HOW OUR IGNORANCE MADE US FAIL
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
When we were
growing up as kids it was every ones dream to either be a doctor, a lawyer, a
banker or an engineer. Even if you go into the streets today about 90% of the
kids you will ask what they will want to be in the future will most likely
choose either of the four professions. This is because the society has painted
these professions to be for those who are intelligent or who want to be wealthy
or influential in the society.
And it is a
shame that we grew up to accept this. This is evident in the number of students
who apply for this courses annually. And some of the students who wouldn’t want
to give up on their childhood dreams have been kept at home for years seeking
to get an opportunity to study these courses in the tertiary institution. Not
that these courses are bad but the world wouldn’t be complete and certainly
wouldn’t be the way it is, if we were all either a doctor, a lawyer, a banker
or an engineer.
It is quite
unfortunate that even in this 21st century very little is known
about some very interesting courses like biochemistry, microbiology,
statistics, international relations, forestry, geophysics, Biotechnology etc.
Nobody tells us about the wide range of options we have at our disposal even at
the point of taking our senior secondary certificate examination. Our first
contact with them is usually on our jamb brochure. Even at that we only look at
them in awe and don’t often make try to change our minds. Some only come back
to take a second look after they have been denied admission severally.
This is because
very little is known about them prior to taking jamb and they are often not
seen as lucrative. Our parents do not help matters as most of them force it on
their children to study a particular course which was their childhood dream,
wanting them to live their own dreams which eluded them. And it is sad to say
that even the parents who claim to be educated are mostly involved in this.
The effects of
these lack of orientation cannot be over emphasised as many students who could
have been wonderful Biochemists sit at home waiting for medicine. When they
could use the time to bag a degree in any other health related course which
would help them understand medicine better if they so wish to go after it in
the future.
Even some
students who end up getting the courses they applied for blindly (or the one
they were given by the university which was not their choice), out of
frustration of staying at home for too long, without knowing what it entails
end up regretting when they realise what they have gotten themselves into. But
at this time so much time and energy has already been spent in the wrong
direction. Little wonder the increase in the number of school dropouts, as the
students are not able to come to terms with the challenges they meet in the
course of study. Some who struggle to make it through even with repeated
failure not because they are not intelligent but because their intellect would
be better put to use elsewhere.
And once the
enthusiasm has been lost, education which was supposed to be fun becomes a
thorn in the flesh and a thing of endurance. Some who can no longer cope end up
dropping out or switching courses if they are lucky enough. Some out of
frustration of repeated failures summing up to extra years end up becoming
cultists or miscreants in school.
At the end of
the day we have graduates who know next to nothing about the courses they
studied even when they come out with good results. Even the ones who out of
their desire to succeed in it try to know a thing or two about the course,
obviously would not make use of the knowledge due to lack of enthusiasm.
Most persons
haven’t really seen this as a problem, because the battle is usually between
the student and the course. Those who end up succeeding have been hailed but
those who end up failing have been seen as never do wells. This ill has to be
corrected. There should be massive orientation in secondary schools on other to
make students know the various options they have to choose from as a choice of
career. And also the details of what each course entails. So that the choice of
a course would be a conscious effort and not something to be delved into
blindly.
Parents should
also help their children by not forcing them to live their dreams, rather make
them understand better the options that is available to them.
Even though some
persons have been lucky enough to find their true calling in such erroneous
situation. As they end up doing exceptionally well and also enjoying these
courses they leapt into without looking.
I strongly believe the choice of a course should be a conscious choice,
only then could a student be held responsible for what comes out of it.
Okoro Chigozie
PS: Big ups to my course rep for this piece, lately it just seems like I have been on energy saving mode as regards my blog eh. In the spirit of xmas, make una no forget me as una dey chop rice ooo.
1 comments
Ah Chigoo! You said it so well that it struck a cord within me. We will be better off if we begin to look into other courses and professions. Thumbs up brother. God bless
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