Recently, there have been flawed notions that “education is a scam”; that people should quit going to school and go to the ‘streets’ to hustle. A lot of reasons have been put forward regarding why you should give up studying and rather turn to other means of survival; other reasons have also been given as to why you should ignore this and keep studying. In this article, we shall be laying everything out.
Some people believe that the educational system is flawed. They believe that students are not taught anything in school, as they rather spend all their learning from a curriculum designed to ‘control them. This narrative is supported by the notion that students are not allowed to think for themselves, are restricted to classrooms and are ‘compelled’ to obey the rules of the institution against their own will.
Others have gone way more to argue that the system is developed to keep resourceful knowledge and information out of the way of students, feeding them with irrelevancies instead. Not to mention the high rate of school shootings that has created a lot of trauma and fear, which could discourage people to pursue their education. In other parts of the world like Nigeria, “School Na Scam” has become a popular slang in the midst of young people. They believe that school does not economically empower them.
To start with, the school system is designed to enable you to acquire knowledge based on a curriculum which has been designed to include relevant information that would empower you. It is rather unfortunate that the system has failed to live up to that standard unlike places around the world. In China, for example, pupils in the 3rd Grade are learning Algebra and you have reports of them learning calculus too. In fact, the TikTok version in China allows students to spend only 40 minutes on the app so that they can have time to study. It allows features that allow students to solve math problems while they are on the platform.
The end result is quite obvious. Most experts in the field of tech around the world are Asians, mostly of Chinese descent. They have the highest number of millionaires in the world, and even though we may cast stones at their system of government, we can clearly see that their commitment to education is paying off.
The school system gives you the chance to experience living within a community of like-minded people. It gives you the chance of being disciplined with the rules it has in place. It gives you the chance of cultivating the habit of hard work, dedication and resilience, which are the most important skills for survival.
To end this, I want to make a rather blunt confession to some Nigerian youths who have this perception about school or the education system is a scam. A close friend told me about his uncle who is a millionaire but has no educational background. According to him, his uncle’s greatest regret is that he did not go to school. His reason for this is that while he may be a millionaire, his lack of education has seen him lose out on getting a billionaire status.
So, the ‘streets’ may offer you money, but education or school will keep not just that money but more opportunities in your hands.
Read Also – “Go Hard Or Go Home” – The Act Of Not Giving Up On The Hustle
