On my piece on defunding many knowledge ecosystems by African politicians, including the iconic Ahiajoku Lecture of Owerri, which used to bring eminent Igbo scholars together, to discuss important things, Francis Oguaju dropped this comment: “Why does going to school feel like a scam to many? Because the intent has never been to acquire knowledge and liberate the mind, rather a sort of misguided notion about escape from poverty, so when you are unable to secure paid employment after schooling, it automatically implies that you wasted money going to school.”
The Ahiajoku Lecture was like Chinua Achebe’s literary home. When he edited Okike, Ahiajoku was always a place to meet to engage him. FC Ogbalu, one of the most prominent Igbo scholars who harmonized Igbo writing, used Ahiajoku to push the message of the necessity of writing and speaking Igbo in ways every Igbo person could understand. Simply, they invented Igbo Izugbe (general Igbo).
My Igbo dialect in Ovim (Abia State) is different from any community in the Igbo Nation except a neigbouring community named Amaba. Even Ahaba Imenyi, which we share boundaries with, has a different Igbo dialect. By the time you get to Umuahia, it becomes challenging. FC Ogbalu worked with other scholars to move from “A B GB…” to “A B CH …” introducing CH to accommodate some of these deviations in Igbo etymology. In Igbo, there is no C, Q and X. My senior secondary Igbo teacher, Papa Iyke, shared some of the convention communiques with us in a handout.
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The first Igbo convention was in 1978 and later by around 1983, they ratified many things. If you check well, Umuahia and Owerri dialects dominated modern Igbo writing. Ahiajoku was a platform where many things evolved.
Going back to Francis’ comment, people say these days that if one finishes from a university and cannot get a job, that the education is a waste. That thinking is primarily the reason in Tekedia Mini-MBA we do not even offer any job support or help. Yes, if you want to come because it can help you get a job, this may not be the right school for you. We want you to come for knowledge, and if you do get it, many benefits will come along the way, including jobs. That is why we have no job portal or support system because when the world has made going to school to be about getting jobs, it has deviated from the core tenet of education which is the “liberation of the mind”.
And that education can come in many ways including lecture series, continuous education, university system and more.
Comment on Feed
Comment 1: I asked ChatGpt the subject matter, here’s what ChatGpt has to say: “While getting a job is one reason people pursue education, it is not the sole purpose. Education serves a range of purposes beyond employment. Here are key reasons for education:
Acquisition of knowledge and skills: Education is crucial for acquiring knowledge and developing critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and creativity.
Personal development: Education helps individuals develop intellectually, emotionally, and socially. It broadens perspectives, enhances self-awareness, and fosters personal growth.
Empowerment and social mobility: Education empowers individuals and promotes social mobility. It provides opportunities to improve socioeconomic status, break the cycle of poverty, and access better opportunities in life.
Citizenship and civic engagement: Education shapes active and informed citizens who can contribute to society. It helps individuals understand their rights, responsibilities, and democratic systems.
Cultural preservation and appreciation: Education preserves and transmits cultural knowledge and heritage. It helps individuals appreciate diverse cultures, languages, arts, and traditions.”
Comment 2: Some deep thoughts here.
Unfortunately, the false impression about education created many years ago, that fostered this syndrome, is still being perpetuated with much of the current structures and processes of the Nigerian educational system.
In our climes, a university degree is the minimum entry pass onto many life elevating jobs. Even polytechnic graduates have not quite won the battle for parity on this score. And year on year, millions of Nigerian parents ( including us here ) are almost giving up their lives to get their children to join the hordes of university undergraduates, admission-suitable or not.
I believe things will only start to change here when universities change parameters for admission into degree programs, and also expand their curriculum to include various short-term diplomas for those who may not meet up; and also when various governments as well as corporate Nigeria begin to reckon with skills and defensible capacities.
Otherwise, we are still blowing hot and empty air, I’m sorry.
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It was reported that while Thomas Aquinas was having a walk with his friend, somewhere in Lebanon, the friend showed Thomas Aquinas the cedars and other beauties of nature, asking Thomas if he would like to possess them. And Thomas’ reply? More like, “If I could find the missing manuscript from Aristotle’s work, I wouldn’t ask for more”. That’s how highly Thomas Aquinas valued knowledge, and he left here as one of the finest creatures ever lived.
In Rhetorics, you will be forgiven if you are unable to defend yourself with your arms and legs when attacked, but certainly not when you fail to defend yourself with speeches. It is unforgivable! And to be able to speak/write intelligently and persuasively, you must love knowledge, no other way.
What can be more enriching and edifying than taking part in disciplined and intellectually rich conversations? They sanitize your mind, nourish it, giving you opportunities to question things.
No wonder we are too timid here, even frowning and fighting anyone who dares to question people’s thought processes and soundness of judgment. We have to correct the warped notion that going to school or getting education is for the purpose of paid employment, it’s a violation of reason and industry.