Page 82 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 14

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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