram!

No sir!
In summary, I am telling us that, we need to redefine the goal of education!
Is it to get a certificate or to become productive?
The knowledge we acquire in school, is it enough to make us to become a productive force?
Are we trained to become creative and open minded?
Most of our graduates are short circuited in thoughts and we need to change the trend.

Boko is not haram, but when boko makes one to become stupid, then we must look at such boko again.

deor03: This was how Boko haram started o. @OP Abeg, We need education.

The same White guys that came to Africa, went to Asia and south America. They are doing fine today.

We're always looking for whom to blame for our inadequacies

Fixed,needn't say more. China,malaysia,singapore were colonised what is essential to african now is a complete overhaul of our superstructure;from culture,to law,basic education,bussineses(inoavtion),socio/politics,science,ethics and rule of law.

lomprico:

then ur article should be about the poor state of the nigerian educational system and not condeming Education as a whole.

The article never condemned education!
the article is simply asking why do we abandon our ingenuity simply because we are "educated"

Ingenuity = Productivity
Education = Improvement on Ingenuity = Improvement on our productivity.

Now, education - productivity = stupidity.

It is not the "poor state of Nigerian educational system", it is rather the "poor state of the average African Mentality" who thinks that his ability to read and write is all that is needed to make him great!

maybe the op is based abroad, my garri is cultivated, produced and harvested in ijebu, my rice is produced in zamfara, my beans in sokoto, my yam in benue,apart from frozen fish, there is no food we don't produce in this country

ebamma: maybe the op is based abroad, my garri is cultivated, produced and harvested in ijebu, my rice is produced in zamfara, my beans in sokoto, my yam in benue,apart from frozen fish, there is no food we don't produce in this country

OP is Nigeria!
The Ijebu garri, the Zamfara rice, the sokoto beans and the benue yam are produced by the older generation who are illiterates. The educated folks are all in ties and suits.

We are saying that education should have helped us to improve in the production of these foods, both in quality and in quantity.

When this old generation passes on, then we shall have the hunger.

rash47:


Fixed,needn't say more. China,malaysia,singapore were colonised what is essential to african now is a complete overhaul of our superstructure;from culture,to law,basic education,bussineses(inoavtion),socio/politics,science,ethics and rule of law.

Incidentally, that is the heart of the matter.
Those who see the article as condemning education only had a problem reading between the lines.
Our educational system should be overhauled. Education must be to help us to improve our socio-economic values and not to be moving around flaunting papers called certificates with the hopes of getting hand outs from whosoever!

With education, we must produce enough food, it is time we start making ou won cars, electronics, etc.
China is doing it, what is stopping us?

Africa problem is that we did not combine the education we derived from them with our basic practice instead we neglected the agriculture and embrace the education which is not wrong but the combination will have been superior.

What is the importance of education when you are unproductive or lack the ability to translate what you learned into productive output. Education in this part of the world makes ppl lazy, proud, boastful and unproductive. A road side mechanic never been to school, yet we depend on them to fix our cars even the so called engr need a mechanic to change his oil, what about the food we eat? Where does it come from? From a suppose 'illiterate' peasant farmer. So, who is fooling who. I appreciate critical thinking than this bsc, phd etc full of grammer with no substance. Isn't it a mearage that we have over 30million professors with almost nothing to show for. Our education presently is to speak big grammer and wait for a white collar job and if it doesn't come, all the qualification becomes tittle. More attention should be given to the peasant farmers and mechanics we have around us, they are the future. We can trust them to bring the much needed transformation we yearn for. Little exposure, and we would be there.

Some education is needed whether we like it or not. No one forced anyone to drop their hoes and cutlasses. I think it is time Africans stopped blaming other people for all their problems.

soul_glo: Some education is needed whether we like it or not. No one forced anyone to drop their hoes and cutlasses. I think it is time Africans stopped blaming other people for all their problems.

We are not blaming the Whiteman for our predicament.
We are saying that we as Africans should accept our responsibility because we missed it.
There is nothing wrong with education, education is needed, but the purpose should have been to enhance our productivity.

Osgilliat: Africa problem is that we did not combine the education we derived from them with our basic practice instead we neglected the agriculture and embrace the education which is not wrong but the combination will have been superior.

Now I have someone who understands!
Thanks a million for understanding.

Ingenuity = Productivity.

Ingenuity + Education = Increased and Improved productivity.

What we have is "education" alone, ingenuity is thrown to the gutter.

This is the bane of our backwardness!

Lordlexy: What is the importance of education when you are unproductive or lack the ability to translate what you learned into productive output. Education in this part of the world makes ppl lazy, proud, boastful and unproductive. A road side mechanic never been to school, yet we depend on them to fix our cars even the so called engr need a mechanic to change his oil, what about the food we eat? Where does it come from? From a suppose 'illiterate' peasant farmer. So, who is fooling who. I appreciate critical thinking than this bsc, phd etc full of grammer with no substance. Isn't it a mearage that we have over 30million professors with almost nothing to show for. Our education presently is to speak big grammer and wait for a white collar job and if it doesn't come, all the qualification becomes tittle. More attention should be given to the peasant farmers and mechanics we have around us, they are the future. We can trust them to bring the much needed transformation we yearn for. Little exposure, and we would be there.

I am humbled by your passion!
th elites (the educated) might not be aware of it, but the ugly truth is that the peasant farmers, the mechanics, the painters, etc are the ones fanning our dying economy. Yet, it is not late, our call is for a mental shift.

It is time for Africa to rise and shine. We can start by having the will to grow our won food.

join us in ARM!

www.facebook.com/arm4good
info2.arm@gmail.com

OP I SALUTE YOU! YOU HAVE RAISED A VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND GOOD TOPIC.

ADDED TO THAT , YOU HAVE THE DEEP INSIGHT.

my friends in Nairaland, don't misjudge the OP. Its not education that is faulty, but todays "branded education" , which has put all non-white nations today, at the whim of western universities.

We must break free from this monopoly. today its very difficult for an average Nigerian to get a really well-paid job according to internation standards, without having a foreign degree.

It is this MONOPOLY that is certainly holding not just Africa, but also Asian and other countries by the throat.

PAGAN 9JA:
OP I SALUTE YOU! YOU HAVE RAISED A VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND GOOD TOPIC.

ADDED TO THAT , YOU HAVE THE DEEP INSIGHT.

my friends in Nairaland, don't misjudge the OP. Its not education that is faulty, but todays "branded education" , which has put all non-white nations today, at the whim of western universities.

We must break free from this monopoly. today its very difficult for an average Nigerian to get a really well-paid job according to internation standards, without having a foreign degree.

It is this MONOPOLY that is certainly holding not just Africa, but also Asian and other countries by the throat.

Thanks comrade!
We must as a matter of fact, start "educating" and motivating our people to break away from mental slavery.
the purpose of school is to improve our socio-economic value and not to deplete it.
Our education today is more of paper work than problem solving.

there is hunger in Africa, how has education helped us out?
our education is more paper and more papers!
There is no relationship between our schools and our real life.
Graduates come out with high hopes only to come out and meet a "strange" world!

We need to tell ourselves the truth. this system is not working at all

^yes true but if you are school, you better continue studies for now.

later on, you can help bring about a change.

we are not living in an idealistic world. the world is in a bad shape today.

PAGAN 9JA:
^yes true but if you are school, you better continue studies for now.

later on, you can help bring about a change.

we are not living in an idealistic world. the world is in a bad shape today.

This effort is to initiate some change, if our people can open their mind to receive the message.
We should look into our peculiar problems and fashion out the type of education that will help to solve them.

D writter of dis article is not in anyway saying Boko is Haram but simply saying d bitter truth about d educational system in d con3 which has no single relationship with productivity & d reality of d african setting. Imagine d over N87 billion demanded by ASUU in d name of salaries n allowances instead of compelling d govt 2 make education more practical n in line with our peculiar society. Y is everybody so much concern about d foreign religions n not d reality on ground? Y are we deceiving ourselves with a system that is not working?

@OP, you sound like someone who has a lot of passion, but I think your energies are being wasted on what appears to be some quixotic sentiments. You said: "Africa must stop food importation!"

Can I ask you this: HOW? Specifically how?

Thank you.

arm4u:

OP is Nigeria!
The Ijebu garri, the Zamfara rice, the sokoto beans and the benue yam are produced by the older generation who are illiterates. The educated folks are all in ties and suits.

We are saying that education should have helped us to improve in the production of these foods, both in quality and in quantity.

When this old generation passes on, then we shall have the hunger.

i dont think so, all things being equal.

education is no barrier to farming, quite a lot of farmers are educated although admittedly many farmers are not.

as per food importation, thats a fact of life, no country can do without it, sorry.

@ thread title:


you need education to build this:

tpia@:


i dont think so, all things being equal.

education is no barrier to farming, quite a lot of farmers are educated although admittedly many farmers are not.

as per food importation, thats a fact of life, no country can do without it, sorry.

Farming has gone scientific and science is education.The kind of education africans have took away their common sense and gave them the ability to read and write in foreign languages.It failed to teach them the basics of how to fend for themselves by being intuitive,instinctive,rational,mathematical and creative.

That is why a mathematician like adeboye abandoned his true calling for illusions that could easily make him rich,lazy and unproductive at the expense of the people he is deceiving.

I think a better approach and solution would be to introduce more practicals and research in our educational curriculum.
It is in Nigeria I heard a student of computer science has never used a computer before, that's our problem. We need instrumentation in our labs and they should be readily available to students. Enough of theory.
Till date I never understood electrolysis, anode, cathode crap and most of my physics class because I needed to see it to understand it.