The Ideal Education System: Through The Eyes Of A Teenager - Roberts Ezikpe Okiyi
Hello teens!
Most people think education is just about attending
classes, getting the degrees and being referred to as learned not knowing it
transcends way beyond books, classes and the degrees. Its true education is
seen as the process of receiving or giving systemic instruction, especially at
a school or university or as I saw somewhere earlier on, an enlightening
experience. Education though referred to as a process has become somewhat
outdated from my perspective. Processes are meant to be passed through, but
experiences? They are meant to be lived. When we let education pass through us,
yes we could still be learned but when we live education like it is a world of
its own then we live the ideal education system. What does it look like? Well I
liken the appearance of education to that of a grown man, with various body
parts. Hands, legs, eyes, ears all working to ensure proper functionality of
the body. The ideal education system is likewise. It is so because many things
have to come to play for it to function effectively. There should be many
things that have to be done for the ideal education system to have its
appearance.
Firstly, in the ideal education system there are no
lecturers, we have teachers. Lecturers are in no way teachers, and for
education to be effective, teachers are needed not lecturers. In this part of
the world, teachers are associated with those in secondary schools or lower
whereas lecturers are more associated with the university. Saying we need
teachers doesn’t mean all the lecturers in the various universities should be
sacked. Basically, saying they should be teachers, I mean they should act as
teachers, as guides. Most lecturers use lecturing as an excuse for their
laziness and unpreparedness. Teachers are prepared, and don’t fail in passing
acquired knowledge in class. They entertain questions, and could even go into a
long discussion over something with their students. Lecturers? They feel
insulted by this, forgetting they could make a student learn something new or
could even learn something new from the student because in the ideal education
system, education is like a double-edged sword. Its two sided.
There is also a whole lot of peer learning in the
ideal education system. This is so because many a time we learn better because
we heard this from a friend or because that friend explained it to us. It’s like
magic, unexplainable. In fact, it’s more likely for students to learn from fellow
students than they do from teachers. Peer learning is so beneficial to those
who try it because it involves the sharing of knowledge, ideas and experience
between those involved. Like I’ve heard someone say, it can be described as a
way of moving beyond independent to interdependent or mutual learning. No man
is an island right? You know something I do not and I know something you don’t,
he knows something she doesn’t know and she knows something he doesn’t know right?
That’s why peer learning is encouraged for effective education.
In the ideal education system, there is leverage of
technology. Technology is used to maximum advantage as every innovation is
pushed into the educational system so there would be smooth and easy running of
the system. When everything is going smoothly, students and staff are at ease
as education becomes little or no burden to them. Education shouldn’t even be a
burden to anyone by the way as it goes a long way in determining where we end
up in live. I mean we’re in the 21st century so we either move as
fast as the world is moving technologically or else we’ll get left behind. The
good works of technology too can be channeled into education. And in that ideal
education system I’m talking about? There is the leverage of technology!
Also, we have fewer students in a classroom. Gone
are the days a million and one students should be packed in a classroom. That
doesn’t aid in education effectively. The more the number, the more the
problems and the less the teachers have personal connections with their
students. It’s easier for students to relate problems amongst themselves and
with their teachers in a classroom of few students, say 15 or 20. Comfort too
serves as a factor why there should be fewer students in a classroom for
effective education. Students would be more comfortable if they are fewer and
this in turn can make them more relaxed and really get involved in classroom
activities. No wonder in the ideal education system, there are fewer students
per classroom.
Skill inculcation is a priority in the ideal
education system. This indeed is something that shouldn’t be played with.
‘Inculcating’ books into or system isn’t all there is. Skills should too. There
are places where what we’ve leant from books wouldn’t take us but acquired
skills would. Skill acquisition is taught and encouraged because the ideal
education system takes into consideration what becomes of a student who
graduates, with good grades probably and is stuck somewhere and somehow is battling
unemployment. A skilled person can survive in many environments. If this
student with such skills is not faced with the problems of unemployment, the
acquired skill can help him in generating more income for himself. So, anyhow
you look at it, an acquired skill can never be a waste.
The ideal education trains us for success at our workplace
(for tomorrow) and not just for us to graduate (for today). Here, education
isn’t done for today rather it’s done for tomorrow. If we are taught for today
most definitely we would graduate. But then, tomorrow might not be favorable.
For this reason, teaching who we are today is not for what we are to do with it
now but for what we will be become tomorrow.
How could I not have mentioned the fact that in the
ideal education system there is the creation of room for students to use the
knowledge gained to create stuff which shows how innovative they are. It’s at
this point I mention that there are two broad parts to the ideal education
system; the theoretical and the practical. The teachers handle the theoretical
aspects, and room is given to the students to challenge their minds and convert
the theories into practical or physical stuff. Innovativeness is key! We may
know all the theories but converting them? That’s where we know how strong the
mind it and once the mind is strong enough, life becomes relatively easy.
Sports, music, and other extra-curricular are things
that are of high importance in the ideal education system. NEVER joke with
them. It’s true we have to take our education seriously but then they are a
part of it. I had a school co-coordinator who always said that education
without these things is incomplete. It makes one a half-baked learned
individual. Both can be combined of course, I see you wanting to ask if they
can be combined. It all boils down to commitment which must be given to the one
which would ensure your better tomorrow. Musicians get money, so do doctors.
Engineers are rich, so are athletes. But then it’s important to note that in
whatever we do, education should and if possible must be involved.`
There you have them. The parts that make up the
ideal education system. All these must
come to play if you want to experience education, and live it. Miss one and
you’re merely passing through the processes of education. Education is meant to
be experienced and lived. So pack your bags and go have a life!
- Written By Roberts Ezikpe Okiyi
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