THE PROBLEM WITH AFRICA

THE PROBLEM WITH AFRICA

Promise Ikpe

A man that was living abroad was sending money to his brother-in-law to build him a befitting house; the brother-in-law was to design the house, chose the quality of materials and executes the building-plan.

He built a poor house with pitiable materials and when his brother-in-law who was sending him the money returned from abroad, he brought out the keys of the building to give to him but that one said, “I’ve been wanting to build you a house, you can keep it” and instead of rejoicing, he wept because that which he thought he was doing for another turned out to be what he was doing for himself.

In Africa we go to school to get knowledge and because we think we are studying for the examination body, we find a way to go around the exams and get the certificate. When the government we are studying to work for wouldn’t provide jobs for us, we are left with the reality of what we’ve done to ourselves; the certificate we expect to make us get job of the government wouldn’t be able to make us provide jobs for ourselves. Any certificate that can’t make us create job for ourselves lack its value; certificate shouldn’t just make you get a job, it should make you to be able to create jobs.

If the certificate can’t fetch us a job, the knowledge should be able to make us create jobs but because we didn’t study properly; we thought that we were studying for the exam bodies and not ourselves, we ended up not studying to know and use the knowledge for our own benefit rather we only study to pass exams.

This will continue to be the problem of Africa until we learn to study for ourselves and not for the exam bodies, until we study to be able to create jobs and not just to get jobs, Until we prioritize knowledge and skills above certificate, yes, until we study to be able to apply the knowledge for our own benefit, we’ll forever remain poor.

You’ve not understood any subject in school until that subject has a real life application in your life; not until you’ve started using Chemistry, Physics, Government, Economics etc. in your daily living, you’ve not understood it for yourself, I don’t care if you scored A(s) or B(s) in them.

We shouldn’t allow the desire for a high score or certificate over throw the quest for knowledge. Don’t study to pass, study to know and apply in your life.

God bless you
Pastor Promise Ikpe