I went to OAU a few weeks back. Apart from the air being so clean that as a Lagosian your lungs struggle to process the pure oxygen free from carbon monoxide, there were a few things that caught my attention.
- The size of the place. Wow it was HUGE!!!!!!!!!
- The amount of church activities going on. Apparently there are over 70 different church fellowships
- The students who i met
Its the final point that struck me the most. People are constantly whining about the state of our education system in this country but i met some fantastic people who will hold their own with any student anywhere in the world. I was particularly impressed by their ability to run and organise events independently. Was really blown away especially as i spent my universities days in "other activities".
Then that got me thinking. What exactly constitutes a "good education"? What really is the purpose of university? What changes do we expect in the individual from the day they join to the day they graduate? To be honest, in my opinion the whole concept of university should be less about equipping you with knowledge but more concerned with developing you with the skills you will need in the "real world'. Knowledge can always be acquired. Attitude and drive not so. And thats what makes you succeed outside. Nobody wants a straight A's efiko who cant relate to other people, lead a team or be remotely organised. Don't get me wrong, am not saying academics are not important. But they are just one part of the whole university experience. The whole idea should be to develop well rounded balanced individuals. Any skew to any particular extreme is just as bad as the other.
But i was also surprised by how people with such a bright future where oblivious to what lies ahead for them. This is probably the best time to a Nigerian graduate for a decade. Does that mean its gonna be a bed of roses. No. But it does mean the rose bush has less thorns. The are more opportunities in this country now than for a very very long time.
Anyhow it was great to go to IFE. To see the original vision that was laid there. Visionary leadership once lived in this country and who says it cannot rise up again.
Anyhow folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Easy!!!!!!!!!
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2 comments:
Nice and insightful writeup. Indeed we shall see visionary leaders rising up again soon. I was curious to know what took you to Ife but there was no mention in your blog.
This is really positively provoking,an avenue to gather one's thought and opinions about personal experiences and issues...u av definitely shed more light on the possibilities ahead,waiting to be harnessed.i'm resisting the urge 2 become glued to this blog thingy cos i love stuff like this!nice one garageboy(wuts d inspiration behind the blogname sef?)
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