Oh dear me! When are the giant corporations etc in this country going to encourage our young people in education, research in various fields etc instead of the billions they pour into some funny reality, music shows which are sending their minds to sleep in pursuit of some elusive career and fame in show biz (now I'm not anti-show biz at all! If that's your calling, follow it). In a nation with a low GMA- Gross Mental Attitude, a developing nation, we should be making more investments in education to build young people who can change the world with their minds. The fad today is one music show, reality show or the other which are all ideas borrowed from some developed nations whose governments and private corporations still pour their big bucks into science, engineering etc. Funny how some Christian youths who get to compete in these shows start speaking another language afterwards.

Sometime last year, I watched on TV as a 15 year old- Jack Andraka won a $75,000:00 grand prize at a science and engineering fair sponsored by US software giant- Intel corp. Over 1500 kids competed with great inventions but he won. This young student created a sensor for detecting the early stages of pancreatic cancer which is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States. Talk about someone changing his world with the investment of his personality! This sensor boasts a 90% accuracy rate, is 168 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive and over 400 times more sensitive than previous tests. The sensor can also be extended to detect ovarian and lung cancers. From a 15 year old! Thanks to Intel for giving young people the platform.

Education cannot be left to the government alone. Where are the Mtn's, Glo's, Etisalat's, and all the mega corporations here? Seems their voice is louder in sponsoring reality shows while little is done about an area that can make us a more productive nation in the future- education. In my younger years, in primary and secondary school we had stuff like JETS competition and science faird which were designed to encourage young people to be enterprising in science, engineering and technology. It used to be a big thing. I remember creating a coconut lamp! ( ask me another day how I did it, lol) I remember a guy who made a washing machine and it worked! We had big wigs come review our inventions, presentations etc and scholarships were awarded, cash prizes etc. Well, whats happening today! Today in America, thanks to Intel and 15year old Jack Andraka, those with early signs of pancreatic cancer can have their hopes up!

Here's my question today, how do we get our young people passionate about education; migrating them from this dreamland of reality shows and how do we establish an educational system tailored to meet our needs, change our society and inspire creativity. Whats the role of individuals, corporations and the government. Come on, share your thoughts.