Education is actually more relevant than ever, as it will give us the tools to solving our problems in the world, and it will unite us if we let it. Read the story of how Signapore as a nation overcame it’s obstacles to become a world class nation, and you see immediately that they used education to achieve the strides that they attained.
Education is a necessity, we all agree, right? When we discuss our needs and wants, we set aside a considerable part of our life towards our pursuit of these. We spend a good amount of our income, investments and savings to ensuring that we get all of it’s accoutrements. We leave no stone unturned when it comes to education, especially in Africa.
Yet…
How many of us are as hands on as we ought to be concerning our children’s educational needs? Or as passionate as we are when discussing politics on Facebook? The irony is that we dedicate so much of our resources towards ensuring that our children get the best education on offer, but still have an indifferent attitude towards it ultimately.
The irony is that education touches every sphere of our lives – that is, true education, and not the empty meaningless pursuits of certificates that we engage in. Real education changes lives and pervades mindsets. It’s how a man like Malcolm X was able to overcome the negatives of his life to become the Prince hailed all over the world. He educated himself, he didn’t go to any school but devoured books hungrily and listened to others teach. He gleaned around him for lessons and shared the knowledge that he acquired.
But in our jet age, education isn’t sexy, it isn’t glamorous, it’s isn’t bae! (what does that word mean anyway?) Education is actually more relevant than ever, as it will give us the tools to solving our problems in the world, and it will unite us if we let it. Read the story of how Signapore as a nation overcame it’s obstacles to become a world class nation, and you see immediately that they used education to achieve the strides that they attained.
Recently I heard a conversation between two soccer fans about their soccer idol Lionel Messi who had a conviction for tax evasion and they were lamenting this fact. It made me recall conversations with my students over the years about the relevance of a sound mathematics education; the mastery of numeracy and the other mathematical skills I strove so hard to impart to them. They always whined and complained about how unimportant it was to the real world. I wished that I could see their faces as this news broke because I had always told them that being in charge of your own finances was a must, and it was easy when you had a strong comprehension of numeracy. Computation and numeracy is the basic foundation of a sound mathematical education.
Education is more than sexy, y’all; it’s a life saving, you see! Ensure your mind stays sharp, brush your skills up always and never stop learning. Your life could depend on it!
Adetola Salau, an advocate of STEM education, public speaker, author, and social entrepreneur, is passionate about education reform.
