Before you read this answer these questions; you can choose to share your answers with us after reading.
1. Did you ever feel like dropping out of school at some point, why?
2. Did any of your friends drop out of school, can you tell what their reason was?
3. Did you ever have a teacher you like or dislike, what was the reason?
There is education and there is going to school. Education happens everywhere whiles school is a place where learning is structured. Excellent education is an education that seeks to improve all the faculties of our human development. It can also be termed as an education that accomplishes the goal of learning by giving the learner abilities to use the knowledge to produce a pre-desired effect.
I believe every child has an innate ability, potential or talent that needs a system structured to develop the child to grow into a confident and productive individual.
Education is not an act of pouring knowledge in one’s head consciously or unconsciously but it is a conscious effort made to make an individual’s life better. The schools need stakeholders that can identify what learners need to learn in order to reflect their unique character. In the same vein, learners must be willing, interested and receptive to the activities for their active learning.
Personally, education has been disappointing but not extremely bad. Although I was consistently on top of my class, I felt something was missing. There were incredible people with so many potentials who fell along the way because they couldn’t fit in the school system.
Even though, I figured out a way to learn to pass my exams and be successful, deep down me, I knew I had not explored my inherent abilities and talent.
My education could not create the ability for me to look at the world without notions, to treat others the way I will like to be treated, but, only gave me a reason to pass my exams. It made me reactive instead of being proactive, it made me blame others for not taking charge instead of being responsible and self-reliant.
Generally, the implication of such a school system ultimately causes many to drop out. We must understand that individuals learning abilities are based on their unique personalities and that the system must incorporate means to fully engage them, to develop their unique personalities and not to be allowed to opt-out.
In a way to promote excellent education, the school systems must focus on developing critical thinking individuals who can bring together all parts of their brain and emotional intelligence in solving the many complex problems the world faces.
My hope for the future is that all individuals regardless of their socioeconomic background will have access to an excellent education. Education that is focused on learners development in all faculties and not on an agreed curriculum only.
I hope for a classroom where learners are grouped based on how they learn and not by ranks, a classroom where emphasis is laid on teaching aids that make the learning experience more interesting and fun like my yo creo class where we create a world of love for everybody by believing in you, in me and in everybody.
Thank you…
By: Regina Okyere
