Education is heralded as a cornerstone of any national development and personal growth. The history of education in Namibia dates back to the pre-colonial era when traditional forms of education were prevalent.
Contemporarily, as the bundles of joy are expected to jump up and down like a tennis ball this week in the school corridors when school starts, there are certain aspects that children, toddlers and adults don’t discuss. And that is the importance of education.
As the saying goes “education starts at home.” Before buying those new deck books, pencils and full uniforms, I didn’t know how acquainted and how much time a parental role is devoted to instilling morals and values about education. That is also none other than to start with an end in mind in them about the importance of education, and what it means to be educated as an individual. Although education is the key to success, Dr Myles Manroe once said, “If you have a key and you don’t know how to use it, you may end up using it for the wrong reason.”
This has become prevalent in most of the pupils and students, who sometimes fall into the trap of quick gratification or quick money, and in the end once things turn upside down to appreciate the missed opportunity later.
In Namibia, Article 20 (1) makes it mandatory and gives us the veto that “all persons shall have the right to education. Now, since the right to education is bestowed upon each and everyone, there has been an exodus of children’s disenfranchisement when it comes to schooling, yet for those in school,especially grade 12, the failing rate continued to proliferate over the past years in Namibia.
In tandem, a high number of educationists sit with qualification, but finding it harder to get the job in the market. NSA has it that unemployment now stands at 33.40%.
Namibia faces what we call a structural type of unemployment. This form of unemployment is among graduates due to their dependency on the social needs of the economy and dynamic changes in the economy.
Debunking the myth that education is not a scam but a path to prosperity demands clarity and proof nowadays. In some instances, the freshman and women from university or TVET who happen to do job attachment or embark on a new job, sometimes end up taught like “forget about everything you were taught in school” and concentrate on the job at hand by applying the prescribed methods.
Some still ask where I am applying my algebra and algorithm being drilled in us during schooling time. This debate seems to appear “as water under the bridge” still requires much refreshing, introspection at education symposiums, seminars, workshops and career fairs at higher institutions of learning. Education is not a scam but partially the system in education especially in Africa, may be a scam if not producing the good results that the job market demands, sometimes leading to what we call human capital flight. Human capital flight in simple terms is the emigration of highly-trained or qualified people from a particular country.
Private schools accept only the best-performing pupils, especially from well-off families who can afford to pay high fees, resulting in performing better as they apply the golden rule of demand in their admission.
Unfortunately, most of the public schools are in shambles, overcrowded, unhygienic, lacking basic services, and lack support services and infrastructure to make learning a worthwhile experience. Indeed, those could be part of the many reasons that learners drop out of school as they feel insecure and not inspired to be educated.
Ask yourself, what if the billionaires of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and Mark Zuckerberg did not get a chance for schooling, how would they understand and interpret their performance?
One of a kind is Zhang Yiming, a TikTok tycoon from China, he applied the mathematical algorithm and engineered it to his TikTok app, which is currently wildly used by each and every one.
This clear testimony, irrespective of being a white collar or blue collar, that education is not just about finishing the grade and obtaining all qualifications, but is the most powerful ammunition that once you apply your wisdom and expertise, you can use to outmanoeuvre any difficult situation in your favour in order to become relevant in your community and around the globe.
Among other low-hanging fruits that education has the potential to reach are the ability to empower individuals, foster innovation, reduce inequality and boost economic growth through well educated workforce.
The bottom line of the matter is that for education to lead to prosperity, it demands the intersection of tripartite responsibility: parents, teachers, and pupils. The government has a mammoth task to play in ensuring that it creates a conducive environment where the economy has enough oxygen to ensure that the young generation has faith in education.
Teachers have a delivery duty to give the best they can by sharpening and liberating the pupils’ minds. On the other side, parents have the parental role to ensure they teach their children morals, acceptable attitudes and behaviours from home. Lastly, pupils have a learning duty to be receptive to the teaching from school, and continue the ability to upskill themselves after school. This is to ensure that they keep themselves afloat with the new demand in the market; and to reap the fruits of the time and financing they sacrifice in schooling. Over and above, once well-cultivated, education remains a common denominator to everything, as it is the key to the locked gate of success.
*Tio Nakasole is an Economics Honours degree holder, NUST MBA student, and a Research Analyst at MONASA Advisory and Associates. The views expressed do not represent those of his employer. – theoerastus@gmail.com