Good afternoon to you all in the hive learner’s community and hive at large. In my country there is free education for basic 1 -9; yet, millions of children are still out there. There was a time, some group of students where saying ‘school is a scam’ in my environment just because some people that are not going to school live better than those that passed through school.
Education is a factory where human beings are refining like gold before entering labor market. Every human being is born with certain talents; education is to sharpen this innate characteristic and make it brighten.
Many scholars have been trying to define the concept of education but it seems to end up of how they understand the concept education. They defined the concept of education based on their understanding.
Education was derived from Latin word ‘educere’ or ‘deucare,’ which means to train, lead, mold and so on. Education is not only having bunches of certificates; it is to think about yourself, it is an experience that allow one to identify what is good and bad, giving you the skills to succeed in life, create awareness, opportunities, values, knowledge, independence etc.
That was the reason Albert Einstein said, “education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think”.
There was a day, I was presenting a topic organized by Teach for Nigeria; the topic was quality education for all. I was standing in front of over 1500 students, presenting how education offered different opportunities for children in my country, and how they can maximize the opportunities for their own advantages.
The aim of the program was to bring those children out there back to school; because we run a free basic educational system. There is circular sent to schools that ‘children don’t want to go to school again.
While the program was going, one of the students raised his hands up that he wanted to ask a question, I told him he should go on.
He said, “of a true, i don’t want to go to school because my oldest brother stopped going to school when he was SS2 (grade 11th); right now, my oldest brother is driving one of the latest cars. My point is that even his mate is still in higher institutions, and when they graduate, there is no guarantee for job employment for them. There are thousands of graduates outside there looking for a job for 5 or 6 years, getting back to learn certain work when they are supposed to be earning certain amount and enjoying their lives.
‘If not my parents (father and mother) forcing me to school, I preferred to learn a skill, or join my oldest brother in his business. For according to what they usually say that ‘education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”- Malcolm X
“If education is a passport to the future, those thousands of unemployed graduates should have got something to do. I want to get reach in this life, I don’t want to remain poor in my life and I am thinking how I can make it in life just like my oldest brother.” - John
While he was talking, I understood what he was saying about education. He thought an educated man should be able to get a lucrative job. He does not know that education is far beyond that.
While he was talking, a large crowd of students shouted, ‘that is the truth, education is a scam’. I let them understand what education offers opportunities, modifies lives and so on.
Back to the contest, In the 1980s, our father went to school from basic to higher institutions for free, they were not paid anything for school, and they were taken care of them very well. It was possible then, and it is possible now.
It will just incur expenses for the government, which can make them run into debt because of the population.
But to be sincere, it will never happen in my country because they have seen it as a source of revenue for the country.
Free education is no longer sustainable in Nigeria; even without free education, the government are owning lecturers for more than 5 months, the quality of education is spontaneously going down, children no longer going to school, and the rich men preferred to take their children to private school because of shortage of lack of teachers in government school.
IF EDUCATION IS FREE IN THE PRESENT DAYS THE FOLLOWING THINGS WILL HAPPEN
- INCURE MORE DEBT TO THE GOVERNMENT: right now, even when there is no free higher education, the majority of countries borrow money to complete their budgets; and there is outstanding debt to be paid. Therefore, if a country makes free higher education, it may result in more debt.
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- EDUCATION WILL LOSE VALUES: let’s look at what is happening right now that basic education is free in my country. Millions of children are still outside, not because they did not get money to buy school uniforms or to buy notebooks. These children take it for granted because it comes at no cost. People believed that cost must attach to valuable things; without cost, no value.
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- FUND IS VERY IMPORTANT: Money is required to run the schools. To get the best service such as good teachers, infrastructures, social amenities and beautiful environment, build laboratories, pay teaching and non-teaching staff; money is needed. Why are private schools’ environments very conducive for learning, provide quality learning-teaching for students, get the best teachers, get a good laboratory, computers, and beautiful environment?
And when you get into government school, what you will see in some of the government schools are dilapidated building, poor environment, old teachers that are not aware of 21 century methodology of learning-teaching, absent in the school by teachers, chalk and old blackboard.
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- ECONOMIC IS A CORE DETERMINANT TO FREE HIGHER EDUCATION OF ANY NATION: Countries with good economies can give free education to their citizens at all levels. Before any nation can agree free education to all citizens, their economy must be good.
The economy plays a major role in the education of a country; if the economy is poor, the country may not be able to finance higher education; such a country will utilize every means for their income including higher education.
Right now, that the economy is getting worse on a daily basis, the government will not like to create another problem that will pose more threat or cripple the economy of her country. The world is facing economic crisis right now, countries won’t mention free higher education because it is source of revenue for them.
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- POPULATION: Population of a country is also a factor. A country with over 200 million people and over 120 million children and adults will not suggest free higher education. The money that will be spent on education in a year will be too much; such a country will prefer to make higher education a source of government revenue.
To conclude, I want to tell you that Germany is running free education program at all level; yet, Germany educational system is very good. If a country has good leaders that cherish education and want all the citizens to be educated, free higher education is possible.
I stand up for success, and success is not achieved by merely making mouth, No room for laziness, no room for idleness.
Thank you for reading my post.