The Education Race

Did you know that the Sailfish is widely considered the fastest fish in the ocean. At top speeds of nearly 70 mph and The Peregrine falcon is the fastest bird and in fact the fastest animal on Earth at speeds of over 200 miles per hour?

Hey guys, another Sunday. I’ve tried writing this post a couple of times. The first was on January 20th but it sounded almost like it was written out of anger so I didn’t post it. In this post we will be talking about a topic I find very delicate Education. This post is focused on the system of education where I schooled (Nigeria).

I want to ask a question, if there was a race between the Peregrine falcon and the Sailfish, who is going to win?

At some point in every student’s life, they have questioned the importance of education in their life and why schools exist. Why do we have to learn all these? Will they help me in life? These and more questions go through students minds constantly and unknowingly puts a weight on their mental state.

There is a bigger question I ask, Why do we forget everything after the exam? When we forget everything after the exam, was education achieved? In my own opinion the answer to the second is NO. Albert Einstein the great Physicist said;

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school

The educational system is built around examinations, a formal test of a person’s knowledge or proficiency in a particular subject or skill. So I guess the grade A means Expert or highly proficient but then why is it volatile? Did learning occur or was it just a race for an A.

Creating an environment for learning is 10% physical, this involves the physical environment and everything tangible. The remaining 90% is mental. When an environment for learning is created, learning occurs naturally and it becomes a part of the student.

The truth is that the educational system forgets that the school is a place that has diverse set of minds (Birds and Fishes), structuring such a system in a race-like manner looses the essence of the whole thing. Now, about the race between the Fish and the Bird, I believe your answer was it depends.

It depends on which medium the race is taking place, In the water the sailfish will surely win but take it outside the water and you have barbecue. The system has barbecued many sailfishes in one way or another making them wish they could fly. Examination is not a test of knowledge.

I don’t believe anyone can grade someone’s proficiency based on an exam. A lecturer once told me that I read and read out of scope. knowledge is not scoped, It’s something you get and seek more, especially when that environment is created.

In conclusion, we should make sure the sailfish is the best in the ocean and create an environment where it wants to know more about flying. There’s no win or loose when it comes to education, there is no Pass or Fail. It’s either the process was done right or wrong.

This post is from my perspective, if you want to point out something, you can contact me personally.

I think the bird will win the race though cause it’s cheep! #dontleaveme

Till next time, Later guys 🙂