By: Salifu Mutaru
I had to run through the masses of walking people at the Achimota new station to join the Pokuase van, accelerating faster and faster as the conductor kept shouting the lowering numbers of passengers left to get the van full. I first heard,”Pokuase last two,” and then, “Pokuase last one!” I was lucky to get the last seat. We hit the road after a few seconds.
I took out my handkerchief to wipe out the sweat on my face. Cold air rushed into the speeding van, hitting against my face, and just then thoughts rushed in too.
I took out my handkerchief to wipe out the sweat on my face. Cold air rushed into the speeding van, hitting against my face, and just then thoughts rushed in too.
Thoughts run into my mind, and I couldn’t help but imagine “what if the conductor rather shouted the words, ‘Education towards national development!’” That would have made me the last concept to get on the van, and the most important, because without me the van wouldn’t have set off. At this point I had not realised what concept I was, and what each other person on the van represented? The driver takes the passengers to their desired destinations; but if a passenger fails to alert the conductor, who in turn fails to alert the driver where to stop, the passenger will be alighted at a wrong bus stop. It is like being in school with no aim, and watching the tides drive you to the shores. You can only tell whether the shores are rocky or sandy, or whether dangerous or safe if you have prior-awareness of the journey and the destination you desire.
The driver is the head of the school, the van is the school, and the conductor is the counselor—I figured that out. Every passenger was a student in a particular faculty of the school. Some passengers are making the journey because others are making it too, like the little girl sitting on her mum’s laps on my left. Her mother had a basket filled with empty sacs beneath her seat, I could easily tell she was heading to the market for business. As we moved on, the conductor kept calling the names of the bus-stops to remind those whose minds were busy elsewhere. It is like giving pep-talks on seminars to remind students of their aims in school and goals to meet in life. This works well because most students easily adapt to the new life in school and hardly remember why they study.
I was fair allocating the fields of study among the passengers. I named some as science, mathematics, applied science, law, art and the few I could name. Few did not represent any field at all, they were non-educational workers on campus.
There was space for me as well, one that most people would disregard. I thought that if without me the van wouldn’t have moved, then I represent something great that penetrates all other faculties, I am the culture of the people. I am a part of all, I diffuse through the thickest walls of all fields of education, and I give reason and purpose for studying. I pin-point the rich ways of solving our problems in our unique ways, and teach to meet our needs by our efforts. I am the feeling state of the woman comforted by our indigenous clothes dancing and singing the songs of our ancestors. So that makes me integral to all things that will lead us to national development.
There is much we have done to improve our education as a nation, but we can do quite more.
The ideal education will consider both the development of cognitive skills as well as the emotional intelligence. We seem to focus more on skill acquisition rather purposeful skill acquisition. How does our skills contribute to national development? There is a need for passion and enthusiasm in education, and that is a fruit of emotional background of education. Lets start building the foundation along with our fine cultures. Let the knowledge of our routes, the very details of who we are be the songs we match to, and tell us of the beauty that can only be found in our people. We can only bring back this emotional aspect of education when we fuse our culture in all fields of study, giving a reason that will guide us with the enthusiasm and passion to make the lives of our people better instead of selfishly working for individual progress.
Graduates focus on efforts to improve their lives than to improve that of their neighbours and the people they share a common story with. Introduction of education in any community is for the progress of the people, not of the individual. The only way to trigger the conscience of our students towards national success, than individual success is to teach them the reason their forefathers maintained formal education into the country. To let them know education was the weapon that got us free from colonialism. Our education is only a little evident when the students pass their examinations. The greater part of the evidence is the effect of graduates on our economy and the general life of the Ghanaian people. Every year that unleashes thousands of educated people in the system must mean a thousand-fold new mechanised ways of making life easy, of positive national growth, of improvement in the lives of the people, and finally a greater population of people of fine attitudes in the country trained through the study of our culture.
The Ghanaian citizen must look upon himself, for the struggle for something that does not relate to who we are only creates emptiness and fades the pride in our identity away. The dream of becoming westerners will long remain a dream, but the reality of focusing on ourselves will keep growing more real. The Ghanaian man and the Ghanaian woman, the Pokuase boy and the Pokuase girl have a great dream to mold into reality, one that will echo through all corners of the universe. It is all for one reason that they can do this; our power as unique people with unique ways of life. Every individual has this power, this unique way of life. Yet uniqueness is only meaningful if it speaks of the culture of the people.The Ghanaian citizen must know that we can in no way become another perfectly than being ourselves—perfection is in self realization. We cannot be the white man, nor the Indian, nor the Arabian. We can study their ways of life; what makes them progress as a nation. Gathering data will help write the story of our nation using insightful culture-inspired ideas that would not distract us from who we truly are.
Our education must help us answer our questions as a nation, and that will be possible, if we connect all what we study in the basic levels of our needs. Let us begin, it seems the foundation is shaky, so together, lets lay the foundations with our fine culture, and education will be a success with a determined direction.
I have to alight now. To you taking my seat in this van of reasoning towards an education that will develop our nation, you have a lot to do. Begin by asking yourself,”what can I do to help my country in appreciating her for educating me?”
