₦airaland Forum

Education isn't the key



There are different reason why the key to a door can be changed. Firstly, the key might have probably become old and weak and so needs replacement or the key must have been made useless by some system or probably the lock to the door was changed. I guess the most probably illustration to use here is the second, the key to success has been made useless, our educational system has been made useless. I won’t like to go into our educational system for now, I might do that in another blog post. The key to that door called success has been changed and now we fall out of the way trying to look for the new key. This is why you see youth of nowadays do different sort of things like stealing, prostitution, advanced fraud and the likes. Forgive me, I am not trying to be on their side, I agree that some of them are probably lazy and so go into different stuff. I also agree with myself and I also want you to agree with me that some of those who indulge in all these illegal things aren’t actually lazy, they have tried all they could but all to no avail and now they have been forced to believe that the key to success should be one of those numerous illegal means. Its true there was a time that education use to be the key to success but not anymore. There was a time when you just have to call to school, do well in school and then you get a good job but as I said earlier, “There was a time”.

Recently, I had the chance to have a one on one conversation with one of those who probably a decent guy will tag ‘Bad boy’ and I discovered something. Most of those we consider as bad aren’t actually bad, they have been frustrated on the journey to looking for this particular key to success. I have also gotten the chance to speak with some students and I always ask them one striking question “So now, you go to school, finish and get a good job bah?” I will always ask them and they will smile at me and reply “Yes o, I just have to be the best and that’s it”. Most times, I laugh at their replies. Don’t they see the guy with rough hair walking down the street with nearly tattered clothes? Don’t they know he is also a first class student? The girl managing a small hair dressing shop by the road side, did she forget to tell them she was the best during her time?

It is true that there are some few educated persons with actually good jobs in good firms and industries but many of those some actually got the job by knowing someone important. I guess knowing someone important isn’t the key to success, to me, that sounds like one of those illegal means most of our youths take while looking for the key to success. So I am a first class student and you managed to scale through school but you ended up working in a good firm because you know someone and I don’t. I tell you the truth, that isn’t the key to success, rather it is one of those illegal keys.

The door to success is still very much there, but the lock has been replaced because the previous key has been made useless. Education is no longer the key. Education as I see it just gives us awareness about a door called success or better put, education is just a step leading to the door called success. What then is the key to success?

Is education still the key?



I thought it was a simple process, it thought the process to achieving success was: Going to school, ensure you become the best you can be in school, Finish school and then become successful. Of course, that was the key back then, try asking our men of old and they will tell you that is the process. Once you are done with school and you have gotten good grades then you are sure to get a good job. That was what our fathers told us “Education is the best legacy”.

I was in a bus some days back, a public bus to be precise. I thought the well-dressed guy sitting just beside me was also a passenger, I was shocked when he got up and asked us the real passengers for our transport fare. What got my attention wasn’t exactly the fact that he was well dressed, his use of English swept me off balance. Yes, I am not a conductor but I was sure then that if I am to be in a debate with that young man in the bus that morning, a debate which counts base on your fluency in English language, I won’t be worthy to untie the lace of his shoes. Thank God I was to drop at the last bus stop (The point where the bus itself is to stop), I so much longed to speak with this educated conductor. I stylish waited behind like I was looking around for something until the coast was clear before I took my shot. “Good morning” I greeted the young man who was now busy counting the money he had made from the first trip of the day. “Good morning” He greeted me back as he rose his head to stare transiently at me. I paused, I didn’t know how to present my case, I didn’t want to sound rude and I didn’t want him to feel offended. “Are you the conductor to this vehicle?” I blurted out my question. He immediately stopped counting, look up at me and nodded with a smile on his lips. “I have been the conductor for some months now, I can’t just stay idle after my graduation from the university” He told me. The surprising thing was how he maintained the smile on his lips all along. That was it, he is a graduate, a graduate of a prestigious university of our wonderful country. Hmm, that guy I spoke with that morning is someone who had the best legacy “Education”. Didn’t they tell us that education was the key to success? Didn’t they lie to us that if we are educated then we are meant to be successful? Didn’t they paint education to us as the ultimate all? What then are our educated youths doing in the bar every night drinking themselves to stupor due to frustration? What then are our educated youths doing in the police cells? I thought if I am educated then I should be successful. Isn’t education the key anymore? What then is the new key? I think I know it.