Why The Narration – “Education Is The Key” Has Changed In Africa

Whilst growing up, many kids in Africa dreamed of having the best of education ever because of the characters they used to hear of or see on television. Stories were always told about how people’s lives have changed because they completed various universities and studied unique courses. This made most African parents have the zeal of pushing their kids via the highest level of education they could ever hope for since most of them never had that chance from their parents.

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After pushing some of the older siblings through the university, the expectations start increasing whilst the fellow keeps crawling towards success or walking around jobless. Truth be told, even though it’s said that the main aim of education is to enlighten people, the other equally important reason is to have a good job with corresponding wealth, affluence, and higher social status. Is the narrative still the same in 2020? This is a very debatable question as to whether one will allow his or her son to struggle for a degree as opposed to pushing them into any of the security services, establishing businesses for them, encouraging them to enter into showbiz, and so forth.

The “Education is the key” line is now on the low because of how some uneducated people are seen as successful people because of their money, houses and cars as opposed to graduates who are still hanging around their parents as unemployed figures and still feeding from their parent’s utensils.

A few days ago, I visited a popular spot for relaxation and eavesdropped on some people’s conversation. They were two guys and a lady who happened to be classmates in Junior High School. The lady confessed that she was disappointed in being in Level400 in one of the country’s universities because she met one of their colleagues who was working as a taxi driver. According to her, this taxi driver is better off with just JSS cert because he had managed to build his small house, owns two cars, and is engaged in some other businesses whilst her only possession was her phone! One of the guys also added that he is happy he got the chance to enter into the police force right after SSS. The last remarked that he has completed university but still staying with his parents who are always raining insults on him for being a liability with a degree.

Hmmmmm….if the aim of becoming a graduate is to get money, will it be wrong to go for the money before becoming a graduate or even without being a graduate at all? Are you a graduate? Is Education still the key to you?