Should Educational Certificates Reflect Institutions from which they were Obtained?
By Kunlé Ologunébi @KunleOlogunebi
If you are an alumnus of a top-ranked school, the above topic may instantly put a frown on your face. However, you may end up wondering about ‘what should be’ towards the end of this article.
If we took a step back and look at our entire existence. We are born a blank slate. In a way, we did not ask to be born or have a say in the decision. We become a victim of the situation that existed around us when we joined the living. The negative outcome of this lottery system is one of the major problems that structured education programmes and societies have tried to solve for centuries.
I am aware that this issue does not exist in isolation as it seems our existence as a community or society is naturally inclined to create a class system on its own regardless of what solution is proposed at any time in history. Nevertheless, we have to keep innovating and seeking solutions to improve the quality of our journeys in the land of the living.
I reflect on my own structured educational journey as often as once a month, what comes to mind is sometimes misunderstood by those around me. I find it hard to attribute much of my learning to a particular university. Although I came across personalities that made my learning more savoury, much of what happened through my journey came to be through an intrinsic drive.
This nuclear power plant of the intrinsic drive is what I believe to be the measure of a person rather than the name of the institution attended. It is fair to mention that this quality is well observed when assessing a graduate however, the overwhelming effect of the name of the institution attended cannot be denied.
More effort should be channelled, by governments, into developing teachers across the board that help learners to unlock the doors to their nuclear power plant of the intrinsic drive at a very early age, equip such pupils with tools to continuously assess themselves and review such drives. This should be a major aspect of early education.
Such an approach will lead to pupils finding themselves early, understanding the essence of their existence, being able to see through the veil of the increasingly toxic materialistic social media culture and reducing the current ‘me first’ attitude in the society. Families should also be encouraged and supported to raise children to see beyond the glittery aspect of our existence.
Children should be exposed to thoughts about their purpose and the drive to achieve their potentials to make an impact without losing their sense of community. Schools and universities should constantly swap teachers to encourage knowledge transfer and erode the tier system in education. Such an approach should be encouraged universally across institutions at all levels.
Certificates should no longer promote the tier systems and job applicants should rather be assessed based on their abilities rather than an initial tier system of institutions filter. The above may appear chaotic, but I assure you that out of such chaos, order will emerge. It is a starting point to thinking about how we can get the best out of our journey here. Many potentially bright minds have come and gone without realising their bright minds. We need to do better to ensure we get the best out of our ‘short journeys’ through life.
Kunle Ologunebi worked in prison education for over seven years and witnessed education inequality first-hand. Being a victim himself, he relied on his inner self in pursuit of his potential and purpose rather than a structured education system. Although he believes there are vast benefits of a structured education system, e.g., critical thinking, he advocates for a more radical approach to dealing with education inequality. Follow him @KunleOlogunebi