THE EASIER PATH TO SUCCESS: EDUCATION OR IMMORALITY?
EDUCATION
AND THE WORLD TODAY
by Mubaraq
Abdul-Wahab
When I was a teenager numerous quotes and sayings were sung into my ears. Statements like "Education is the best legacy" and "Children of today are leaders of tomorrow" were some of the frequent ones.
However, now that
I'm grown up, I am not convinced that these sayings or quotes are true, especially
after all the old people of our country have turned leadership to their assets.
The Youth are not encouraged to work hard academically, others who want to work
hard are impeded due to numerous factors.
Few weeks back,
there was a TV show which was characterized by immorality and indecency in
which all sorts of shameful, terrible and ungodly habits were being displayed
worldwide on TV by some lads and lasses. After the so-called TV show, the
winners were honored with very huge amount of money worth about 45 Million
naira!
In the world of
yesterday, people who are innovative, creative, intelligent and hardworking are
the most commonly celebrated, whereas today, there is nothing of such!
Immorality is something Nigerians were against in the past. Today, however,
winners of immoral shows are being celebrated and revered by people. To such an
extent that one would think that these individuals have achieved some laurels
and awards for innovation or have introduced a new sophisticated technology
that could help solve the people’s problem.
What baffles me
the most is the ordeal of many outstanding students who are performing
excellently in their various centers of learning. Imagine the best graduating
student of a higher institution being offered ₦10,000 as a reward. After four
or five years!
Some, from a
particular university, won themselves ₦1,000 each after graduating as the best
students in their department. There is very little encouragement in the
Nigerian educational sector.
Students who have
worked hard to graduate with excellent results, indeed deserve better treatment
for their laborious meritorious efforts towards study. However, the world of
today is not so.
The reality is
that these individuals have crossed uncountable hurdles, bottlenecks, barriers,
limitations, challenges before attaining or being the best graduating student.
University scholars and outperforming polytechnic graduates must have made
numerous sacrifices before achieving that for at least 4 years.
They must have
invested greatly in their academics solely to reach the dreamland they have
been told over the years to attain. However instead, today a young man will
display porn without shame and in a month earn millions of naira.
One major
characteristic of high performing student in this country is their astonishing
endurance and perseverance to achieve, attain and maintain excellence. I know
many who undergo nights with empty belly; use their feeding allowance to buy
textbooks, read almost throughout their days in school, spend their leisure
time mostly in tutoring, guiding and helping other students free.
Last week, a
friend told me that he knows of someone who bagged a first class at degree
level and also has a master’s degree but receives only a token sum of N12,000
monthly as a teacher. This is truly an indication of the state of the dwindling
interests in education in the society of today, what will make the students
convinced that if they study hard they will have a brighter future when the
fact is immorality is being celebrated at the expense of education.
What about the
work published by many students who conducted researches and whose results will
be beneficial to mankind in its entirety but ended up in the bin due to lack of
support? What about the talented young engineers who with their innovative
ideas were able to invent something revolutionary; who is there to support
them? In fact, their dreams which they have sacrificed their money, time,
energy and resources for were wasted, brushed under the table due to lack of
support and being wasted.As a saying goes, “good deserves good,” I am of the view that such individuals who have performed wonderfully and excellently in their academics should be venerated and honored by the society than shameless individuals flaunting on promiscuous shows. In the absence of such, the educational system would languish in the limbo of forgetfulness.
One key to attainment of success in life is motivation. It plays a major role in stimulating people to get into action, work hard and achieve success. It initiates, controls, guides, maintains and stimulates goal-oriented behaviors. Hence awarding promiscuous individuals will, accordingly, drive and stimulate the youth as well as the potentials to indecency and immorality.
If students who
perform brilliantly are motivated by receiving meritorious awards, support to
proceed with their education, the upcoming generation will surely be stimulated
to work hard and attain excellence academically, which will give rise to a
hopeful future with scientists ensuring the sustainability of technology.
It is thus high
time that support for education became intensified by government and
nongovernmental organizations. So as to make the younger generation prepare for
the future and make them believe in education.
Indeed, enough is
enough. Enough of this moral decadence and degeneracy. Otherwise, future
generations will suffer from our actions.
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