WHY MUST I GO TO SCHOOL?

Taking a deep look at the whole essence of everything else, except students, that makes up a formal school, include: teachers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, textbooks, lesson notes, tables, chairs, gardens, sports complex, instructional materials, chalkboard or whiteboard, interactive whiteboard, projector, clubs and associations, projects and assignments, etc. then you will realize that a school is a place where you are to:

·         Add knowledge to your knowledge

·         Improve your knowledge

·         Refine your skills

·         Have your minds expanded

·         Increase your intelligent quotient

·         Reshape your thoughts and mindsets

·         Broaden your imaginations

·         Expand your views of the world

·         Modify your characters and attitudes, and

·         Most importantly, develop capability to meet the needs of your society.

These are the fundamental essence of a school. They perfectly define it.

School is knowingly or unknowingly established on three major facts about the earth. These facts are that earth:

·         Has a system and patterns that need to be maintained;

·         Is full of problems which must be solved, and

·         Has many hidden aspects which can be accessed.

This means when you go to school, you go there for these three reasons and facts about the earth.

This is the point: this earth is full of problems and troubles, even as the scripture confirms it, “Man is born to trouble.” Job 5:7; “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34. Study also Genesis 2:7-8; Ephesians 2:10. However, though the earth is full of problems in different forms, the joy – our joy – is that there is no problem without a solution. Every problem on earth has a solution: there is a drug for every disease and virus. The scripture says, “…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…” 2 Peter 1:3.

Meanwhile, solution to each problem is not so obvious that they can easily be identified as the problem, which means the solutions are hidden somewhere on this earth. The scripture says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverb 25:2. Hence, the scriptural instructions, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7. What we are instructed to ask for, seek for, and knock for as kings and queens is the solutions to whatever problems we have been able to identify.

Therefore, the fundamental reason why you are to go school as a student is to acquire knowledge (education) of which its end is expected to lead you to identification of at least a problem, and, especially lead you to the discovery of solutions to a problem identified.

If after your schooling, even up to the level of PhD, and these fundamental reasons, especially the discovery or provision of solutions to one major human problem is not part of your recorded achievements, I say that an unschooled fellow is ten times better than you.

And if to be rich, great, influential and being important on this earth with rest of mind is your primary aim and objective of going to school or to acquire a skill, then make the provision of solution to human problems your pre-primary aim and objective; and you will surely practically and literarily achieve your primary aim and objective of being rich, great, and important on this earth without necessarily working to such an end.

In emphasis, Schooling is not merely about building the best result, neither about getting and gathering the best paper certificates; rather it is about learning to build yourself by developing the right skills and gather information (knowledge) that will enable you to solve human problems.

Therefore, you can’t you won’t go to school. The radical integrity truth about going or not going to school is that, ‘if you say you are not going to school, you definitely going to a school’ – you can't escape learning and knowledge acquisition. However, it is better you consciously acquire knowledge and develop skills in such an organised environment as school for the sake of your future challenges.

One major reason why most graduates are jobless is that they never see provision of solutions to human problems as the radical essence of going to school.

By Akerele Segun Helen

Read the next post: UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF EDUCATION. This post is one of our posts in the UNDERSTANDING THE REASONS FOR GRADUATES’ JOBLESSNESS AND HOW YOU CAN ESCAPE IT Series. You will gain also from the introductory post THE POWER OF QUESTIONING AND DOUBTING. Read also THE POWER OF QUESTIONING AND DOUBTING. Go back home.