Does Free Education Equal Quality Education?

 
Here is a tsunami boiling beneath political propaganda and like everything else we know, it will one day explode in our faces and we will all pretend we did not know about it. Imagine a society of people who cannot express themselves in proper English, teaching your children or great grand children in school, or representing you as your local government chairman or councillor, or governor or senate representative or maybe as your president. It is not that he speaks a native tongue… no, not at all, it is that he speaks English with so much gusto and confidence while his verbs and tenses are scattered abroad like Jews. Forgive my noting the obvious.
The debate is not so much free education as it is quality education. When we do things in our half-hearted manner, we tend to praise our shallow efforts as being the final and only solution to the problem. So here we are praising free education as the solution to illiteracy, when we do not have to look farther than our backyard or the national news to see that illiteracy is a chronic disease that may demands a life changing operation.
Well, here I am on a sunny afternoon trying to cool off in a fancy boutique and the store owner is in a fix. She finally has a sales girl but she might as well be without one. The sales girl is a product of free yet poor quality of education. She claimed to have taken WAEC but cannot read or spell correctly. And this is not one exception among a thousand; this is between 35 and 40 out of a class of 50 in any public school on any given day. It is not enough to send our kids to the best school there is and think it is the only thing to be done, history has shown over time, and we fail to learn, that if the man who takes the lead is somewhat educated, his wife may just be the disease carrier.
Does free education equal quality education? Here’s our debate!

The Politics of the Present Nigerian Voter

Nigerians are at once fortunate and unfortunate to be going to the polls at a time such as this when the world and especially Africa is experiencing change on a major scale. In an age where people are enlightened and unafraid of change we have been called out to “a one man, one vote” election that is praised as being the one time when Nigeria will have elections that are not predetermined.

We are thus fortunate to have this election going on in a time where revolutions are fashionable in the world and in Africa and unfortunate in the sense that we have an electorate whose sense of duty and responsibility has been dulled as far as participating in this process is concerned.

Change cannot be expected to take effect immediately; it is always resisted at the initial stage and praised when it produces positive results. But here is an opportunity to build from the foundation a stable political system, howbeit challenging, by taking hold of this Johnathanistic invention of “One man, One vote.”  This process is not an invention of chance for as Voltaire, my favourite French Writer said, "Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause."

The cause for this laudable process is the corruption that has long coloured this course, one that we have decried for so long. To be then given a taste of something of positive difference and yet to be afraid to embrace the change we have long sought is foolishness to me. And yet again as Voltaire said, "It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere."

 It is therefore pertinent that we do not act as fools but that we put aside our impertinence and desist from looking for everything wrong with our political system. We should act! We cannot hope for any meaningful development if we do not insist on change. We have been given the process, our only politics, is action! We must embrace this opportunity to speak and to be heard.

Democracy indeed is the politics of the voter and America has proven this theory true in the way that her politics is conducted, issues are resolved at the polls and it is not the electing of a man, although his character is investigated and judged, it is the electing of an idea, an ideal whether it is presented by a party or by a man representing the party. It is not, as Obama proved to America and the world, a politics of “I can do that” but that of “Yes we can”.

Having been given this opportunity, what should our response be, should we hold on to our prejudice and be “Nigerian” about it by insisting on that nothing-works-in-Nigeria-except-through-corruption attitude? Should we sit back and watch how this turns out and not be directly involved in how it turns out?

I run the risk of sounding political but I like to think that my views are more nationalistic than political, I am not advocating a party or a person, I am advocating a process that could eventually lay the power of this democracy in the hands of its true owners- the people.

The present electoral process needs to be embraced and used effectively to its maximum if we are truly going to experience the change that we all seek.

It is easier, as I always say, to be complacent and watch from the sidelines, and instead of encouraging, to criticize the process and discourage everyone involved in making it work. In doing so, we not only take from ourselves the right to exercise our authority as voters, but also the right to protest when things do not work.

We cannot afford to base our excuse on what is past. In light of where we are as a nation that excuse fails to hold true and has no value whatsoever.

We need to get off our cowardly stance of lookers – on and get involved in this growth process and not wait to criticize a truly honest effort when and if  it fails.  And should it fail, we will not lay the blame anywhere else but at our doors because this is not about a party, a person or a clown, this is about us, this is about Nigeria. Let us not be cowardly and act with ostentatious swagger by insisting on judging our future by our past.

Our only politics is action - Vote Wisely!

THE WIND OF CHANGE: TUNISIA, EGYPT, SUDAN...

4

THE WIND OF CHANGE: TUNISIA, EGYPT, SUDAN...

In the past few weeks we have seen what effect poor leadership can have on a country, we have seen the power of technology and indeed the web. Young people have reached the zenith of their frustration and today they rise as one to demand change.

We have seen greedy leaders, who have hung on to power for decades, being ousted from office, while some have tried to prove their sovereignty. It is in the light of these current winds of revolution, that youths across the world and especially Africa have begun to look within their own country. Issues are being discussed on blogs and social media and the thought is, “if they can, then we can.” This is what we have seen in Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt and indeed it will sweep through Africa and the world.  The issues are the same; repressive government, autocratic rule, corruption, unemployment, lack of opportunities, social and economic environments that impede growth and poverty, and still our leaders wait for blood to be shed before they do something. It is impossible to think that a person who has his nation’s interest at heart would wait 23 or 30 years to effect change, and when the people rise as one against you, to think that that is the best time to bring about change. It is inconceivable, to think that without one individual, a whole nation would cease to function. It is an attempt to play God!

Years of repression and oppression have led to a divided country in Sudan, revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, who wants to be left behind?

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AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE - OUR LEADERS AND THIS AGE

AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE

3.

OUR LEADERS AND THIS AGE

To lead people, walk beside them ...
As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.

The next best, the people honor and praise.
The next, the people fear;
and the next, the people hate ...
When the best leader's work is done the people say,
"We did it ourselves!"
 Lao-tsu

It’s a rude awakening.

And do not blame us,

It has been a long time coming.

We did try to wake our fathers,

A gentle tap here,

A gentle tap there

Still they slept on.

We panicked and gave them a slap.

Rude?

Neccessary!

Are we here by choice? That can be argued. If Africa is fallen, it is we the Africans that have failed. It is not what was done to us, it is what we do to ourselves, and it is what we allow, what we permit, what we accept and what we submit to. It is not just about what our fathers failed to do or did not do right, the question is - are we any different?

The times are changing and they are upon us now, what must we do? We must rise to the occasion, we must dialogue, we must create awareness, we must network, we must tweet, we must blog, we must open up, and we must speak up.

To most of our leaders, these were strange words until Obama came and won the elections on the internet and now they crawl around our social media space seeking support for the elections. This is where we live, our leaders must come here. On this web, they’ll find we are objective and can reason one with another, and it really is the safest bet in everyone’s interest.  If the leaders knew where to meet the youth, dialogue would have prevailed over the mass protest sweeping across the land. Change is upon us and our leaders cannot claim ignorance any longer, they need to support and adjust to the change.

To ask young people not to protest but to go home and stop watching satellite television shows a high level of ignorance. In this web age, we do not necessarily need this medium to get information; there are several media and our leaders need to be updated. Ignorance it seems pushes us to test the principle of walking on water without faith. And here is the greed in human nature: our leaders test their ability to lead a people who are done following.

It is pertinent that we learn now and at once that change is constant. Where this fact is concerned, emphasis and repetition has failed to enlighten. We cannot behave like dogs that need constant training to adapt to learning and instruction, but if this is a problem God himself must deal with, then who am I not repeat over and over again that change is inevitable? Today we are under, tomorrow we lead. What are the options we have? Do we follow the lead of our antecedents or do we create positive changes for the next generation?

This age of awareness is not calling for repressive governments, for terror, for intolerance or corruption amongst leaders. The web lends power to the people. It gives access to information and there is no one who can tell that his peers are doing well abroad, no one who knows that he has the opportunity to do well at home that will submit to the lie of lack of resources. 

Awareness – our leaders need to adjust with the times and learn to be proactive and not reactive.

You cannot lay food before a starved child and expect him not to eat, in Africa we respectfully wait for the elders to eat first but do not dare think to finish the food.

AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE REVOLUTION VS. TERRORISM

CHAPTER 2

REVOLUTION VS. TERRORISM

 “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Revolution cannot be achieved through terrorism.  It is a contradiction of intent to try to rid oppression with terrorism. It is indeed a paradox that is obvious in this age. Terrorism, in my opinion has also gained widespread knowledge and access into society thanks to technology. Globalisation has its downside in this sense because one society is now exposed to learning and imbibing the ill in another. And what was once a taboo in Africa is now acceptable because we are part of this so called Global Village.

The question is can we create positive change through terrorism? The answer is NO.  We cannot get rid of corrupt leaders through terrorism. We have seen over time that the people who wield terror against corrupt leaders for whatever purpose tend to turn out like the corrupt leaders themselves.

History records these events and we can see it even in the military regimes in Africa. The coup that removes a greedy general is always planned by a greedy general, whose greed supersedes that of the general he ousted. His fear of being forced out causes him to be even more so wicked than his predecessor.

Absolute power is corruption!

Terrorism negates the brotherhood of humanity. It is a clear fact that disagreements will exist, but the idea of democracy or even brotherhood shows us that we can achieve much through dialogue and if that cannot be done then we must use the tools available to us to fight for our rights. It is important to note that a protest or even war is in no way the same as terrorism. In my opinion, terrorism is an act of cowardice; it makes the likes of Hitler look like a hero. At least he had the decency to show his face. Humanity will not bow to terrorism and brotherhood will prevail!

When do we go to war? When do our peaceful and civil protests turn to violence? Is it when our demands are met? Is it when we are treated as human beings with rights and privileges? Is it when we are allowed to live and express ourselves within the confines of our mutually agreed upon constitutional and representative rights and responsibilities? Is it when we are allowed to live within the consciousness of our God- given sense of what is right and wrong?

When do we go to war?

AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE The reasoning of an African youth

1.

AFRICA AND THE WORLDWIDE WEB

“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remains only two choices – submit or fight. That time has come now to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defense of our people...”

Nelson Mandela

Africa, the continent of the largely black and mixed race, has been the sleeping giant for decades but in recent times, certain events have led to the awakening of the giant. It is interesting to note that for centuries, Africa and indeed Africans have been lulled to sleep by patronizing persons, both foreigners and natives who come with promises of a better life and future, and once they are given the opportunity to serve have tended to dominate and oppress the people to a point where they accept  their fate. I agree completely with this observation;

“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land”

Bishop Desmond Tutu

 However, as it is in every human society, the oppressed have their day and they always insist on being heard.  Indeed, the time has come for Africans to decide to be Africa’s voice as done in times past, even though then it was against foreigners, today it is against fathers and brothers who want to be Africa, all by themselves.

A society has never been about one man, it is about a group of people that share the same values and beliefs and traditions and culture. In Africa it is generally about respect and hospitality and brotherhood. The opportunity to demonstrate these values was given when the FIFA World Cup was brought to Africa. It wasn’t about South Africa 2010; it was indeed a thing of Pride for all Africans. It did not matter that no African country came first; it mattered that we could show the world that we too can. It was another moment of pride and indeed every African walked taller when this historical feat was achieved and facilitating these historic event is technology.

We, the young people of Africa, would never be exposed to these revolutionary moments without the technology available in the age we live: The satellite, that allows us access to media houses reporting issues around the world and the internet, which has turned the world into a global village. With just one click, one is exposed to the billions of opinions and views available online. It is incredible that one can connect and exchange views and ideas in matters of seconds with someone a thousand seas away – the social media secures for us this grand opportunity.

To be young in Africa today is a great opportunity because we have been offered the potency to create change where we see fit – The World wide web. Access to it is a right and one we must guard jealously. We cannot afford to sit by anymore and allow people, foreign or native, alien or related to lie to us and oppress us and keep us from the opportunities that are available to the rest of the world which we too can have and do have.

There is so much potential in Africa and yet we agree to submit to corrupt leaders who sell us short in the bid to gain absolute power and reign like monarchs in our hard-won democracy. We have the web and we must indeed use this medium to bring about the much needed revolution in our societies. We must oust corruption and live to build a better society for the next generation.

Words have power and we have the web, we must put this power to the web and see the wind of change blow across our land.