ARE WE OF A DIFFERENT BREED?

ARE WE OF A DIFFERENT BREED?

Right from primary school, we were made to understand that cutting corners is our nation's cornerstone. First, our elder brothers instead of assisting us in our homework they did it themselves. Then Common Entrance Examination came and the teachers made sure that the brilliant pupils were statically evenly distributed amongst the average pupils. This was to ensure a good result for our various schools. We were watching and learning.

We were haphazardly taught titration in chemistry practicals. Then a day or two before WAEC chemistry examination, the end point value was disclosed round the whole secondary schools of the federation. All that was left of a supposed chemistry practical was a mathematical substitution of figures in cm3.

Biology practical was not left out. White papers came out and of course, all that was left was cramming and memorizing.

The system continued into the tertiary institutions. A tertiary level of neglect and impunity. A system that was meant to build ideal youths however was bereft of ideas and produced id-controlled youths.

First, marks which like matter should neither be created nor destroyed were made subject to both creation and destruction. Read all you can but if you did not purchase a particular knowledge-shallow book or illegibly plagiarized manuscript, your failure is certain. So we bought marks at the expense of knowledge.

Then the practicals again. 

We were taught the importance of using distilled water in chemical experiments but in the laboratories, tap water was provided. 

We were told that paper chromatography is an ancient means of identification of molecules. Yet paper chromatography was the only experiment we carried out in the laboratories.

We saw the distillator used in protein identification but we never used it because there was no light.

The day the PHCN smiled on us we discovered that the laboratory technician knew the distillator operation only in theory.

We were forced to see the microorganisms through the light microscope. At a point we accepted that we had seen the otherwise invisible even though in truth, we saw nothing courtesy of poor focusing from the instructor. 

Anyway, some never got to even see or touch the instruments and apparatuses. And they also graduated too.

So we all became UNEMPLOYABLE in our fields. Some Engineers became bankers. Microbiologists became secretaries. Some biochemists became sales representatives.  Some lawyers ended up as just charge and bails.

The system failed us.

There is an ongoing post about how the Buharis, Ojukwus, Ziks, balewas etc became great in their twenties and early thirties. They were taught by white professors who demanded no bribes. 

(a borrowed conversation) 

Teacher: At your age, Alexander the great had conquered the whole world.

Student: Alexander the great had Aristotle as a teacher. All I have is you.

The system has failed us.

But we should not fail ourselves.

#DOITYOURSELF#