Moderator: ICYMI, a debate ensued last week on the topic, ‘School na scam!’
Arumeme passionately agreed with the topic and gave convincing reasons as to why
she thought so. Don’t make decisions based on her argument yet; keep your
judgements until you’ve heard the other side.
Professor Chika:
Greetings to the indefatigable chairman,
The precise and attentive timekeeper,
The unbiased and unprejudiced judges,
My worthy opponents,
The ever-listening audience.
My name is Professor Chika, and I am a testament to the fact that getting an
education by attending a citadel of learning is the best gift that one can give to
oneself. Read on as I will enumerate some reasons that will lead you to share in my
opinion in the paragraphs that follow.
- School helps you to find yourself. The world is filled with beauty and
wonder, and in school, we learn to ask questions that help us to better
understand our world. By doing so, we develop interests in the different
parts of our world that interest us. I, for one, took courses in literature
that taught me about the depths of the human mind and the beauty that can
emanate from therein. Today, I am a professor of literature and I have
authored books that inspire the younger generation and improve their
understanding of our world. - School prepares one for the real world. In schools, we are forced to learn a
plethora of skills that serve us well in the real world. I remember learning
how to manage stress as a young undergraduate in the university; learning
time management as I navigated social clubs and education; learning how to
control my emotions; understanding how to manage competitions and loss;
and a host of other life skills that I picked up just because I existed in a
space that forced me to become inventive and to think on my feet. - School helps one to build networking and relationship skills. You see, once you
register in school, you are immediately thrust into a class with a group of
people who, oftentimes, are in the same age bracket as you, share similar
successes with you, and understand the struggles that you face as an
individual. This cohort of people are a fertile ground for relationships and
healthy friendships. This is why it is no surprise that many young people end
up finding love and happiness in school. As a matter of fact, I, myself, am
married to my high school sweetheart. - On a final note, school helps you to find interest in areas of specialisation
that are not yours. For example, though I studied to become a literary
expert, I have interests in many other disciplines like art, business, history,
politics, and language, and this is because I was introduced to snippets of
these disciplines while I studied. This appreciation of other disciplines, in
turn, has helped me to become a more rounded individual, with diverse
interests, and respect for different societies, cultures and people; this, in
my mind, is the true education, and school sows the seed for this type of
education.
To round it all up, I must say this: School no be scam! Yes, I agree that there are
flaws in our educational system; a lot of flaws. But no, dismissing education is not
the answer. It would be akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water. We
must instead seek to improve our educational system by making it not just
accessible to all, but also, tailor-made for all. It must take advantage of all our
unique strengths rather than force us all to become robotic learners. If we do this,
we will birth a generation of learned compatriots who will be educated in the true
sense of the word.
Thank you!
Moderator: That was an amazing debate. You can indicate your thoughts on this
debate via the poll below. Also, you can let us know your unique opinions in the
comment section, or by shooting us an email via this address:
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