Ladies and gentlemen, the educational aficionados, the cerebral analysts and pundits, respected Nairaland intelligentsia and commentariat, observers and watchers, it's our pleasure to welcome you to the first edition of the NAIRALAND ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL DEBATE. For those who have not been following, you may go through the history here:

https://www.nairaland.com/1475800/nairaland-annual-educational-debate-competition/17


TOPICS...
Strike: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS


GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE


DATE

SUBMISSION OF THE ESSAY
Saturday, October 19, 2013

TIME
3:00PM -5:00PM

CHIEF JUDGE
Obinoscopy

JUDGES
Tgirl4real
Humblebygrace
Jarus
Caracta
Afam4eva
Ishilove
Uju Sizzle

CHIEF COORDINATOR
Olawalebabs

COORDINATORS
Fynestboi
Richiez


CHAIRMAN

Seun GCFR-NL
Mark Zuckergerg of Nigeria
CEO of Nairaland and Nigeria's youngest billionaire


Thread locked to be declared open on Saturday 3pm for submission of the essays..

For extensive reading on history, planning, etc, and further discussion, pls enter here:

https://www.nairaland.com/1475800/nairaland-annual-educational-debate-competition/17

Hi Everyone,

Here are the rules guiding this esteemed Educational Debate (the first of a kind):



1.) All interested nairalanders who want to partake in the debate should do so before 9pm, Friday October 18. Anyone who indicates interest after that time will be disqualified.



2.) The recommended font size is the default size (size 8.) and the colour is the default colour (black).



3.) The essay should be in maximum of 2500 words and a minimum of 1000 words.



4.) The use of SMS language and abbreviations are strictly forbidden.



5.) All materials used should be properly referenced at the end of the essay.



6.) All essays must be submitted on or before 19th October 5pm

Judgment Criteria:
The essays submitted will be scored by the judges based on the following criteria:



A) Content: judges will be looking at the use of appropriate examples, the aptness of the points, the resourcefulness of the overall essay.



B) Organization: paragraphing, sequencing of points and proper arrangements



C) Expression/Persuasiveness: here the clarity of the work, the flow of the words and the persuasiveness of the essay will be assessed



D) Mechanical Accuracy: Syntaxs, grammar, punctuation marks etc will be assessed



Each essay will be scored based on the above criteria by the judges and the scores will be aggregated. The first two contestants on both the FOR and the AGAINST side of the argument will then be decided based on the score.

CONTESTANTS

1. Danjunma:::: GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::supporting:::


2. SEYIKP: STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.:::supporting::::


3. Samtolly4Jesus:::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::opposing:::


4. Illuminatus::::STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.:::::supporting:::::


5. Elliot wiz::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::supporting::::


6. Davos93: STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::supporting::::




7. Quivah:::: STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::opposing::::




8. Oma4u::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE:::opposing::::




9. Olalerey::::STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::supporting:::::



10. SamGregUc: STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.:::supporting::::




11. Oluwatola::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::opposing::::

12. Don_salvy::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE:::opposing::::



13. Infoscope::::STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.:::::opposing::::



14. Alicia keys::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::opposing::::




15. Mazi_Omenuko::::STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::opposing::::




16.Deschyko: STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::opposing::::


17. Tosdam A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::for::::



CONTESTANT 18
Mikebis::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE:::for::::

---

Anuoluwap: STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.::::opposing::::



Howard::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE:::::opposing::::








Oahray: GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::opposing::::


Aysuccess::::GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE::::opposing::::

Please while the submission of the essay is going on, only the contestants, coordinators, Chairman and Supermods (if need be) can post.




Pls let's comply, as defaulters might attract 2 hours ban (duration of the essay submission).




You can however comment simultaneously at the planning thread.

https://www.nairaland.com/1475800/nairaland-annual-educational-debate-competition/22




Thank you.



Submission starts by 15:00hrs and ends 17:00hrs on Saturday.




Come and witness the mother of all e-Essay Competition on the biggest Section of the biggest online forum in Africa..

GENUISES ARE BORN NOT MADE..
And total contestants for this wonderful topic are 11Eleven...

And here we go with the list of OUR great writers.. wole soyinka of our time...

Danjuma[1]
Don salvy []
Samtolly4jesus [3]
Mikebis[18]
Aysuccess
Howard
Oma4u [8]
Elliotwiz[5]
Aliciakeys [14]
Oluwatola [11]
Oahray

---

STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS
And total contestants for this mind buggling topic are also 11Eleven whao
making it an equal ties...
...
And here we go with the list of OUR great writers.. CHINUA ANICHEBE of our time...
Illuminatus [4]
Infoscope [13]
Quivah [7]
Olalerey [9]
Mazi Omenueko [15]
Anuoluwap
Davos93 [6]
Deschyko [16]
Tosdam [17]
SamgreGuc [10]
SeyiKP [2]

OPENING SPEECH

BY THE CHIEF COORDINATOR:...

olawalebabs:

The Admin and Owner of NL, Oluwaseun Osewa,
The Supermods, Mukina2 and Semid4lyf,
The Human Resources Personnel, Obinoscopy,
The Judges,
My Co-Mods,
The Brain behind this initiatives, Fynestboi,
The Education Sections Movers and Shakers,
The Contestants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In an era, when the internet is synonymous with scams and fraud, it gladden my heart to see the 'future leaders' coming together and forming a bond that exists beyond the e-world in order to improve and impact the society positively. This debates is coming at the appropriate time when we continue to have a decline in the reading and writing habit of our youth, this we believe his our little way of re-orientating society about the important and benefits of positive criticism through debating.


To the Judges, I thank you for volunteering to work on this project considering your other offline schedules, I implore you to do your best, as we can't possibly satisfy everybody, just do as your conscience is dictates.



To the contestants, you are the focal point of this projects, educating and informative arguments is what we expects from you, don't see this as a 'do or die' affairs, play by the rule and at the end of the day, we will all be happy to be part of this laudable projects.


This speech will not be complete without acknowledging the untiring and coordinating prowess of the initiator and brain behind this project. Fynestboi, you have shown truly that you have passion for what ever you do, just keep up the good work, definitely, the sky is your limit.

I hereby declare the submission of the essay open.

Thank You,
Olawalebabs

The submission of the essay is herely declared open.
CONTESTANTS pls post your ESSAY.

wishing you all the best.
#grabs pop-corn and soda#




to our viewers pls peruse the essays and give your comment in here..



https://www.nairaland.com/1484758/educational-debate-phase-one-essay

DATE:19TH OF OCTOBER,2013.
CONTESTANT 1
Writing for"geniuses are born not made"

GENIUSES ARE BORN NOT
MADE
A genius is a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability,creativity or originality typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight.Mr Arthur Schopenhaver quoted that "talent hits a target no one else can hit,but a genius hits a target, no one else can see".In our society today,many people normally use the word "talented" and "guru" for a made genius,which ought not to be so,because a genius is a person that has that ability right from birth.Therefore the fact that a person is very talented or innovative,does not make him a genius or even exceptional.Because most talented people are not imaginative,does not have focus and creativity to regularly discover or locate something outstanding in their society.
Furthermore,people always believe,that it is only in the academic sector,that the ability of a genius is been exhibited or displayed.Which is not true,because an adult might not perform well in the academic field but when he places his hands on business,he will excel,very well in it.Just imagine Wole Soyinka becoming an Engineer or Albert Einstein a Lawyer.I wonder what these icons will do with these professions,if they have not brought forth,what is inside of them,right from time.
Also,it is statistically proven,that geniuses are few in the society and with this,we might have at most two geniuses in a society of one thousand people and this is the reason why people misuse or oversuse talented people or guru for a genius.In order for you to perfectly understand what i mean by geniuses are born not made,just take for an example a patient who is suffering from cancer,he or she might not discover that he has cancer when it is prematured but when the cancer is matured he eventually knows.This is how geniuses improve in their naturally given talent.They all have hidden and a natural potential which,with time they maximizes and utilizes it to the fullest.Sometimes,you will observe that, somebody might be dull in the primary school due to his environment,but when he is in secondary school you will begin to see an excellent performance of the person,at this stage he has discovered who he is.
People always say that it is only when someone works hard that he can become genius.He can only become intelligent and brilliant,but not a genius.If we have what it takes to determine the intelligent quotient of those people we claim to be made geniuses,their intelligent quotient will be below 140.Scientists have proven it that geniuses I.Q. Is always above 140.There was a friend of mine who does not read his books right from the day we entered school,what this boy does is that,he pays perfect attention during the lecture hours and when exams come,this guy always be the best in the class.So will you tell me that this boy is not a genius,because he did not work hard to achieve his goal?I think that is absolutely no.
In addition to the points mentioned above,we can observe a genius attitude in the four times footballer of the year in the person of Lionel Messi.This player has been exhibiting his natural talent right from when he was young and till date,he has maximized his pontential in what he does best.Therefore,this player has shown a great difference between a born genius and a talented person.
According to Arthur's qoute,mentioned earlier on,about the use of talent and the use of a genius.His qoute,clearly differentiated between a talented or brilliant person with that of a genius.Many athletes today are talented and high ranking corporated executives are talented,because they achieved more in their various careers.They are all famous for their own self determination.Revolutionary,people like Galileo Galiee and Steve Job can be considered born geniuses,because they were aproaching targets many of us did not even know existed.This is a great insight of a born genius.Also Charles Darwin is another example of a genius,because nobody considered the idea of evolution, but this great man did it by working day and night in making sure that things are right and he displayed the genius in him by discovering the important aspect of life and he utilized his hidden pontentials for the society.We can proudly say that these people are rare gem in the world we are.
In conclusion,according to W.B. Yeats' quote:"education is not about the filling of a pail,but it is about the lighting of a fire".You will agree with me that geniuses right from birth,are very useful to the society,that geniuses exhibits and maximizes their hidden pontentials for their society,that there are no made geniuses but brilliant people.To round things up,we only have born geniuses who are great today.

References:1.W.B yests quote by brainy qoute website 2.Arthur's qoute by wikiqoute website 3definition of genius by wikipedia

to our viewers pls peruse the essays and give your comment in here..


https://www.nairaland.com/1484758/educational-debate-phase-one-essay

CONTESTANT 2.
STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.(supporting)
I greet the panel of judges, starting from the personality of the chief judge, to the amiable judges. I also reference the person of the chief cordinator, down to the honourable cordinators, i wont proceed to the business of the day without acknowledging the presence of the one that God has used to create this platform, whose double to be the chairman of the day. It will be an offence on my humble part without saluting my co-debaters and the exteem viewers. i will write on the motion that says Strike: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.
Our dear nation "Nigeria" as innumerable problems, but the spotlight this evening will be on the one dwindling the education sector.The problems in nigeria education sector were caused by negligence and ineptitudeness on the part of our p the past and present leaders, the wrought can be seen from the primary level, to the tertiary stage.


The problems of nigeria education sector cannot be hidden from the world populace, i will say its tantamout. to the adults among us there was time the students from European,America &Asia countries. Do come to Nigeria universities for exchange courses, but today opposite is the story, there also times that parents only send their wards to public schools, but today our schools are in sorry state, it's only the glorified private primary schools that are parading themselves has secondary school, and the glorified private secondary schools presenting themselves as best universities, all this can thrive in a country where its educational system as downtrodden. with all my aforementioned points should strike be the solution to the above mentioned problems? my answer will definately be capital "NO". Strike can only worsen the situation, strike do impede progress ,industrial action cannot be the right mechanism, to bring lasting resolution to our educational problems.




If strike is the solution, we have had countless numbers of industrial actions by the teachers/lecturers unions, i.e (NUT,ASUU, ETC) all to no avail. we had a time when strike took place in our universities for a whole session, my question is that what seed has the actions produced. our suppossed tommorrow leaders have been at the receiving end, industrial action as done alot of harm than good. it's doing strike that the students are able to perpetrate alot of atrocities, their's a saying that says " an idle hand is the devil workshop".
We are all yearning for our schools most especially the university to be among the top rank in the world, it will be a mirage for a university where its school calender can be interupt at anytime.
I think we should take a clue from public schools from developed countries. they have the ways in bringing their government to round-table, to resolve their griveances and differences, without infringment on the right of anybody.


My opponents might have said, that strike is the only language our government understands.they may even exemplifies that it's the only tool, that can check the excesses of our government, i won't disagree outrightly, but i will say there are many peaceful ways to bring desire and lasting resolution to the problems in our educational sector, strike is cancerous and impede progress, say no to strike. The chairman, chief judge, amiable jugdes,chief cordinator and cordinators, esteem viewers. I am sure you support my view that strike is not an option THANK YOU.

Contestant No. 3-----> 'Genius Are Born, Not Made.'(Against).

A Genius Is A Person who displays exceptional ability, creativity or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of an unprecedented insight. He Is outstandingly good at His Chosen talent(s) regardless of its importance or acknowledgment to the World outside of him. This explains why we have some People known as 'Evil Genius'.

Although I don't dispute the fact that biological roots and genes plays a Major role in intelligence, neither do i dispute the claim that some individuals were born with High IQ thereby spinning them into some sort of Child Prodigy(often mistaken for a Genius). However, i'll be quick to point out the shrouded fact that the Phrase 'Genius Are Born, Not made' is an alluring Misleading Injunction. What We actually don't understand is the 'driving force' behind the outstanding Performance of geniuses. This confusion further grows into bewilderment forcing us to believe these Geniuses are Super- Humans Who were Born that Way. That driving force is what i Call 'Making Of a Genius' which are often behind the scene.

The Making Of a Genius Covers a Wide range of continuous and developmental Processes; psychological, Physical, Chances and Opportunities and goodwill, Environmental Influences and of course genetic traits.

There is always an Atom of Ingenuity In Everyone. There is that talent capable of Spurring us into that much-admired status of a celebrity.

Primarily, A genius is expected to tow the solitary route of self-discovery to unveil his talents. These traits are further to be harnessed through hardwork, consistent training and practice. A Genius is the fellow who makes the best use of chance and opportunities. He maintains a Positive mindset and shuns all negative external influences.

The Genetic ingenuity traits in everyone are expected to be horned through hardwork and constant Practice. As a Kid, we weren't born with the Alphabets imprinted on our Foreheads, We all memorized the alphabets as a result of constant practice and repetition in the Nursery days. A Chauffeur also wasn't born with the Wheels in his hands, He made himself so by pursuing His Willingness with consistent training and Focus. Lionel Messi, the Widely-acclaimed Soccer Genius wasn't born with football in his legs. He Firstly discovered his talent and then set about being the best. He horned his talent through sheer hardwork, perseverance and firm sense of direction. Even The Great Albert Einstein wasn't considered as a Child prodigy at tender age, yet he became a World-reknowed scientist.

Moreover, Consistency, Focus, Honesty, Perseverance and Forbearance are also grossly invaluable ingredients in the thorough making of a Genius. Interestingly, these abstract virtues aren't Inborn. They are virtues we learn to develop with ourselves overtime. This Further reiterate that anybody can choose to be a genius.

From An Ecclesiastical View, The Parable of the Talents is a very suitable Paradigm. Each of the 3 servants were Apportioned Varying Talents. The Fellow with 5 made the best of Use of these Aforementioned Variable factors and He doubled the gifts. Same goes with the Man with 2 talents. The other Man with A single talent chose to remain salient and unproductive. He ended up with Nothing! This Explains the condition of So Many people living below the standard of a Genius. They have under utilized these Ingenious traits. So many people had tended towards the Wrong direction, squaring themselves in a round hole, forsaking their Originalities thereby Forcing them to wallow in the fold of common men.
To quote Albeit Einstein, He said 'If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, then it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.'

It is high time we rose above the peg and face the challenge.

To Conclude, i'll pen the lyrics of a befitting song from the Song book of Mayflower school. It goes;

We can become whatever we choose to be
No King, No Lord, No knave can say us Nay
for We believe that Man is a potential Doctor Or Lawyer Or crook,
Or dwarf, Or Giant.
Whichever he set his Mind to be,
We shall Be giant and therefore we shall work! and work! and work!
Even if it is to work our fingers to the bone.
So may it be.

Your are a Genius in Your own way! Live to be one!

Thanks.

References:

Wikipedia
Merry Mayflower.

Contestant 4. Writing for Strike: A Wrong Approach To Nigeria's Educational Problem.
Industrial action or strike is it is popularly called, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. It often takes places in response to employee grievance.
Ask an average Nigerian youth his or hers misgiving about attending a public university in Nigeria and the issue of incessant strike action is always top on the list. Our public tertiary institutions are usually plagued by frequent strikes, some of which stretch part three month. It is now apparent that unions have adapted strike, a tool that should be reserved as the last resort, as the main and only ammunition in their arsenal.
The motive of this essay is to illustrate that strike is a wrong approach to Nigeria's educational problems through showcasing its negative effects on student and the nation.
One of the very negative effects of strike action that decrease its validity as a tool for solving educational problems is that it could prompt the untimely death of students. When students learnt of the current strike being embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, they ceased coming to school. Students living in the dormitory or hostel had to return to their various homes. One of them is a Mr. Patrick Uzochukwu Iloh, a student of Geology and Mining in Enugu State University of Science and Technology. He left the hostel for his parents' home in Housing Estate in Feggae, Onitsha, Anambra State on the 9th of July. He didn't reach home. He died in a fatal automobile accident along Ugwu Onyeama in Enugu. Patrick who have long since been buried would have graduated this wear to become a Geologist and perhaps gain employment with a mining company. We will never know. But one thing we're certain of is that all the labor and investment his parents exerted on him would mostly amount to nothing.
Another major negative result of the strike is that it puts all academic activities in our institutions, especially universities and polytechnics to a stand-still once any union starts a strike action. It doesn't matter what the group or union that is initiating the industrial action is agitating for, they cease performing their functions in the institution and therefore crippling the system. Case in point, the current strike action being embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Since the 1st of July when the industrial action commenced, not a single lecture has been held by a lecturer in all the public tertiary institutions throughout the nation. In fact, lecturers and students have been absent from school since that memorable day. Examination which were due in some institutions had been ignored and resumption of a new semester had been postponed till further notice. Worse still is the fact that to some extent, but the final year students who are due for Housemanship, Law School and the mandatory National Youth Service have all been delayed. This has also affected the country socio-economically: thousands of final year/graduating class students who would have been inducted into the nation's workforce would now have to spend an extra year at home -and that is if the strike ends this wear. Indications show that Law students who missed out on getting admitted into Law Schools will only be eligible again come October next year. Students who ordinarily would have participated in the Youth Service come November would have to wait and struggle to be dispatched in the next Batch next year.
Regular students are not left out in this mayhem. As they spend unnecessary time at home, their mental energy wastes away. Some of my friends have forgotten their Registration Number, talk more of some of the complex topics they've been taught. Moreover, when the strike is eventually called off, some schools might have to "rush" through the course works, taking less time than the normal four months semester to teach and organise examinations for students with the hope of catching up with the academic calendar.
The delay in graduation, deployment to Law School, Housemanship and Youth Service and being forced to stay at home as discussed above can cause trauma to students and parents. The fact that one has to spend an extra year could cause emotional and mental distress to students and parents who already have high hopes on evental graduation. This has been exhibited by the recent peaceful protest by women on their match to the National Assembly.

More troubling is the fact that when academic activities get stalled indefinitely as is often the case with ASUU strikes, young people whose profession used to be attending lectures and studying to pass examinations suddenly become unemployed. Most of them return home, sitting ducks doing mostly nothing useful. They might end up dabbling into various crimes. Young men could take up odd habits like smoking, involve themselves in crimes like rape, robbery and worse. I wouldn't even start to describe what our female students could do, but suffice it to say that some of them might end up making mistakes that could hunt them for life.
Which shouldn't come as a surprise. What should we expect when imaginative, diabolic minds with young supple, strong bodies filled with selfish and carnal desires spend long hours doing nothing? A popular English idiomatic expression says, "An idle man is a devil's workshop". When school activities are disrupted by the now infamous, indefinite strikes, our young bodies give in to the wayward thoughts and evil desires that obviously harm our society in the long run.
Strikes send a negative message about the country's educational sector internationally. Recently, I was having a conversation with one of my friends on Facebook who attends a university in West London. It was embarrassing when he said, "What kind of professors do you guys have there? They seen very greedy and troublesome." It is obvious that he views our education system to be retarded since our teachers have to strike to gain attention. Due to the media rampage on the issue of the current strike, some forgien observers might even believe that things are worse than they are.
These strikes have also become part of the excuse for some parents to send their children and wards off to tertiary institutions in countries with developed and stabilized education systems. They argue that it is better for them to spend more on their children in these institutions because they don't want their kids to spend more years than necessary in the university. This act isn't just unpatriotic but also harmful to the economy. It has been reported that Nigerians have spent more than fifty-four billion naira in educating their children in foreign universities in the past decade. That is a huge amount of money considering that it is about 25% of what ASUU is demanding the goverment to inject into the education sector annually. Some parents who can't afford to send their children abroad have settled for the private institutions in the country whose tutiton aren't "chicken change" either. In fact, some of these schools, especially the ones owned and being run by churches and past political leaders charge as much money that could be used to purchase plots of land at The Zoo, a new upscale residential area in Enugu. Since these parents have realised the emphasis placed on tertiary education and the certificate that comes with it, they concur to sell their properties and engage in fraudulent activities in order to pay the exhorbitant tuition these schools charge.
Even the lecturers are not left out as they also suffer from the strike. Some of the lecturers who are undergoing PhD and Masters Degree programs are also stalled in their quest to acquire more knowledge to impact on the students.
With the introduction of the "No Work, No Pay", lecturers are begining to experience some financial hardship as the salary of the previous month is reported to be withheld from them.
Deducing from the above points, it is apparent that strike isn't just not the ideal, but the wrong approach to solving the educational problems in our dear country. Strike was popularized during the Industrial Revolution in America as the weapon of last resort. I will now state the ways these unions could address their issues.
Firstly, they should have various meaningful meetings with the government to introduce and address these issues. Consistent and peaceful dialogue with the executive government not only helps in solving their problems but it also makes them familiar with the government's problems too.
If the meetings and dialogue with the government fails, the unions can explore other options like involving other organisations and respectable members of the public. The general public could also be alerted of the issues through mass media as they affect them. Their involvement will mount pressure on the government in the favour of the progress of education in Nigeria.
The unions can always involve the judiciary in the matter if direct dialogue fails. The current row between the government and ASUU that has led to the four month old strike. Since the agreement between both bodies in 2009 is a legal document, ASUU could have filed a law quit against the goverment on its failure to uphold its side of the agreement.


Strikes, no matter what they say, doesn't solve problems, rather it makes things more difficult for the people involved. It has been proven time and again with the number of times ASUU and companions have embarked on nationwide strikes in the past decade. In fact, no single class passes through the university without experiencing the renowned ASUU strike with some classes experiencing it more than once. Strikes are generally ineffective in the long run. It is time for us to give up the aggressive approach and embrace dialogue and solve our problems like civilized and educated people without hurting ourselves with our actions.
Thanks.
Illuminatus.
Reference:
Meaning of Strike from Wikipedia
As ASUU strike lingers by Agbo Agbo.

CONTESTANT 5.
Writing for
GenuiseS are born not made..

A genius is someone who stands out of the crowd, who tackles the
most difficult problems in the simplest ways; it is not that they're
just clever, they simply think outside the box of instincts. Compared
to an ordinary person, a genius would read or tackle a problem
differently. When presented with a problem, most people would look at
the source of the problem to find a solution for it, but geniuses
would look at the problem as a whole and slowly dissect it piece by
piece to search for the anomaly in the situation.

The popular and encouraging saying "geniuses're made not born" has driven
a great number of parents to explore their children's potentials by
all educational means, but what I think is right, is the direct
opposite of this, I think Geniuses're born not made. . . . . .
"Genius" is defined as "a very good and rare natural ability or skill"
by the Cambridge dictionary. Attention, "natural" is one of the key
words. Doing something unnatural, fighting with nature has been never
easy. It requires people to make extraordinary efforts to approach the
goal. There've been few successful cases of enabling normal children
to achieve greatness through compulsory education; however, they’re
just a small proportion if compared with the failures. In addition
most of these cases're based on the premise that parents are experts
in some fields or able to invest enough money and time in extra
teaching and send their children to the best schools. Meanwhile, for
children who fail to be turned into geniuses after hardwork, it would
be a tragedy depriving them of their happiness and confidence. A genius does not need the best tutor to become the best, the "genes" make the genius, the seeds of genius're planted
before birth. We cannot talk about geniuses without looking into the
lives of past and present geniuses.

Thomas Edison is an example of a genius who was born from birth. He never completed his schooling in a proper school but that did not stop him. He was
naturally nyctophobic(fear of the dark) there must have been other
scientists that had that same problem, scientists that were taught
properly in a normal school, but he alone discovered a solution, the
"electric bulb".Genetics play an important role in the
creation of a Genius, if a man with high rate of intelligence makes a
child with a woman of the same caliber; it’s likely that their
children would be intelligent as well. We've heard of stories of
exceptional children, Tony Rosenberg is a clear example of how being a
genius depends on your genes. At 14 months, Tony could read aloud from
posters his stroller passed by. A year later; he spoke polish and
English language fluently, and at the age of four, he compiled a
dictionary of hieroglyphics after visiting a museum shop and perusing
through a book on ancient Egypt. He is way too young for us to say he
was made a genius; the world knew him as a genius from his birth,
would you say he was tutored or was a genius because he was taught?
Definitely not.

Some children have since their
birth amazed the world with their inaudible intellect and abilities
that can at times out do even the brightest of adults. Why is this so,
and as many parents-to-be wonder, can a genius be created? It's
displayed far beyond the usual time; the only reasonable explanation
is that the brain and nervous systems are much more highly developed
than is normal for the age. Scientists believe that there're
quantitative differences in these children’s cerebral organization and
that the differences have a "genetic" link. I believe that only those
that have that special gene can become geniuses, anyone who is not
born with those genes will surely end up frustrated if he/she tries to
become a genius.

There is no doubt in my mind that genes control the significant factors necessary for an individual to become a genius. Certainly genes leave some people predisposed to becoming,
for example better athletes by endowing them with physical advantage
such as greater height, a clear example of this is seen in the world's
fastest man, he is not a four-footed man, and no matter how long a
four footed man learns to run faster, he would definitely end up a
slower opponent because his genes has created a limit to what he can
become. Just as the fastest man's gene endowed him with height, a
particular gene is able to endow an individual with greater memory
function, a property vital to becoming a genius.

Albert Einstein who is considered the greatest
mathematician ever, is an example of a man who came from a family with
strong scientific background(showing that his gene was hereditary)
when his mother gave birth to him, his head was so big and misshapen
that she thought he was deformed. The back of his head seemed much too
big, his family initially considered a monstrosity. The physician
however was able to calm them down and some weeks later the shape of
his head was normal. The size of his head shows that there was
something uncommon about him, (which was be discovered after his
death);the genetic touch. After his death pathologists studied his
brain and it was discovered that compared to a normal person's brain,
Einstein had significantly more glial cells in the regions of his
brain that is responsible for synthesizing information; they also
found out that Einstein's brain lacked a particular "wrinkle" in brain
called the sylvian tissue. This unusual anatomy allowed neurons in
Einstein's again to communicate better with each other, the inferior
parietal lobe, which is often associated with mathematical ability,
was larger than in normal brains. All these abnormalities in his brain
can be linked to his genetic makeup. If these abnormalities (good
abnormalities in this case) can be effected in an average human's
brain through hardwork and study then why are we all not geniuses? Why
do the intelligentsias make up only 0.1% of the population? Surely, we
can't attribute the specialty of a genius to his hardwork but to his
"genes", which are born with him.
An IQ test was conducted by Levalis Terman(a psychologist) and at the end of
the IQ scale, a rare few of the "retarded" or "autistic" persons known
as "savants" can quickly specify the day of the week in which any date
in history fell or although unable to read music can play on the piano
any composition after just a single hearing. These highly specialized
abilities seem all the more remarkable in people whose general
intelligence may be so low that they’re dependent on others for their
care and sustenance. Autistic savants are not geniuses either, of
course, but these remarkable people seem to illustrate an important
fact about the structure of the mind. Some Autists seem to be
profoundly retarded or never develop language. One very common theme
in Autism is an extraordinary lack of social motivation and social
intelligence. Most Autistic children're irresponsive to people, even
to their mothers and dislike being held or fondled. Unlike normal
children, they do not seem to see other members of their species as
interesting to be studied and imitated. If they don't closely
associate with other humans then what else can their specialty be
linked to if not their genes? They do not socialize and so cannot be
said to learn from people around them.
The life of an autistic child named Stephen studied by Oliver Sacks and the specialty
of this child cannot be linked to external influence in any way.
Stephen was a profoundly autistic child who was consigned at age 4 to
a London school for the developmentally disabled. When he was 5
Stephen began drawing, primarily cars and sometimes wickedly clever'
caricatures of his teachers. At age 7 he began to specialize in
drawing buildings such as the famous St. Paul's cathedral and other
London's landmarks, in tremendous detail, when other children his age
were just drawing stick figures. It was the sophistication of his
drawings, their mastery of lines and perspective that amazed
psychologists--- and these were all when he was seven. Stephen could
draw from memory a complex scene (e.g. construction site) viewed only
for a few seconds. This makes me to strongly believe in the existence
of numerous special intelligences which are seen in savant cases
against a background of general intellectual poverty, the total
absence of tutors in the lives of savants does not limit them, even
without the help of the society and families these savants still
excess unquestionably, the only secret behind their super specialty is
the "gene" which is planted in them from birth.
All the
examples of geniuses examined showed that they had that special touch
of the gene. You cannot acquire expertise in most domains
without having a certain level of intelligence and considerably drive
and persistence, and these traits are to a certain degree genetic. If
you’re born "stu pid and lazy" forget about earning a Nobel prize in
physics! I’m convinced beyond persuasion that geniuses are born and
not made.

CONTESTANT 6



STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS


Martin Luther King, Jr. once said and i quote; "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that". Strike is defined by Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary as the refusal to work as a protest. The online free encyclopedia, Wikipedia put it in a refined way by saying, strike action is work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. It goes further to say, a strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. The strike discussed in this piece is not different from the afore-mentioned. Its just that it is restrained to the educational sector of Nigeria. Some Nigerians however described strike as an annual festival whereby students are not allowed to go to school. To a very large extent, the defination is right as it has become a 'norm' for the occurence of work halt at least once in a section in the education sector in the country within the twelve months in a calender year. Strike action definately has its pros and cons which i am going to critically analyse in course of this piece. However, this write-up is intended to show reasons and logically conclude that strike is a wrong approach to the educational problems in our dear nation Nigeria as it is widely belived by many.


When a strike is initiated by the work force, it is always known to be a fierce battle between the employer and the employees; the government and the association under which the workers are registered. The 'suffering grass' whenever these two elephants clash are the students who are directly at the receiving end of the imbroglio. Thus, leaving several damages on the students whenever such occurs. Among several effects of strike include time wastage and unnecessary delays. The most saddening aspect of the strike action atimes is that the reason why it is being initiated is not really worth it. Thereby, leading to a battered academic calender. A disrupted academic calender definately gives birth to the shrinking of activities when the school resumes in order to meet the set target for that session. This affects the students adversely in terms of their performances in tests and exams since they never expected such changes. Not only this, unemployment is a 'time-bomb' for graduates that were repeatedly affected by strike during their student days. This is caused by their inability to meet up with the set requirements. Most jobs these days are tied to age limit, so graduates that have overstayed mostly owing to no fault of theirs, become too old for jobs of their dream. This is quite pathetic!
Students engagement in non-fruitful and criminal activities have been the case during strikes. Like the popular adage says "an idle hand is the devil's workshop" some students are drawn into nefarious acts during this period which are capable of destroying them and unleashing terror on the peace of the nation. Aside this, some students become social network veterans, some turn into statues of idleness, bunch of parrots, backbitters, gossipers and busy bodies while some turn themselves into sleeping bags as if been bitten by tse-tse fly. They eat as if life is all about eating. This set of students you see in schools after the strike with voluminous body mass blessed with unnecessary fats(perhaps with no shape), all these against their wish. The Loss of credibility is a grave danger applicable to our schools as a result of incessant strikes. Its quite unfortunate these days that only few foreigners will prefer to send their wards to study here in Nigeria as a result of the back drops from strikes while we move our children en-mass to schools abroad thereby exporting the fund that is supposed to be expended locally to economically add values to our system. What about the psychological effects of strike on students? A psychologist and lecturer, Department of Educational Foundation, University of Lagos, Dr Sola Aletan explained that the unplanned breaks definately affect students negatively. He compared this scenario to when an athlete running a race is abruptly stopped when he started the race, he said such situation affects the athlete greatly and will take time for him/her to regain his/her speed and confidence as it was levelled before. Same thing applies to students that are sent away from schools due to strike. [Adapted from Sunday Punch, 11th Dec., 2011]. These and many other more damping effects of strike are what students are exposed to.


Funny enough, the bad effects of strikes are not 'enjoyed' only by students that have been deprived of their right to education, the striking workers too share part of the experience. Workers feel the nostalgia with a tinge of guilt, arising from shrinked responsibilities. Though thesame work force called for the strike, but i can tell you that not all its members are always in full support of the action. Also, academic workers who are still in their 'evolving process' too get affected during strikes. Example of this are the postgraduate students that lecture in universities. ASUU strike also grounds their study. Unfortunately, no one is talking about the poor masses that worked in the closed environment. I mean the motocyclists, drivers, traders, tailors, capenters and others that make ends meet by their activities in the academia. Most of these people are below-average Nigerians that have family members who look up to them to survive owing to the penny they get from their toil in the now closed academic community. Now subjected to unemployment and poverty that will not even be make-up for when the strike is over unlike in the case of the academic workers that get paid even when they refuse to work. Too bad! Unknowingly, even the erring government that failed to accede to the demands of these workers is not safe too from the impasse. Prof. Umukoro of Department of Theartre Arts, University of Ibadan wrote in one of his articles that was featured in The Guardian Newspaper dated Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 that "no nation anywhere in the world can rise above the quality of its tertiary education. Show me your universities, and I shall tell you what type of nation you are", this clearly emphasizes the importance of an academic calender devoid of unnecessary breaks. All sectors of our national life are largely dependent on education. The future of the nation are the young sharps currently in schools and as such, the kind of education policies put in place now dictate the quality of life experienced and their performances later on when they spread to all sectors of the economy thereby re-affirming the centrality of education to national development. The effects of strike will obviously jeopardize the dream of having a great posterity who will be better leaders. This long-term effect on the nation is unfortunately not critically assessed.



Having talked about the expensive effects of strike on our educational system, i won't shy away from also discussing the benefits these incessant strikes may accrue ONLY if successfully geared towards its intention that masses were made to believe. Amongst the benefits are better infrastructures in our schools, improved welfare packages for the workers in the academia thereby making teaching pleasureable to the teaching staffs and also indirectly help in impacting the desired and required knowledge on the students but what most people don't understand is that there are other better ways to address the educational problems in Nigeria other than strike. The major protagonists of strikes in our schools, the government workers in the schools are not just multi-directional in its approach.


They are always mono-strategic in their mechanism to articulate their demands, a strategy that is not only impotently archaic but also has been found not effective in our black continent to a very large extent. Not even only that, the touted genuineness of their agitations and action is quite questionable. If truely strikes could rescue the Nigerian educational system, then our institutions should by now be one of the best in the world. If the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has been on strike for about thirty(30) months in the past ten years and we are still where we are today, then it obviously means it is a wrong approach to Nigeria's educational problems. Permit me to digress a little please, i keep asking myself that if our fore-fathers could achieve independence for our dear Nigeria without bloodshed as it was the case in many countries, then, why is it so difficult for our current generation to try another better mehod to approach our educational problems other than the incessant strikes which is the popular and non-effective usual way? Srike is just been counter-productive and unhealthy for our education!


At this point, i am more than sure without mincing words that it is now very conspicuous that the dangers incessant strike actions pose to our education and even on the economic life of our nation both in the short-run and long-run outweigh its benefits. I hereby plead with the stakeholders of this sector; the workers, governments, students and others to let us come to this realization that strike is not the right approach to our problems.


I want us to engage more practicable and effective ways to tackle the problems in our education that will ensure the much anticipated better face for it rather than the accumulating damages the sector suffer. I implore the governments at all level to also try as much as possible to help realize this feat; quality education. A very good policy has been 'prescribed' by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) to help address the problems we are facing in our education sector most especially in Africa. This allows at least 26% of the nations annual budgetary allocation go to the education sector as against the 9% currently committed to it in Nigeria.

[Source: FinIntell http://www.myfinancialintelligence.com/banking-and-finance/2013-budget-analysis]

Adoption of this will go a very long way in salvaging the current disposition and also help to achieve the greatness we crave for. This is very possible in Nigeria if our leaders are truely dedicated to the transformation project. Not also leaving out the work forces in the sector, the likes of ASUU, ASUP, COEASU, NASU, SSANU and so many others, i want to charge them to be more dedicated to their duties, proving critics wrong and being sincere in their constructive and preventive demands.

The students have over the years shown resilience and even solidarity to struggles that was aimed at solely benefitting the workers, same gesture should be reciprocated in hard times when the students are faced with oppression and problems beyond their limit. I therefore reinstate that strike is a wrong approach to Nigeria's educational problems.

CONTESTANT 7

writing against strike; a wrong approach to Nigeria's educational problem.

Contestant No. 8
Geniuses re born, not made
(Against)

May I crave your indulgence to permit me to say a big thank you to the organizers, the impeccable judges, CEO of Nairaland - Seun Osewa, and almighty God, for this opportunity to air my notion contrary against the popular saying that, “Geniuses are born, not made." I will begin by explaining what or who a genius is, starting from the ancient ones and narrowing it down to the modern geniuses. The etymology of genius dates back to the Roman times and is used to represent a tutelary spirit of a person, place or institution. It had quite a different meaning from the Latin word "ingenium" meaning both natural disposition and innate ability, which genius was coined from. Oxford English Dictionary defined genius as an exceptional natural ability. Another definition of Cambridge dictionary goes thus, “Genius is a very great and rare natural ability or skill." "A genius is someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight." As defined by Wikipedia. A German philosophy, Friedrich Nietzsche described a genius," someone who has completely lost his way in the forest, but strive with uncommon energy to get out of it in whatever direction; sometimes discover a new unknown way."
Throughout the history of mankind, there have been individuals whose minds and hands have shaped the world. They are called geniuses. Yet who are these creative luminaries? Where do they come from? Were they born? Lack of answers to these puzzles leave most people spellbound, and hence concluded they were born. We all, whether white, black, yellow, coloured, educated, illiterate, bond or free, have equal opportunities to either succeed or fail in life. Everyone born into this world has the same starting point. I am optimistic that in the long run as you follow me through, I should be able to make you agree with my point of view that geniuses were never born, rather they were made.


In the first place, what is the source or the spirit behind these geniuses? The genius of all geniuses, the ultimate source, soul and spirit of all geniuses is almighty God. He laid the earth's foundation; He marked of its dimension, set its doors and bars in place. Or who knows where the light and darkness reside? It was Him who set the path of dispersion for lightning. He cuts the channel for the torrents of rains. Is there any earthly genius who has achieved these feats? But the journey to the existence of geniuses on earth began with Adam's intelligence that enabled him name all the animals God created. The traits of his genius was passed onto us all, and left no one in exemption. The pyramid of Egypt for Pharaoh's tomb that led to the study of geometry as pyramid was the first solid shape in geometry, or was Noah born a genius when he built an ark that led to the study of architecture and structural engineering? No! He was made a genius by God's instructions when he said, "This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top, put door in the sides of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks." Another is when God asked Moses to build the tabernacle; He specifically requested that the work should be done by experts. "And the Lord said to Moses, see I have called by name Bezalel....... And I have filled him with the Spirit if God, in wisdom and ability, in understanding, and in intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship." It was also confirmed when the unapproved Tower of Babel was being built," The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building, he said, 'if as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
I will love us to read again the last sentence," Nothing shall be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. What is the source of imagination? It's the mind! Does everyone have one? If it is yes, then everyone is born a genius, and hence whatever anyone has imagined to do, it shall not be restrained from him or her.
The first outstanding poet, king of ancient Israel, Solomon, who not only appeared as the wisest of sages, but also as one gifted with the power to control the sports of the invisible world. He is frequently noted in history and literature as the builder of the Temple and the writer of Biblical poetry. He kept the United Kingdom largely intact, strengthened its fortifications, and made alliances with Tyre and several other nations surrounding Israel. The fact that he was a genius could not be denied by anyone. Was he born a genius? The answer is pellucid to us all. He was made a genius when the spirit of God breathed wisdom into him in the dream and he worked hard to nurture this. He stated in his book of Ecclesiastes, "I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven."


In fact, I would like to state categorically at this juncture a lot reasons that necessitated my joining this race. However, before I embark, whether you are a Christian, Muslim, or whatever, God has deposited into you the potentials to nurture in step to becoming a genius. A careful look at some of the qualities of known geniuses of all age reveals that it is possible for anyone to be a genius. Albert Einstein corroborated this when he said, “there is a genius in all of us." It has been seen that a high IQ does not, in anyway, prove that one must become an accomplished genius. Marylyn Vos Savant holds the record of the highest IQ score with 228, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. But she does not have to her credit any great accomplishment that one may use such a score to predict. The superiority of environmental influence to intelligent quotients cannot be underrated. Indications go as follow:
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519), Florentine artist, one of the great masters of the High Renaissance, celebrated as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist. His environment influenced his profound love of knowledge and research. Leonardo was born in the small town of Vinci, in Tuscany near Florence. He was the son of a wealthy Florentine, where Leonardo was given the best education that Florence, major intellectual and artistic centre of Italy, could offer. He rapidly advanced socially and intellectually. About 1466 he was apprenticed as a studio boy to Andrea Del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day, where he was introduced to many activities, from the painting of altar pices and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble bronze. In 1478 He became an independent master. He executed large paints such as The Adoration of the Magi, Baptism of Christ, The Virgin of the rocks, the Last Supper, etc.
Petrarch (1304 - 1374), Italian Poet and humanist, who is considered the first modern poet. His perfection of the sonnet form later influenced the Great Playwright, Dramatist, and Poet William Shakespeare, who wrote 154 Sonnets, 38 Plays. No wonder Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen any farther, it is by standing on the shoulder of the giants who have gone before me."

Napoleon Hill also said that," a better definition of a genius is a man who has discovered how to increase the intensity of thought to the point where he can freely communicate with sources of knowledge not available through the ordinary rate of thought." Another constraint that makes us think Geniuses are born lies in our inability to freely communicate with sources of knowledge in our environment.
Another typical example that shows the influence of the environment over its inhabitants is this; there was one day I was passing by in a street in Lagos. I saw this young boy about five years old. He was shouting in a thick voice, in a Yoruba dialect, “I am Sunday Dagboru! I am Sunday Dagboru!! I can hit anybody with my left hand!!" He was kicking the vacancy with his left hand, and bending his body lower to that side. I was so astonished, seeing about a five-year-old boy acting like a tout. Then, I moved closer to a guy who seemed to be living in that house and asked why the boy was behaving that way, he said he has been watching one Yoruba film, “Sunday Dagboru" where the main actor acted the same as the boy was doing. Then I realized if this young boy could be doing this way, what if he was exposed to something better than can advance humanity, he would also emulate and from there achieve an unimaginable feat. I could see the effect of the environment on him and I wish such a sharp minded boy could be in a better place.


In the same vein, what makes genius special is their long-term commitment. They struggle very hard and they keep on persisting. Albert Einstein once said, “It’s not that I am so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
Alexander Animalu, a professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is another genius that can be neglected. The only African Scientist to be nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of superconductivity and Isosuperconductivity; a pioneer of a solar energy In Nigeria. This genius whose theory of high-temperature superconductivity based on the novelty of the pairing mechanism for electrons was taught by Professor Chike Obi, a genius himself who was the first to hold PhD in Mathematics, and also solved 128-year old puzzle.
Nikola Tesla was a renowned Physicist, inventor, and engineer. He has made phenomenal contributions to science and has been classified as the "world's greatest electrical engineer." Nikola engaged in studying many works, memorizing complete books, and supposedly had a photographic memory.

Mark Zuckerberg truly believed in what he was doing, it takes a lot of dedication to become a genius, and not just during working hours. While his friends were out partying, he would stay in his dorm room and work on coding his website until early morning. Not too many would dare to believe that a project they had started in their college dorm room would end up becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Mark Zuckerberg quoted, “I just think people have a lot of fiction. But you know, I mean, the real story of Facebook is just that we have worked so hard for all this time. We just sat at our computers for six years and coded."
Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867), British Physicist and Chemist, best known for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and the laws of electrolysis. He received little formal education. While apprenticed to a bookbinder in London, he read books on scientific subjects and experimented electricity. In 1812 he attended a series of lecturer given by the British Chemist, Sir Humphrey Davy and forwarded the notes he took at these lectures to Davy, together with a request for employment. Davy employed Faraday as an assistant in his chemical laboratory at the Royal Institution. The research that established Faraday as the foremost experimental scientist of his day was, however in the fields of electricity and magnetism.
Many of our greatest artists and scientist demonstrated brilliance only after horning their craft through thousands of hours of practice and study. John Maxwell said, "Books can take a person all over the world; a library card will take you farther than a driver's license."


Geniuses are the result of both good genes and good surroundings. Simonton defined in Time Magazine, “Geniuses are those who have the intelligence, enthusiasm, and endurance to acquire the needed expertise in a broadly valued domain of achievement.”
Orville and Wilbur Wright. These two brothers battled depression and family illness before starting the bicycle shop that would lead them to experimenting with flight. After many years of hard work and numerous attempts at creating flying machines, and tons of failed prototypes, the brothers finally created a plane that could get airborne and stay there, after some scientists have said nothing can stay in the air.
Michael Jordan, most people wouldn't believe that a man often lauded as a basketball genius was actually cut from his high school basket team. If he was born a basketball genius, he wouldn't have been cut off. Jordan didn't let this setback stop him, he moved forward till he came to limelight.
The Nigerian genius, Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Playwright, poet, novelist, and lecturer, who became the first African writer and the black writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature 1986 is a product of environment. His father’s position enabled him to get electricity and radio at home, while many of his peers never had such. His mother was one of the prominent members of the influential Ransome-Kuti family; his cousins were the musician Fela Kuti, the human rights activist Beko Ransome-Kuti, Politician Olikoye Ransome-Kuti and activist Yemisi Ransome-Kuti. His father was the headmaster of the primary he attended while his uncle, whom he learnt big grammars from, was the principal of the high school he attended. He had had enough books to read in the shelf while he was still at a very tender age. This is another fact that shows how he was influenced by his environment.
The world renowned Neurosurgeon, Professor Ben Carson, who discovered how to implant brain tumor which led him to the successful operations of the Siamese twins narrated how he became a genius overnight. He described his mother, the motive behind his genius, as a person who would not allow the system to dictate her life, when his mother said, "From now on, you boys can watch no more than three programs a week and you boys are going to go to the library and check out books. You're going to read at least two books every week. At the end of each week you'll give me a report on what you've read. He also quoted, “I am a good neurosurgeon. That's not a boast, but a way of acknowledging the innate ability God has given to me. Beginning with determination and using my gifted hands. I went for training and sharpening my skills.” With his mother’s help and hardworking, Ben and his brother who used to have the lowest grade in class moved on to become A world renowned Neurosurgeon and an engineer respectively.

Thomas Edison said it all, "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." He realized this when he failed 999 times when he was creating the light bulb, and eventually succeeded in the 1000 times.


In my conclusion, this saying "Geniuses are born, not made." that has made many limit themselves and have so far believed they were not born geniuses, and they can never be one. But in other to be the genius you were created to be, I implore everyone accept my notion and change the popular saying to "Genius are made, not born." this encourage saying would drive a great number of parents to explore their children's potential by all educational and vocational means. And also drive a number of students to look deep within them, and nurture the nature, and eventually bring out the genius in them.

Thanks
Oma.

Bibliography
The Wise Genius by Davies M. Echegwisi
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
Ake: The Years of childhood
Book of all ages.

CONSTESTANT 9
Writing for
STRIKE ;A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS

Goodday mr chairman,the reputable moderators,the distinguised co-ordinators,the panel of judges ,accurate time-keeper,co-debaters and my reputable viewers.With a great sense of humility and great respect to fellow debeters in this august debate, I feel honoured to vehemently support the motion which says 'STRIKE IS A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS'.


Before I proceed I will like to highlight some of the factors that cause strike actions in our higher citadel of learning,these factors are; poor state of infastructures in our institutions, poor incentive for lecturers and poor condition of service.If these factors are to be considered ,they(A.S.U.U,A.S.U.P e.t.c)have to lobby or negotiate amicably with the federal government rather than these incessant strike actions.These strike actions cause some dangers that give me some dangers.


Some stances to support the motion.As the saying goes 'When two elephants fight ,it is the grass that suffers it'.The grass in this case is the students who bear the prunt caused.My adduced points are as follows;
Firstly, incessant strikes dwindle the academic performances of students.As learning is suspended for long period, the students reading abilities fall.Even the knowledge required during the learning period is even forgotten by some students.This mostly turns some students into Certificate seekers' than ''knowledge seekers'.


Secondly,most protacted strikes distort the school academic calendar.The after-effect is prolonged school year that exceeds stipulated periods.Most academic activities for the school year are distorted.This is one major cause of produacing unqualified graduates who are deficient in their fields of study.In the same vein, students who are supposed to do a four year course end up spending six years in the school for a single programme.


Furthermore, such strikes periods also have the tendebncy of leading undergraduates into some social vices like prostitution, oil bunkering,e.t.c.'An idle hand ' they say 'is the devils workshop'.
Morever ,it leads to decline in manskill power.As the case may be the outcome of major strike actions is low performances by the graduates in the labour market and this causes a great havoc on the nation's economy.


Moreso,these strike actions can be politicised as the opposing parties can use it (strikes) as a machinery to destroy the ruling party'r manifestoes.
There is therefore the need for a re-evaluation of the education sector.Factors that often lead to strikes in our institutions should be addressed .There is no doubt that the infastructures in most of our schools are as old as tie years of the schools but there are other channels by which A.S.U.U. and A.S..U.P


a compromise with the government other than strikes actions.
On the part of the government, education sector should be properly and adequately funded to encourage effective research and to avoid brain drain.Proper funding of Nigerian university will go a long way to stop further strike actions.
At the same time,the government should always honour whatever agreemment reached with the academic communities.Also the various union in our institutions of higher learning should be a compromise, to take strike as the last resort.Do you euen think A.S.U.U and A.S.U.P have plan for students? Or they are just after their own welfare alone?
Mr chairman , i think with these my afore-mentioned points, i have been able to convince you that 'STRIKE IS A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL

PROBLEMS.
THANKS.

CONTESTANT 10
STRIKE; a wrong approach to Nigeria's educational problem. [supporting]

CONTESTANT 11
Writing against "GENIUSES ARE BORN NOT MADE'

A careful look into this impetus topic before me and i would say without mincing words that looking at this issue before me must not be with jaundiced eyes. It goes without saying that a genius is someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight.

Geniuses are those who fully embrace whom they are and are passionate about it, persevere amidst all odds, setbacks and do not let the expectation of others get in their way.

Having belaboured the foregoing, genius involves figuring out whom you are and being in total control of yourself. It is about strenghtening your best traits and compesating for the rest. A genius is one who takes the bull by the horn in life, and becomes a master of his or her profession or career.

To get down to brass tacks, Professor Gaga who was the one who promulgated this saying when she once said "we are just born this way". She actually did not mention the fact that heritability has very little to do with the potentials of becoming a genius. This speech of hers led to a confrence being held in Venice, Italy. There a young scholar debunked her statement by raising a point that "what if you are born with some tendencies you do not want to be born with? Are you just stuck that way?". It caused a flurry of discussions and it was generally agreed upon that just because a trait is heritable, it does not mean that the trait is fixed and cannot be developed.


It stands logic on its head that a very false myth popularly said is that we are all stuck at the intelligence level we are born with when actually Intelligence Quotient(IQ) can change and be improved upon with tremendous efforts. Many of our greatest artists, scientists and record-breakers demonstrated brilliance only after honing their craft throughly and devoting hours of practice and study on it. At this juncture, I beg to disagree with the proposed motion which states that 'Geniuses are born not made'.


The thrust of this piece is that the real meaning of success is not what others may say to you or the days of little beginning. As it is popularly said, 'better is it that ends well' also 'it is not all about how far you have gone but how well'. Success and becoming a genius is not a day's job. It is all about working on yourself to become better in what you feel you are at your best, practising to broaden your horizons, passionately becoming good at what you are doing and finally becoming a master in it.

I submit that genes definitely play a role in intelligence level, but at the same time, genius is also the result of tremendous amount of work. Hence, the phrase 'born genius' is deceptive. I do not subscribe to it for a minute! So many people often regarded as the greatest minds of our century often had to face great obstacles, the ridicles of their peers and the animosity of the society, which mostly gears them up to become better.

To start with, I would like to cite Albert Einstein as an example, majority of us do take him synonymously with a genius, but he did not show such promise. Einstein did not speak till he was four and he did not write till he was seven, causing his parents and teachers to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. He had an IQ test and he had a ninety which only showed that he was a dunce. He was expelled from school and he was refused admission to the Zurich Polytechnic School. Now people will ever remember him for changing the face of modern Physics and also a Nobel Prize winner.

Pressing further, Charles Darwin,a well-known scientist himself wrote 'I was considered by all my masters and my father a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of an intellect'. Perhaps they judged too soon, Charles has made a name for himself.

As it is, Isaac Newton, great mathematicians will never forget this Maths guru but it suffices to say that he never did particularly well in school and he was put in charge of the family farm, he always failed miserably. His uncle gave him the benefit of the doubts and sent him off to Cambridge where he finally blossomed into the scholar we know today.

I make bold to say that Robert Sternberg, which is a big name in Psychology received a woeful result in his first college Introductory Psychology class with his teacher saying that 'there was already a famous Sternberg in Psychology and it was obvious there would not be another'. Sternberg was jolted and he worked harder. He graduated with exceptional distinction in Psychology and he is now the President of American Psychological Association.

Digging deep, Thomas Edison, in his early life, a techer told Edison he was 'too stupid to learn anything'. Work was no better, he was fired in his first two jobs.


Edison made one thousand attempts at inventing the light bulb, he failed at all but all this unsuccessful attempts finally resulted in the design that worked.

In all frankness,Orville and Wilbur Wright, popularly known and referred to as the Wright brothers, battled depression. After numerous attempts at creating flying machines, several years of hardwork and tons of failed prptotypes, the brothers finally created a plane that could get air-borne and stay there.


Firing from all cylinders, taking it away from the science and inventory world, i would like to talk about Michael Jordan. Often lauded as the best basketball player of all times, Michael once said 'I have missed more than one thousand shots in my career, I have lost almost three hundred games, on twenty-six occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game winning my shots and i missed. I have failed over and over again in my life and that is why i succeed'.


Ben Carson said'I was not a good student. No, i lie, that is not exactly true, I was the worst student in my whole fifth-grade class at Higgins Elementary School'. He had no competition for the buttom of the class, he was exposed to taunts, ridicle and teases from other kids. Yet he struggled to make headway and worked hard on himself. Behold, all this is history now because he is a Professor and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at John Hopkins Medical Institution. He made world-wide breakthroughs in Neurosurgery that has brought life and hope to the hopeless. Am there were sure some 'born genius' in this profession before him. Why did they not make the breakthroughs with their naturally high IQ? What must habe withheld them? Manyquestions begging for answers.

Most people do ask 'am I really good enough, talented enough?' when really the most important thing is to stick to it and with determination you work your way to becoming the best. It is either you shape up or ship out.



Worthy of mention is the fact that working memory has a lot to do more than Intelligence Quotient level to be a genius. A genius is influenced by both biological and environmental factors. Saying that a person is a dunce, he ever remains a dunce was defuted in the life of Teddy. Teddy was affected pyschologically with the issues at home. His teacher, Mrs Thompson took delight in marking his paper with a broad X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his paper. The moment Mrs Thompson did the review of every student in her class and found out that Teddy was traumatised by his mum's death and how things were rough at home, the story changed. She took her time to coach him and his mind came alive, by the end of the year, Teddy became the smartes in her class. Teddy Stoddard is the Doctor at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer wings today.



In closing this piece, I will like to draw up my conclusion by stating that determination and perseverance, hardwork and a die-hard spirit are the keys to becoming a well reputable and renowed genius. Believe in yourself, look deep down into what is in you, work on your flaws and i dare say the sky would not only be the limit, it is just the starting stone. Simplicita!

Contestant 12


Writing against 'Geniuses are born not made'

Thanks to my creator for making me see this day, for without Him, I wouldn't be alive today let alone writing this essay. I greet all protocols duely observed and I salute my co-debaters
My name is don_salvy. I'm writing against the topic 'Geniuses are born not made'.

Let's first know the meaning of the word 'genius'. According to oxford dictionary, a genius is a person of extraordinary intellect and talent'. Some other dictionary put it this way 'a person who has exceptionally high intelligence quotient ( I.e typically above 140).

Judging from the meanings of this word, it's obvious one can't be born a genius. The phrase "born genius" is deceptive. Although genes definitely play a role in intelligence, genius is also the result of a tremendous amount of work.

One of the most stubborn brain myths is that we're all stuck at the intelligence level we were born with, when actually IQ can change and be improved with effort. Many of our greatest artists and scientists demonstrated brilliance only after honing their craft through thousands of hours of practice and study.

Genius involves figuring out who you are, and owning yourself. It's about amplifying your best traits and compensating for the rest. Geniuses grab life by the horns, and persevere amidst setbacks. They take control of their lives, instead of waiting for others to open up doors. In this very important sense, greatness is completely, utterly, made.

It's a great reminder that what matters most is the deliberate practice we put into our work. Being a genius doesn't necessarily means being an 'EINSTEIN'. In fact, if Einstein were to be the lazy type who believed he was born a genius, sat down at home doing nothing, there wouldn't have been any 'Einstein'. Instead he set his brain to work, introducing series of activities. If you are born a lazy genius, forget about the dream of earning a nobel prize in physics.

Somebody with an IQ of 100 today with series of brain games, technical activities and intellectual practices might have an IQ of 150 tomorrow whereas somebody with an IQ of 180 today who relents, sleeps around and becomes dormant might at the end of the day have an IQ of a hundred.


Taking myself as a good example, I've undergone series of online IQ tests ( though the ain't standard) and I realised that my improvement varied directly as the technicality of the questions. Without extraordinary practice, Tiger woods, a golf genius might become a golf 'idiot'.

People might introduce the word 'GRACE' into this. But what is grace? Unmerited favour as most people say. Grace is doing beyond your ability and succeeding despite your inablity. Grace is given to you for a reason. To quote Einstein, " God doesn't play dice with the universe". God does things with reasons. He doesn't guess neither does he wish. But believe me, improving your iq level, working harder in your desired career has nothing to do with a divine reason. Heavens help those who help themselves. If you improve on your present level of knowledge and skill, grace comes to you from nowhere. God doesn't waste his grace on the lazy ones instead, He gives to the hardworking, relentless ones. Remeber the story of the ten talents in the bible, that is exactly how it looks like.
We ain't born genius. Rather, we make ourselves geniuses through level at which we reason, practise adn work.


I guess I should have won the hearts of opposers with the afore-written points and it's now clear that no one is born a genius, people are made geniuses. Thank you.

Contestant 13

STRIKE: A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS.(OPPOSING)

Good day moderators, the panel of judges, co-debaters, and entire Nairalanders. I am here to argue against the position that Strike is a wrong approach to Nigeria’s educational problems. I am quite certain that by the end of this piece, you would see reasons why I take this stance.

If you are not of the opinion that the educational system in Nigeria is in shambles then you probably just landed from Moon. This is because the decay in the system can be breathed in the air. It is evident in WAEC and NECO results and more evident in the products we churn out of our polytechnics and universities yearly. Highlighting these problems will place us in a better position to understand fully the arguments I would put forward in the course of this essay.

The major problem with the educational system is that it is a product of the Nigerian system, the pervasive corruption, the eroded value system, bad policy implementation and lack of good governance. Some other factors that have remained a clog in the wheel of success in the nation’s education sector includes but not limited to, examination malpractice, poor quality of teachers, non conducive learning environment and the quest and over-consciousness on certificates. However, for the purpose of this essay, we will be looking at the problem of Education in Nigeria, mainly as that of lack of good governance, poor funding and bad policy implementation as these are the issues that bring rise to strike actions which is the kernel for discussion.

Strike actions have been seen all over the world as a very powerful conflict resolution tool albeit too extreme. It became common during the industrial revolution when mass labour became important. It is often the last resort when collective bargaining fails. It is something both the employees and employers never pray for as it cripples the entire system and leaves it in shambles.
In Nigeria, strike has been used way too often to settle conflicts in labour- management relations. Almost all unions must have at one time or the other embarked on an industrial action to press home their demands, with the union’s education sector bearing the biggest brunt. But has it really been effective?

It is quite unfortunate that Nigeria has been very unlucky to have leaders who place little or no premium on education. When in 2009 we elected as President and Vice President people who at one time or the other been in the academia, everyone thought things were going to be different, but that was not to be as those issues which has kept the Education sector moribund remains unsettled and even getting worst.

In 2008, teachers in public schools under the auspices of the National Union of Teachers embarked on an industrial action which lasted for more than a month over government’s refusal to issue circulars relating to the Harmonized Teachers’ Salary structure which was approved by the national council for education in October, 2003, suffice it to note that the FG was part of the NCE that approved the new salary structure, but to the utmost chagrin of the teachers, the FG decided to play politics with this issue and for five years, the NUT engaged them in series of dialogues and negotiations which culminated in the protracted strike action in 2008. FG was eventually forced to pass the circular after the strike was called off. Although only 18 states went ahead to implement the new salary structure, it wasn’t a lost battle. The pressure from the strike did paid off.

The academic staff union of universities ASUU has had a history of strike actions dating back to 1988 when it organized its first strike action to obtain fair wages and university autonomy, the first strike yielded no result as the union was proscribed only to be allowed to resume in 1990. Since the dawn of democracy in Nigeria, ASUU has been very vocal and continued to be militant in demanding the right of university workers amongst so many others, engaging their employers (The government) in series of dialogues, negotiations and lobbying but none yielded any significant fruit until in 2009 when ASUU declared an indefinite strike action which lasted for over three months. The strike action again led the Federal Government into entering into agreement with ASUU to pump in money into universities for its revitalization amongst so many other things.

Four years after signing the agreement FG is yet to implement seven out of the nine agreements reached. Showing once more how insincere and uncommitted they can be to the cause of education. In 2011 ASUU once again ordered its members nationwide to proceed on another indefinite strike action over Federal Government’s refusal to implement the agreements, FG once again in a bid to end the strike and with ASUU giving in a little bit signed a memorandum of understanding with ASUU bending a little bit the agreements signed in 2009.

Those who are against Strike actions would argue that when ASUU or NUT goes on strike it is indeed the students that bear the brunt, they are quick to remind us that when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. They forget in a hurry also that nothing good comes easy. Before any major breakthrough there must be a sacrifice. It is the sacrifice we made during the Nigerian civil war that is keeping us united today as one big country. For a developing country like Nigeria certain sacrifices need to be taken today for a better tomorrow and strike actions are part of it.

Conclusively, though the ASUU strike with its frequency perplexes the mind, but when you are dealing with a government that has showed over time that it is deafer than the fish, blind and totally crippled by the grandeur of its delusions there are indeed very few choices. Strike seems to be the only thing that pricks up the government’s ears, hence it would be foolhardy not to stick to what works. Until we get a listening government, a government that is ready to honour its words, a government that is ready to enter into negotiations and fulfil whatsoever outcome it brings ASUU and NUT will continue to make use of Strikes to press home its demands.

Thanks for your time.

I remain,

Infoscope.

Constestant 14
Writing AGAINST "GENIUSES R BORN NT MADE"

Presently we are faced with a bone of contention whether "geniuses are born or made". No headway can be made without proper presentation of the keyword "genius". Genius is one of those terms which is almost impossible to pin down in words but which everyone recognises when they see it. Starting in the 14th century, a genius denoted a guardian spirit, and someone with extraordinary talent was said to have a genius because his or her gift was thought to be the result of some supernatural help. For example, in a treatise on epic poetry from 1695, the author offers, "That Mitton has a genius equal to spencer's..." This term comes from the Latin "gignere" which means "to produce" and it lives on in our vocabulary with genies". When did people shift from having a genius to being a genius? According to Google nGram, genius peaked in usage in the late 1700s and has been inclining steadily since. Wikipedia, defines a genius as a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight. There is no scientifically precise definition of a genius and the question of whether the notion itself has a real meaning has long been a subject of debate. The term is used in various ways to refer to a particular aspect of an individual or the individual in his or her entirety; to a scholar in many subjects (eg. Leonardo da Vinci or Willhelm Leibniz) or a scholar in a single subject (eg. Carolus Linneaus or Albert Einstein) while American Heritage Dictionary states that a genius is someone with an IQ of 140 and higher.


Having gotten a clearer picture of what the keyword "genius" means, lets go back to the main course of this writing which is to categorically state my personal stance against the notion "genius are born not made". The word "genius" itself has been accompanied throughout time by numerous theories all geared towards answering the question "are geniuses born or made" When I was a kid I knew what a genius is but I still had doubts concerning its existence or concept, now am a teenager, the doubts led me to undergo researches as a youth, reasearches after researches, talks after talks, seminars after seminars, shows after shows and interviews after interviews, after all said and done I came to a firm bearing that "GENIUSES ARE MADE". Determining what it takes to be a genius who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality typical to a degree has long been up for debatr thus spurring theories and researches so the phrase "born genius" is deceptive and plain without putting into consideration the factors that make a genius. Throwing more light on this issue, I am going to drop points so as to solidify my notion that geniuses are made.



Starting with nature, nature involving an individual's environment. Pschologists stated that actual heritability estimate is not a major determinant as some people may claim. Eric Turkheimer came along and showed everyone that heritability of IQ is quite high in enriched environments but extremely low in poorer households, showing environnental matters and its roles in determining the heritability estimate. You claim that a genius is born, have you put into consideration, events surrounding the birth of a baby? Here again, environment comes in, in the sense that without a condusive environment a baby can not be born in the right manner, talk more of been born a genius. For instance, take two twins with similar genes and put in two different environment, one turns out to be a literate cum genius while the other is an illiterate, will you still say the genius is a born genius, mind you, they have the same gene? Yet again this is environment in action. Scientists can not make an experiment or prove a theory without makeing mention of environment, either directly or indirectly because it plays a huge role in our daily life dealings. Under this environment we have biotic and abiotic factors which gears an individual through his or her life course. Born genius without the proper food nutrients, still a genius? Born genius with health environment hazards, still a genius? Environment is one of the key factors in programming someone's life. There is evidence that organisms of a baby seek to be affected by input of stimulation through senses at a relatively high level depending on the environment, reduction of the input results of faulting of the nerves and organs of the baby. You can not say one is a born genius when the person has not even started facing life or has not started adapting to his or her environment because a baby is at risk of high rate of mutation due to environment.


Secondly, upbringing or parenting, right from the days of Adam and Eve when God gave them charge to go into the world and multiply, responsibilties have been imposed on parents to protect, guide, direct and take care of their children like young seedlings in the field of weeds till a time that is right for them to know right from wrong or left from right. An old philosopher said and I quote, "give me your child and after seven years I will give him or her back to you made, what does he mean bu that? It means that the training of a child is what makes someone and the key to that is to start from the craddle. Telling a little true life story of Doctor Ben Carson, we see his mother at the fore-front of his success, though his mother was an illiterate she knew the essence and importance of education. She groomed her son, Dr.Ben Carson to be what he is now. Without knowing his background and history, you will classify him as a born genius and that is where I stand to say that you are wrong. Mrs Carson worked more than three part time jobs just to see that her son got all the necessary equipments and facilities which made him what he is now. While Dr.Ben Carson's mates were playing, his mum enrolled him for extra moral classes and signed him up with their town's library. She encouraged him whenever he was weak, lifting him up with biblical passages. The power of good upbring. The claimed born genius would not be a genius without his parents or guardians tutoring, mentoring and guidance. Can a blind lead a blind? The answer is capital NO, that is why we have people ahead of us in knowledge, age and wisdom. Without his mother, Sir Thomas Edison(the inventor of bulb) would not have done what hoe did and perhaps we may have still been in darkness till this very point in time and Sir Thomas Edison would not have been called a genius. Again, here is a made genius, thanks to upbringing. I can go on and on citing instances of genius made out of the usefulness of good upbringing.


Thirdly, development, the process of human growth towards inner and outer maturity is generally referred to as development. Development has featured large in any story of a child's adaptation to his environment, talking about things as the elaboration of neural nerves and the growth of various organs. Permit me to ask, did you start walking and talking immediately you were born? The answer is NO, as a claimed born genius why didnt he or she start walking and talking immediately? That is because a genius is made prior to development. We fell down the first time we tried to walk, we almost drowned the first time we tried to swim, we injured we first time we tried to stunt, this is to show that a genius is nutured with time and development. Everyone has his or her own beauty; it is only up to you on how to develop the skills and to realize your potentials. No one is born a genius, no successful engineer today was doing math since birth, and no great artist acquired oil painting skills from birth. Proper development with time makes a genius.


Fourthly, the word "hardwork". Hardwork is the key to success. Let me modify that a little by saying "persistent hardwork is the key to being a brewed genius". A genius with a perfect intellect geared towards perfection. Again, I refreshen our minds about Dr.Ben Carson. An insprational book written by a renuouned surgeon, Dr.Ben Carson where he gave us a run-through of how he became what he is now. Back in the fifth grade, Dr.Ben Carson let us know that he was mocked during tests and exams calling him a dunce. Refusing to be called a dunce, Dr.Ben Carson worked seizelessly, reading day and night till he achieved his prime goal which is to be what he is now. Today, you can not talk about Medicine and Surgery without talking about Dr.Ben Carson who has records of successful surgeries to his record and also the Chief Director of a prominent hospital in the State. Personally, hardwork determines your today, your tomorrow and your future.


Lastly and most importantly, I bring forth the 3Ds; determination, desire and decision, Dr. Ken Cataa will always say "determination influences your decision and makes your desire reality" Determination spurs up long lasting peace, looking at Sir Thomas Edison, the inventor of light bulb failed ninety-nine times but he did not give up, he was determined and finally got what he desired at the one hundredth time. Also, Sir Abraham Lincolin, failed the presidental race twice but he was determined to win and won at the third presidential race.




CONCLUSION: No one was born to be great, no one was born insignificant, it is all about using what favours you. Depending on genes, traits and talents are deceptive, like the saying "Faith without work is death". IQ plays a role but these facts; Environment, Upbringing, Development and 3Ds (Determination, Decision and Desire). Have a rethink when you say geniuses are born, I bet you will have a change of mind when you think deep and thorough. The fact is that "GENIUSES ARE MADE" and will always be.
THANKS.

Contestant 15

Strike: A right approach to Nigeria’s education problems.

Strike action, labor strike or industrial action is defined as a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work and takes place in response to employees grievances. {1}

Strike has always been a legal means of employees expressing their grievances and seeking reparation for wrong conditions. There are records of strikes dated far back even in the old testament of the bible. In Genesis, workers building the tower of Babel quit their project after God decrees that people will have many languages rather than one {2}. This strike action was very effective as the workers abandoned their project; angered by the way God imposed multi-lingual conditions on them rather than the already mono-lingual structure they were used to.

This article aims at opposing the motion that strike is a wrong approach to Nigeria’s education problems.

Just few months ago, the Academic Staff Union of Universities embarked on an indefinite strike to protest the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement reached between the body and the federal government. Almost four months later, the strike is still lingering on. It is worthy of note that the reason behind the strike action is the rot in the education sector which the lecturers are asking for a redress.

Is strike a wrong approach to the Nations education woes? No! Rather, it is the right approach. However extreme it may look, extreme conditions require extreme measures.

It had been proven times and times again that strike action is the only way to make this current government respond to the wishes of the masses. The current strike by ASUU has entered its fourth month, but with huge success so far. Just yesterday, news filtered into our media that the government has approved a whooping N600 bil for the universities and promised to spend N200 bil on education in 2014 and subsequent years {4}. This is a good development and clearly confirms that strike action is the way forward. If not, it is virtually impossible to squeeze out N600 bil from this government if strike action was not taken. If the lecturers had not involved in strike action, the government would not pledge N200bil for education for the subsequent years. The proposed N200bil represents almost 17% of the nations annual budget. This is a significant improvement from the 8% of the 2013 budget. All these would not have been made possible without the action of strike. This is why strike action is a welcome development.

If you are an active follower of the politics terrain in this country, you will observe the general promise and fail attitude that categorize our leaders. They make electoral promises and fail to fulfill a handful of those promises. Are these the type of leaders you will recommend that our lecturers dialogue with? The answer is obvious. No matter how extreme you may feel that strike is, it is the right step in the right direction. In the years past, ASUU had relied on negotiations and dialogue to end the woes facing our educational system. But how far did the negotiations go? What positive yields have we gotten from such negotiations? It has been the usual promises and general failures. There is a saying that goes thus; "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the height of stupidity.” Our lecturers has decided to use a different approach since the gentleman negotiations aren't working. This is the right thing to do.

Our colonial masters laid a solid foundation for our educational system to thrive on. What we get today is a disgrace as compared to what is obtainable elsewhere. But it would have been worst if ASUU had not engaged in strike actions once in a while; when things move from bad to worse.
Citing a case study of our secondary schools. Years back, government schools was the sin qua non to quality education. Gradually, due to the neglect by the leaders, government secondary schools gradually died a slow and painful death. The NUT folded its arms helplessly and couldn't fight to keep the schools in shape. They only engaged in strikes when their salaries and allowances are delayed or when they intend negotiating a better salary scale. Now, the private secondary schools are the best to obtain quality education while the government schools remains a shadow of itself. ASUU has refused to fold their arms like their compatriots, NUT did. ASUU has decided to be a voice for the voiceless education sector. They have taken the bull by the horn and taken desperate measures to save our education system. Strike is the way forward.

To buttress my point further, I will give instances where strike action created positive impact and yielded good fruits needed to sustain our education system. In years past, the budget for our education system stood at below 4% of the nation's budget. This is a far cry from the recommended UNESCO structure of 26% {5} . While countries like Ghana give 31% of their budget to education {6}, Nigerian allocates just 4%. After much strike actions, the budget allocation increased tremendously in the 2013 bill presented to the house of assembly to 8.4% {7}.
If strike actions could make the government increase their budgetary allocation to the education sector, why shouldn't we embrace it and hope it keeps the government on their feet?

Also, strike actions put the government in unimaginable pressure and expose their inactions to the public and the world at large. This forces the government to stand on its toes and seeks ways to redress issues. Strike actions creates the much needed awareness; educating the stakeholders on the general failures witnessed in the education sector. The current strike has made the media and other stakeholders aware of the rot in the education sector. It has made it possible for the lecturers to garner enough support in their selfless fight to resuscitate the education sector.

The strike action of 2007 compelled the then president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to give ASUU leadership a private audience on June 21, 2007. At the private audience, the president admitted that the rot in the Nigerian education sector was worse than a sinking ship {8}. Because of the 2007 strike, the education sector was able to get a face lift by the then president. This facelift couldn’t have been achieved by mere negotiations without an industrial action. Strike attracts attention and gets things done faster than dialogue, negotiations, round-table conferences and memorandum of understanding.
Some debaters will want to argue that strike is not the way forward. They will try to bore you with the talk of students missing their studies and staying at home. They will try to buy your support by claiming to be sympathetic to the plight of the students. But the hard truth is that sacrifices have to be made. The uncompromising fact remains that this fight is for the education sector and the benefits will help form a formidable sector that will benefit we all. We shouldn’t compromise the quality and standard of our education sector because we don’t want to miss few months of lectures. Of what use will a graduate of computer science that can’t write a good computer program be to this country while we can fight and build a formidable sector that will produce IT gurus.

Few months ago, JAMB registrar announced that out of the 1.7m students sitting for the UTME, only 704,000 will be given admission {9}. Most of those not admitted will not be as a result of their inability to pass the exam but due to the limited infrastructure of the universities. So while our undergraduates are complaining that they want to return to classroom, they should remember the fact that there are other “Jambites” that can’t be admitted simply because the universities are not well equipped. The undergraduates should sincerely sacrifice these few months and reap the desired fruitful effects of a better education when the strike is over.

My opponents would also argue that the lecturers are selfish in this fight. They will try to paint the lecturers in a bad light; claiming that they molest the female students, sell handout and collect money to grade papers favorably. I wouldn't doubt this school of thoughts. Afterall, for every 12, there must be a Judas. But what about the other 11 that are not Judas? Do we condemn all lecturers because of the actions of a few? What of those lecturers that are diligent in their duties? Should they be crucified because of the actions of a corrupt few? No, no and capital no.

Is strike the solution to the problem? Yes! Strike is the only solution since other diplomatic avenues have been exploited and they yield zero effect. Strike is the last option left; and in other cases which we've always seen, strike prevails; it makes the government to sit up. And until the government becomes pro-active instead of re-active, strike actions will forever continue.

Aluta continua, victoria aceta!


References:

1. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_action
2. Genesis 11:9
4.
http://www.nigerianeye.com/2013/10/ASUU-rejects-n600-billion-offer.html?m=1

5. businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/component/content/article/366-business-shool/46337-2013-budget-educations-allocation-still-far-below-unescos-stipulation-

6. www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/ghana-commits-31-of-budget-to-education-as-against-nigerias-8/

7 www.nairaland.com/1073140/2013-budget-education-gets-highest

8. Yaradua Meets ASUU officials
nigeriaworld.com/articles/2009/jul/290.html

9. leadership.ng/news/270613/only-704000-will-gain-admission-year-jamb-registrar

CONTESTANT 16
Writing Against STRIKE: A wrong approach to Nigeria education's problem


CONTESTANT 16
STRIKE: A RIGHT APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S EDUCATION PROBLEM
Strike action implies any scenario where there is stoppage of work caused by mass refusal of employees to work. Strike takes place in response to grievances and disparity between the employees and the employers or affiliates. Strike actions have become a common action taken against the country's mule-headed government, having witnessed over ten strikes or threats to strike in the past four years. It will suffice to note that when strike actions take place, there are losses on both sides, featuring delay in routine production capabilities on the workers' quota and income losses over time by the employers.


The bone of contention lies in the rightness or wrongness of the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (hereafter, referred to as ASUU), over the non-implementation of the agreements freely entered by the above named association and the government of the country.

The National President of ASUU, Nasir Issa-Fagee, was keen to explain the rationale behind the strike being that the government, has so far in four years (2009-2013), implemented just two of the nine agreements, both of which came after a warning strike late 2012. Confronted with differing viewpoints on this nationwide halt in the progress of academics on the tertiary level, I have come to see, as you soon will, that the strike, which on the surface, looks selfish and inconsiderate, is ideal, purposeful and essential towards the renaissance of a quality and competitive educational sector, on a closer analysis of the targets and perceived reactions stemming from the strike action.

Most telling of all flaws is the reluctance of the government, which had promised to serve its people, to enact a cessation properly and willfully. After a memorandum of agreement was signed in 2009, the government promised to fully implement the agreements within the shortest possible time. However, this agreements lay dormant for a further three years till ASUU embarked on a strike on the 4th of December, 2011, a move sprung the government into action. However, it is pathetic that since the end of that strike early 2012, the government were able to execute only two items out of nine stipulated in the agreement viz the review of retirement ages of professors and the reinstatement of the prematurely dissolved Government Council. These two implemented items are almost insignificant compared to others, an error which cannot be condoned, considering the investment of our belief in our leaders as experts in discerning what is best for the country, even if being frugal on the yearly budget. It is now essential to conclude that the strike crises stems largely from failure of the government, over the years, to tackle these suffocating obstacles which have stunted the development of the sector.


The government has been made aware of the enormity of the personnel, infrastructural and other forms of decay at all levels in the tertiary level, and yet, they lack the courage to address these challenges for the good of the country. This presents the impression that the government is satisfied with the malnutured standard of education in the country and wish to continue in that manner. The Academic Staff Union of Universities has turned up for series of meetings, which had ended in placations and pleas, hence their renewed refusal to entertain the famed 'promise and fail' antic associated with our government.

We should be aware that five out of the nine agreements focuses on the improvement of educational standard and quality in the country. These five items includes funding the requirements and revitaliztion of the Nigerian universities, Provision of standard research equipment to laboratories and classrooms as well a progressive increase in budgetary allocation to Education to 26%. You and I will agree that our tertiary institutions in the country are gravely in need of some miracle revival, and it is only fair to laud this move by ASUU to initiate the presentation of these requirements to the government, as far back as 2009. In spite of several consultations and meetings by ASUU, over sixteen months prior to the strike, to ensure execution of the agreements, the government continued to dillydally on the implementation and improvement of the Nigerian Universities. The government, unfortunately, with the help of the media, have consistently painted ASUU black, accusing them of selfish and inconsiderate motives. However, five out of nine is well above average and is enough to define the stance and foundation of the demands of the strike action. And the government have ideally done nothing to improve these Universities, as demanded. Had they actually improved the standard of these universities before pointing accusing fingers at ASUU, then would it be probable to see the sense in their allegations. The only truth that lies herein is that the government is ...unwilling to improve the conditions of the Nigerian universities, which is appalling enough, even as we choose to ignore that their wards learn in far finer schools, not in these universities currently requiring their attention. According to Sahara Reporters, the government recently approved payment of N40 billion as the first installment to be paid to ASUU as part of their earned allowances did nothing to placate the association as they sought to improve the Universities as well. This shows solidarity and purposefulness in their movement, defining them as harbingers of the greater good of the education sector.
Perhaps, another thought provoking discrepancy and a causative agent of the strike is the morbid interference of the government in the administration of the education sector. This gives the impression that the University heads, who are the default experts, are not in control of their own policies. These undue influences by the government shows favouritism towards weakened intellectual class, an unnecessary scenario which paves way for an ideologically barren, colonially dependent and financially deprived structure which does not augur well for the growth or developments of the system.

The government abuses their positions by autocratically instituting questionable characters into positions of authority in the unversities, such as Student Union leaders and even Vice-Chancellors. These cankerworms have continually undermined and negated the efforts of ASUU in ensuring a better platform in the universities. Hence, their refusal to be bought or bullied into any unfavourable decision underlines their determination to to unearth those unwelcome influences in guises of leaders and dispose of them effectively.
Conclusively, we can see that with this strike action, ASUU is challenging the Federal and State governments who have the responsibility for improving the level of education in Nigeria to show great courage in implementing decisions, policies and agreements produced over time, so as to liberate Nigerian education from the clouds of despair and despondency and put the system back on the fast lane. It is only the most normal thing to do, as progressive segments of our country, to recognize the betrayal of trust and the bad faith of the government and rise in true defense of the liberation of our country by backing these determined efforts to save Nigeria from her captors as it is spiralling out of control. A stitch in time, saves nine.

CONTESTANT 17

STRIKE A WRONG APPROACH TO NIGERIA'S NIGERIA EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM.(supporting)

It is blatant that strike is a wrong approach to Nigeria's educational problem. There is no gainsay that Nigeria is sinking under the yoke of the wrong notion. A major motion to be considered is strike a wrong approach in nigeria educational problem which will be articulated in this pieces of writing.

First and foremost, what is strike? Strike is an idea adopted by a group of people to paralyse working activities with the sole aims of influencing government to benefits themselves. The meaningful question that should ring our mind is that "has strike helped to solve our educational problem? Capital NO! Our educational sector has suffered and declined in recent time due to its years to years break down in academics.

History has clearly shown that strike is a wrong approach to educational problem. According to report in 1978 a delegated body called ASUU was formed, using strike to seek their right. In august 1988, the union went on national strike and resumed in 1990, after which another strike was again banned in 23rd, august 1992 and called off in september 1992. The organised body further strike in 1994 and 1996. After the return to democracy in 1999 and 2002 another strike sparks off. In 2007, the union went on strike for three months, in may 2008 the body had one week warning strike, in june 2009 the union ordered it members to proceed on an indefinite strike which end in october 2009 after signing a memorandum of understanding with the government to call off the strike. Currently, the body has engaged in another strike which begun on the 1st of July and is already four month old, yet no solution to educational problem. With this record how can we move ahead and meet global standard of education.

During this current ASUU and Asup strike, some said student of Delta state university were shot dead and injured after protesting for resumption. Some undergraduate student were arrested for involving in a #2 billion fraudulent activities, while some female student were busy playing harlot in the street. There is a saying that "idle mind is the devil factory" student who neither recieve lecture nor work will easily accomplice for crime. It is highly ridiculous that our final year student who ought to have finish their project by now are on street roaming about, definitely there is no gainsay in the speech of our amiable minister of finance Mr. Ikoje Iwala who said Nigeria graduates are "demi-baked". Moreso, extending the years to be spent by an individual in university to 6 to 7 years on a course of 3 to 4 years.

Taking into account to some minor strike in Nigeria university e.g the lasu strike and mass protest in 2011 which led to destruction of public properties and threat to the resident of Lagos, yet the hike of fees remains the way it was published despite the strike. Also,February 23rd,2011 oau door was shut under the renowned V.c Faborede paralysing academics activites on the increament in acceptance from #2,000 to #20,000 yet the strike has no effect till date. Many strike had taken place in our educational sector only to jeopardize the student time.

It is important to consider the measure, that each time Nigeria university goes on strike, vandalism take place as a result of protest causing the Government to repair the damage properties with the money set aside to take care of other beneficiary things. E.g lasu strike of 2011, led to the destruction of street lights, and buildings and schools etc.

Some of my adversary may tends to make a futile attempt that strike has helped in seeking right in our education sector. Which is capital NO! Because there are many ways we can seek right from the government without going on strike to jeopardize the time of our glorious future leader. Is there anyone here today that has been to Nigeria federal institution without experiencing the pain of strike to stand up, as you can see no is standing, how on earth do we want to have better education for our children if we continue this?.

In a nutshell, how can this deplorable notion be averted? This is a meaningful question that should perturb the mind of every meaningful Nigerians. Beside, every cloud has a silver lining, both educational body and the government has a vital role to play. The educational body should see peaceful dialogue as a means of achieving it aims, and still it will not disturb academic activities in our various institution. Also, our government should play their role in funding Nigeria education to the brim and be ready to listen to the side of the delegated body when the need arise. As well, student should stop emphasizing on Aluta on an issue that can be settle amicably without going on strike or protesting because they are the one to suffer it if school door is close. If this is taken into consideration we will all have a smile and enjoy the standard of education in Nigeria. Thank you.

CONTESTANT 18
GENIUS ARE MADE NOT BORN(opposing)firstly,i will like to define what genius means.genius is defined as a very great and rare natural ability or skill,while genius made is doing something natural.genius are made and not born,even the biggest dunce can learn smoothly from the world class minds of great people.some great people we have in this world are not born to be genius,gone at the days in school my closiest friend was known to be a failure in mathematics,but when he find out that he's so weak in calculations,he think of how to find a solution to his problem and he was determine to be a great mathematician,at the end he made it,he's now a genius in mathematics,that is what we called genius made and not born.
There are some ways by which genius are made:
1.LEARNING:genius has to learn new thing everyday,learning also make people genius,your brain capacity is not improve with the ability you possessed , but buy the learning out comes of the new thing , a learner that intend to made himself genus by learning now thing is more better than a born genus which he believes he's perfectly alright with his intellectual gift by not learning any thing.
2. THINKING ABILITY: every men has the ability to think , a man born with genus has the mind of doing things easily without facing challenges because of his intellectual gift nature, but a genus that his made think of how to overcome challenges , think of how to face difficulties , because challenges and difficult make him strong.
3.DETERMINATION: a man born with genus without determination is noting , your determination leas to success , in the life we are, we don't need to late on our intellectual gift alone, not everyday has the ability to make use of their intellectual gift, but the only way to succeed by determination yourself , makeup your mind, of genus that are made are determination to face challenges, they are determine to overcome every negative effects of life, they are determine to rules the world and not depend on their gift they possessed.
There is a word that says "as extraordinary as genus with exception scientific or creative talents are , they have much in common with ordinary people , this implies that a men claim to be born with genus which they don't make use of life tools in achieving their goals in life, but depend on the gift they have, they are just like an ordinary people that lives in this world

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to our viewers pls peruse the essays and give your comment in here..



https://www.nairaland.com/1484758/educational-debate-phase-one-essay