A senior lecturer at the Lagos State University, Prof. Olawunmi Macaulay-Adeyelure, has said that only investment in education can help turnaround the nation’s fortunes.
Macaulay-Adeyelure, a professor of philosophy, said this at a roundtable, tagged: “Beyond school certificate: Is school a scam?”
The event was organised by the Xtra-Teacher Initiative for the 229 graduating students of the New Era Girls’ Senior Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos.
Macaulay-Adeyelure, who graduated from the same school in 199I, said that education, above other benefits, would bring cooperation and peaceful co-existence for the betterment of society.
“Education makes society a better place, it gives you freedom and makes you able to see things from divergent views.
“Cooperation and co-existence are very good products of education.
“It emancipates one from mental slavery, which could be religious or tradition.
“It helps people to understand the law and why it is meant for them.
“It reduces lawlessness drastically in society,” Macaulay-Adeyelure said.
According to her, the country needs to overhaul the education sector and make sure people understand the reasons they need to be in school and forget the idea of white-collar jobs.
“I chose to say that education is not a scam.
“Our youths are losing hope in education with many regretting why they went to school.
“The importance of education is enormous.
“It is one of the basic needs of humans. It is important for any kind of development.
“The purpose of education is to enlighten the individual and develop his or her capacity to the limit, help him or her make the right decisions in life and perform optimally,” she said.
A TV presenter, Mrs Morayo Afolabi-Brown, argued that right values and skills for the betterment of society and individuals are inculcated in schools.
Mr Adegboyega Oyinboade, a Health and Safety Manager for the African Region of Bristow Helicopters, urged the students to prioritise education and strive for excellence.
The keynote speaker, Mrs Olamide Akintolu, said that education remains the key to a successful life.
Akintolu, who is a digital marketer, serial entrepreneur and advocate for education, therefore admonished the students to take their education seriously.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative was founded by a Lagos State public school teacher, Mrs Victoria Abiola, to enlighten students on the importance of education.
In a speech, Abiola said that she founded the initiative when she saw the need to educate her students with adaptability and survivals skills beyond teaching core subjects in the classroom.
According to her, the philosophy is to change the thinking pattern of these students through well-planned exposition, re-orientation, success modelling and mentoring, heart-to-heart counselling and psycho-social support, among others.
She said: “Our society is turning into a mess and we refuse to watch things deteriorate further.
“The organisation has the vision to train 100,000 secondary students in 20 years in different areas of competencies, life skills and other 21st century skills.
“The essence is to prepare them for the future and harnessing best potential.
“This is borne out of the worrisome pattern among the majority of graduands from public secondary schools, mostly from indigent backgrounds, who fail to further their education.”
Abiola described the initiative as one among many others by the organisation geared toward improving the lives of secondary school students and preparing them for post-secondary school life.
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