Page 82 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 14
P. 82

Leadership

           “People say the education system in the US, UK, and
          other countries is on a top notch,” she said but added                that contributed to them engender-

          that she “wouldn’t say those students are better than us,”            ing the problem. They sold their
                                                                                opportunities to learn wisdom and
          because “we have studied. We have done the assignments.”              remove a layer of ignorance that

          And if I may add to what she said, we have made                       would cause them to graduate to
                                                                                the next step of life better equipped
          them graduates.                                                       than they currently are. In so doing,
                                                                                they missed the real education.
                                                                                Much like the parents who paid for
          shrewd, then their child or children   system in the US, UK, and other countries   their children to access colleges that
          will look for ways to be wise or   is on a top notch,” she said but added   they had not qualified for. Now,
          shrewd per their parents’ examples   that she “wouldn’t say those students are   these students or graduates, which-
          and not according to what is benefi-  better than us,” because “we have studied.
          cial to others. If they are in a school   We have done the assignments.” And if   ever they may be, having opted to be
                                                                                cut out of the ‘chrysalis’ are going
          because their father or mother paid   I may add to what she said, we have   to face the reality of not having
          money to get them access, or in a   made them graduates. William, from   used the opportunity to ‘push fluid
          job because their parents facilitated   the Patta interview, said that, “They   into their wings’. Mentally, socially,
          it through corrupt means… then     just have the name but then we got
          that is what they will perceive as   the skills, we got the knowledge and   economically, financially, they have
                                                                                crippled themselves horribly, unless
          what is to be rewarded and perpet-  we got the experience.”           they find a redemptive path. They
          uated. A president gets away with                                     have cheapened the fabric of society
          infidelity or is even celebrated as   The first point I would like you to   and also put others in harm’s way,
          being ‘manly’ for it… that’s what   consider is that the students paying
          they will believe society likes and   for their assignments to be done,   some of it potentially fatal, because
                                                                                they are not technically equipped to
          that is what they will aspire towards.   denied themselves the opportunity   be able to handle the responsibilities
          It takes an exceptional heart to be   to go through a critical transfor-  that will be set before them. Not
          able to withstand the coercion and   mative process. I am not merely   only that, but they have set a prece-
          conditioning that is present in such   referring to the educational courses
          a society. Particularly one that will   they cheated through. It’s far more   dent for the next generation – their
                                                                                children or those of others – to find
          go and read the riot act to other na-  serious than that. The courses were   ways in which to use shortcuts that
          tions that are doing exactly the same   simply tools to challenge them and   circumvent the journey that shapes
          thing as they are. Hypocrisy lived   transform them as part of a type   character and community. It’s a great
          out is hypocrisy condoned. And so,   of rite of passage. The hurdles they
          a culture is shaped.               would have faced along the way, the   loss to themselves, their families,
                                                                                their communities, nations and to
                                             moments of doubt, uncertainty, fear   the world. Particularly because of
          Now, to the other aspects that are   and having to resolve all of these in   how interconnected we all are these
          real gems. Debora refers to ‘top-  order to find out the sort of person   days. For the system itself, by blam-
          class Kenyan graduates’ and says   that they are and push to change
          “The Kenyans are so good at the job that   what did not pass muster. These   ing the essayists, they are turning
                                                                                a blind eye to their own issues and
          sometimes they get asked to dumb things   are what they had opportunity to   failures in society. They are ignoring
          down. Between them they say they have   encounter and overcome by doing   the rot that is evidence of a system
          enabled American students to cheat their   the work and the time. They also   that is not working and by push-
          way through everything from US history to   had opportunity to change what
          engineering, even medicine.” That’s high   wasn’t working systemically; mean-  ing these symptoms aside, they are
                                                                                condemning the overall structure to
          praise for the intellectual prowess   ing that they could have highlighted   utter failure.
          of the Kenyans, whether it was     the issues of being overworked or
          intended or not. This brings me to   taken advantage of and pushed    The second point is exclusively for
          the other two points I would like   for things to be done differently
          to invite you to consider. When    and thereby impacted their society   my Afrikan brothers and sisters. We
                                                                                have indeed made Americans, Brits,
          interviewed by the New York Times,   overall for the better. Instead, they   Chinese, Australians and whoever
          Mary (mentioned earlier) did not   took a shortcut that at this crucial   else graduates in a system that we
          spare the education systems of the   stage in their lives prevented them   may not even have access to due
          west one bit. “People say the education   from a deep learning experience and
                                                                                to funds or other restrictions. But,


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