How To Be Valuable In The Global Scene.

As a Covenant University student, there were high expectations for me.

I remember that fateful day.

When I was about to leave the house for my first day in Covenant University. My mum called me and said "Tboy, don't do anything you wouldn't want us to hear".

Those words fell to the ground.

And 5 years later, I realised I made silly mistakes here and there, failed and triggered an extra year in school.

Luckily for me, the extra year was extended to two years because of the lockdown. And during that period…

I Became a NEW Man.

Do I regret those wasted years? Of course. Because I would have grabbed the rare opportunities of developing myself, building strategic relationships with people and connecting deeper with God if I knew better.

I finished with a 2:2, but by the Grace of God I'm sure I'll live a FIRST CLASS life— There's just a high level of clarity (of which I'm trusting God for more of) and understanding of who I am and what is ahead of me, that the mistakes of yesterday can't tamper with.

But the sad truth is this:

There are lots of people in Nigeria and globally who burnt the midnight oil are jobless today and are scared of tomorrow.

I don't know who to blame.?

But when I read Salem King 's story of how it was in his 300 level he realised he was studying the wrong course, I realised I wasn't alone.

My own awakening came during my extra year.

And I studied Mechanical Engineering simply because it seems like the obvious, and easiest course to study.

It was easy though, compared to the horror stories I heard about the people who studied Electrical, Petroleum and Chemical Engineering.?

But I failed because I wasn't just serious.(and because I didn't have the passion for the course.)

Are you free?

There's this school named Subhury Valley (for people aged 4 to 19 years) that believes so much in the power of freedom and the childlike spirit.

So they don't have classes, tests or exams— The students just show up everyday trying out new stuff, connecting with other students, learning and knowing more about themselves.

This might sound crazy to you but according to research, students from this school do well in life.

What's the reason?

They emphasised on the subject of self awakening and discovery.

How The Global Educational System Started.

The first idea of schools started in Ancient Greece(in the 4th century BC).? In fact, the word ‘school’ comes from the Greek word ‘schole’, which means leisure. And what we call primary and secondary school today came from Greece.

They emphasised on physical education at an early age because they believed improved appearance, preparation for war and? good health in old age were very important.

The Roman educational model was similar to the Greeks.

However, in other parts of the Ancient World (like in the Middle East, China and India).. their own modes of education emphasised reading, writing and mathematics.

No laptops, phones or world wide web then.

So the system of learning was done through speech and discussions making intense memorization a critical skill.

Later on, there was a switch.

So when the Roman Empire fell, education became the responsibility of the religious bodies.

The History Of Education In Nigeria.?

The Anglican Church Missionary Society (CMS) founded in London in 1799 started the first primary school in Nigeria in 1843. 11 years later, some Christian missionaries started CMS grammar school in Lagos which became the first secondary school in Nigeria.

This growth of education in Nigeria quickly led to the founding of the first university in Nigeria— University of Ibadan.

But before the British arrived with formal education,? there were two major types of education in the country.

The Islamic model.

Back then in Muslim communities, mallams would disciple young children in the Qur'an teaching and the Arabic Alphabet.?

Later In the colonial era, larger cities set up accommodating systems which led to more compressive schooling. And led to the teaching of subjects such as maths and science.

The Indigenous model.

In this mode of education, children were taught practical skills needed to be valuable personnels in the community.

They were taught the protocols of the society and were given tasks such as sweeping lanes and so on.

As they grew older, the boys were directed to farming and more specialised work, such as wood carving or drumming.?

Girls would learn farming and domestic skills. And boys would often enter into apprentice-to-teacher relationships with older skilled people.

The True Meaning Of Education.

Considering the historical archives you just read… you'll realise education is a system for personal growth and development.

A platform for refining man and making him or her useful to the society.

It wasn't set up to restrict the human race, but to make man free.

But today is that what it really is?

That's why American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, John Dewey (1859 – 1952) went on to display the surprising difference between these two words— information and knowledge— stating that schools focus on the alpha at the expense of the omega.

Gaps & Loopholes.

You see, since the middle ages and until later in the 20th century, learning has been focused on the curriculum rather than the student.

Meaning for many of us, education has been a tedious affair, marked by mechanical routine and compulsory memorisation.

But it shouldn't be so.

That's why you'd find out that graduates stop reading or learning after school even after doing so much of it before.?

Why?

Because they were learning to pass a short term exam instead of building a lifelong habit.

The funny thing is that in real life, you won't be told the exam dates. So your scores in the test of life would be solely determined by how much growth and preparation you've passed through beforehand.

The Ancient Landmark.

We must return to the dogma our forefathers have set— the one that emphasised on the system of education to train the human mind and to make him or her valuable.

Today, you'll realise that people have spent about 16 years in school without being able to answer the dreaded question of "what next?"

And even though they can answer...

It's most likely totally different from what they studied in the university.?

That's why there are lots of courses & trainings on Navigating to a new career path are flying around today.

The Emergence Of The Skill Economy.

The screenshot below shows the summary of the global economy today as written?In this article.?

You see, the problem isn't really the absence of jobs. The real problem is the absence of people that can provide solutions— people who have discovered who they are and what is in them that the world needs.

It was during corona my self discovery journey started

And then I realised reading is a lifelong habit, I was a born writer and I loved teaching.

This was someone who HATED reading and writing in school.

Why am I saying this?

The future is for the few of us that will open up the archives of our destinies on a sheet of paper, flip through and find those unique traits that can be transformed into sellable commodities in the marketplace.

Yes, there will still be doctors, lawyers, engineers, and all.

But it'll be based on a divine ordination that they've discovered the creator put in them.

You can't be like everybody.?

My friend Itunu Kayode talked about this in one of his LinkedIn posts a few days ago.

The medical doctors will become certified and respected because he has shown that's exactly what he was created for and that he's capable of that role.

The question now is, why were you created?

What role are you capable of?

What can you do?

Where can you go?

What solutions were you created to solve?

These questions will remain barren of answers if you'll not settle down to answer them.

For it is only the individual who discovers himself that will be able to acquire the right skills which will make him or her valuable in the global scene.

It's time to step up to your responsibilities.?

There's so much to learn.?

And even though we are in the midst of a technological revolution, don't even think tech skills are all you need.

In this Forbes article, 7 different skills (apart from coding) needed in the post lockdown era were listed.

Perhaps these are skills that should have been taught when we were still in primary school.

The prayer is that the educational system will change and align with the demands of the future.

But before then...

Discover YOU!

Dissect and express yourself for the world to gaze at.

A wise man once said "I will set myself on fire and the whole world will watch me burn."

For me, I'd love to do just that.

But would you join me?

Do you know what kind of fire you carry?

And do you know how to set yourself ABLAZE?

Settle down today and answer that.

It's very important.?

And I trust the cosmos to provide answers for you in due season.

To A Better Life

Tolu Kazeem

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