OPINION: CULTURE OF CERTIFICATION AND CRAMMING HAS LEFT US WITH POLITICAL LEADERS/GRADUATES LACKING UNDERSTANDING, HOW TO FIT INTO EVOLVING FUTURE

By Zik Gbemre

One of the major root problems that has kept Nigeria at its present deplorable state for decades, is the ‘lack of understanding of how things should work’. And this is simply as a result of us, developing and accepting a culture that does not promote and allow people to ‘think’ – by the enormous emphasis we have placed on “certificate acquisition and passing exams/classes” – at the expense of knowledge/skill acquisition and application, or evident performance to solve/address societal needs/problems. This despicable culture, is the reason why the lack of excellence in service delivery, mediocrity and poor performance at positions of authority; have been accepted by Nigerians as ‘normal’, and nothing wrong with it. Whereas, in other climes and developed society, the exact opposite is the case. That is why Nigeria is ‘always playing catch up’ and lacking behind other nations, including those she is more endowed than.

Perhaps, this is the reason why our Nigerian universities and colleges are producing more of “certificated illiterates” as teachers at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education, who then go on to produce “unemployable graduates” that usually have bunch of certificates/degrees. That is why in the Nigeria of today, a person who acquires certificate is ranked higher and valued more than the person without it. This happens without any iota of regards to how the person acquired it and irrespective of whether he/she possesses the requisite knowledge and skill to ‘defend’ such bunch of certificates. Do not get me wrong, there is nothing really wrong with pursuing knowledge, or trying to get a degree/Masters or PhD, or another professional certificate or what have you, the problem is ‘how’ these different layers of formal knowledge are acquired and pursued. Because of the emphasis placed on certification, a lot of people just go through the learning process ‘cramming’, without actually tasking their God-given brains to think and analyze issues with the intention to use same to address a societal problem, which will in turn, often times, automatically attract wealth. But the Nigerian society and its people, prefer to pursue this the other way round – just to get the certificate, with the mind to use same to climb corporate or political ladder, yet, without any understanding of how things should work for the benefit of the society.

That is the reason why there are practically no sustainable and evident improvement in the governance of Nigeria. And this is simply because we often end up with political leaders that are not intellectually brilliant. Cramming is not good when it comes to sustainable learning. Cramming may enable one to pass exams, but it will not help one to understand the topic/subject. One may just cram to write down, word for word, what the examiners want, and to earn merit/credit/pass marks. But in actual sense, those who cram to pass exams in high colours, may not end up being intellectually brilliant because it will not allow them to always think and come up with ideas in solving societal problems. All they know is to cram and write back the answers, word for word, just as he/she has crammed it. Cramming is evidently not the best way of learning, maybe at kindergarten level, but not as one progresses. Some may even cram other people’s work, and write back/quote them word for word, but often times, they may not be able to ‘practice’ such theories because it never really came from their hearts and minds.

It is also appalling that Nigerian elites and politicians are more interested in speaking “big English grammars” than striving for the actualization of real development. They are very good at speaking “big English grammar” even more than the average English person. Icon musician-activist, Fela once sang that Nigerians speak grammar more than the owners of the English language. But where has speaking “big grammar” led us to as a nation and people? The South Koreans, Chinese and Japanese do not really speak much of the English language or “big grammars”, but they have proven to be more intelligent in knowing how things should work, more than the typical Nigerians who blow all the “big English grammar”. This makes one to wonder why we are more interested in English grammar that actual development? Being an orator and fluent in spoken English is not a sign of an intelligent person. More important is, how has speaking of “big grammar” helped the Nigerian masses? They often fault and laugh at those who cannot speak good English well in public gatherings or interviews, as those who do speak well, are more interested in impressing journalists and the crowd. But like we said, the “blowing of big grammar” has not helped to improve our lives and country as a people. We should be more interested in the development of our country that impressing others with big grammars. Not than being able to speak good English is bad or big grammars. But where this is now the focus and attention by all, without content and purpose to bring about real development, then it is meaningless. US President Donald Trump, does not really blow “big grammars”, but Americans never criticize him for not speaking big grammars.

A Professor of Law at the University of Calabar was recently demoted to the position of Graduate Assistant, following a recommendation of the university’s Academic Fraud Investigation Committee (AFIC). The lecturer did not have a first degree from the University of Abuja as claimed, never attended the Law School, holds a questionable Masters of Law (LL.M) degree purportedly obtained just two weeks after his first degree, parades a doctorate degree he does not possess and has no evidence of any academic publication. Obviously, the only way this so-called Professor could have attained that height of supposed academic excellence is because of the emphasis placed on the certificate you present, and not necessarily what you can offer, or has offered. If such could happen at the University of Calabar, only God knows how many plumbers are ‘Professors’ of mechanical engineering in our private universities!

The likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. were/are brilliant because they developed and used their brains to think, and to come up with ideas that have greatly impacted on the world. Bill Gates for instance, only spent 2 years in Harvard and he became the founder of Microsoft and still considered one of the world’s richest men. It is high time we began to look beyond certificates and class of degrees in getting the best brains, especially in the public service domain. A First-Class degree holder does not necessarily mean “first class knowledge or brain.” What is a certificate without a corresponding knowledge to solve society problems, and a good character to sustain it?

It is sad that most of the Nigerian politicians are clueless and dull, as to how things should work. They really do not have the capacity to ‘think for themselves’ and come up with visions and ideas, as to how things should work, to positively impact on the environment. This is simply because our political leaders are from a society that does not encourage people to think, but rather, to acquire certificates. One may be certificated in medicine, law, Engineering, etc., but may not be really educated/learned in mind. Most Nigerian political leaders are certificated, but are not really educated. Sadly, the current Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, falls in that category. Otherwise, why should a supposed educated man be using State resources meant to build basic infrastructure for the masses, to pay touts/political aides that are without defined roles? And Okowa, is not the only one in this category, there are countless many public office holders at the national state levels of Government that are within this range.

A person without ‘common’ sense may be uneducated and certificated. That is why I am not usually excited or moved by ‘overexaggerated qualifications’ of some people, who are really without anything concrete content in their minds, or have done anything meaningful to positively improve/impact the society. As it is in Nigeria, so it is in most African countries. African leaders are mostly clueless at all levels of governance. Paper qualifications and certification without knowledge is useless. They only read to pass exams, and that is why their qualifications do not reflect in their governance.

A writer in one of the national tabloids, Gbenga Adebambo, recently wrote a piece touching the subject matter. In his words: “School rewards people for their memory. Life rewards people for their ‘creativity’ and ‘ability’ to solve problems…Being top of your class does not necessarily guarantee that you would be at the top of life. The world is filled with poor graduates, but rich opportunists. Your certificates and degrees are meant to help you garner the experience and expertise needed to fulfill your dreams; they are not your destination…Albert Einstein said: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Have you ever heard of the creativity term, “think outside the box?”

“Your certificate is just a proof that you are teachable; it does not suggest what you are totally capable of doing.” One of the important things Gbenga noted in his piece is that “certificates basically prepare Nigerians for a world that no longer exist. It has been found that most of the skills taught in schools are becoming obsolete in the present world. The world has changed a lot and so are people’s needs. I was in Dubai some few years ago to attend a conference organised by the British Council, with the theme, ‘Education Fit For The Future: Planning For A Changing World.’ It is poignant to know that the present form of education does not prepare students for the future. Graduates are becoming endangered species in the face of a changing world. Our archaic methods and approaches of learning are preparing graduates for a world that no longer exist, as we are churning out degree holders every year with certificates that have face value, but no intrinsic worth. Most institutions are filled up with lecturers and pseudo-educators with lecture notes, methods and approaches that have lost relevance in a changing world.

“Certificates and degrees can kill initiatives. Degrees and certificates can close up your minds to ideas, while initiatives open it up. If you are not careful, your degrees and certificates can close up your mind. The purpose of education is to keep your mind perpetually opened towards limitless possibilities. Fred Smith saw an opportunity for overnight delivery of anything anywhere in the United States (US) and ultra-fast delivery anywhere in the world, and FedEx was born. It will be interesting to know that Fred Smith got a grade “C” in a Yale economics class for an idea that the professor belittled as unworkable. Smith’s company became the first American business to make over $10billion in annual profit. Beginning with just 186 packages delivered the first night, FedEx now delivers in over 200 countries using over 6,030 aircraft, 46,000 vehicles and 141,000 employees.

“Certificates position you to look for jobs and not for opportunities. Our certificates and degrees prepare graduates to look for jobs and not open their eyes to life-changing opportunities. What keeps people ahead in life is not their education or degrees; it is simply the opportunity that they seized. Jobs may be scarce, but not opportunities. As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will always be opportunities. By 2025, we would lose over five million jobs to automation. That means that future jobs would look vastly different by the time many people graduate from the universities. Future jobs would involve knowledge creation and innovation, and people that are only equipped with skills found in the classroom would be a misfit in an ever-changing world. Skills like critical thinking, creativity, people’s skill, stem skills (for example, coding), complex problem-solving skills, etc. are central to living a more comprehensive and productive life. My candid advice to graduates and students in institutions of higher learning is to think wide, deep and outside the box.”

Another writer, Princewill Odidi, a development analyst, wrote a piece in this light when he noted that: ‘under the Clinton’s Presidency in the US, Chinese domination of the PHD programs in the US, became a national security issue. He noted how the Chinese would research, defend and return to China and set businesses to rival American businesses and efforts. He noted with surprise, the type of courses the Chinese kids in Georgia Tech study. Almost all of them under Chinese government scholarship in American best universities, are studying courses that have to do with the future. They study artificial intelligence, systems science and engineering, and hard-core courses for tomorrows World. Their social lives are zero and they always hold sophisticated telephones. China is a country that thinks ahead and every Chinese is a potential suspect.

“Have you ever heard of the concept, made in China 2025? It is Chinese Development blueprint that had sent fear around the world. It is meant to transform China from a labor-intensive economy that makes toys, cloths, pharmaceutical to one that engineers advanced products like robots’ electric cars, and space explorations. The Chinese are believed to be the most determined species of the human race. Once they set their minds to achieve a goal nothing stops them. The Chinese kids are sent in droves to study unique courses like artificial intelligence, information systems, system science, robotic engineering, systems engineering in American schools. Surprisingly, this is a deliberate state policy. You never see a Chinese student on scholarship studying arts, social sciences, etc. What is most troubling is that they study these courses in America and United Kingdom top ivy leagues. They are here on full state sponsored scholarships.

“While the economies of the world, including the United States are exporting production distribution and exchange in an era of globalization, China is pursuing an agenda of localizing production. They promote a policy to get almost 70 percent of their production value chain domiciled locally. This is very dangerous because in the future the entire world will answer to China in terms of production. My concern with China is how can a country and a people get it so right? Always ahead of the rest. Always scheming at a time our own kids are holidaying and eating barbecue in foreign restaurants. The more I study the Chinese, the more I fall in love with these guys. They have leaders that think. They have leaders that plan for tomorrow. More interesting, even children as young as five years in China know in every transaction, they have to eat up their opponents or be eaten.

“The big question: Can we ever have a country built on values? Unfortunately, this is our biggest handicap in Nigeria. Our leaders think only of themselves. Selfish and greedy, and some of our young people think only of what they can scoop out of this greed. Vision 2020 we planned, this is 2019, nothing to write home about. Even the Government themselves are busy politicking and killing themselves with no regard to attain the goals of vision 2020. Open a discussion with a Federal Minister on how his ministry plans to meet the vision 2020 goals, he has no idea what you are talking about. Our hospitals are still consulting clinics, women still give birth at home without medical support, our roads in disrepair, our schools abandoned, and our politicians are clueless. Is there hope for our country that we can ever plan and execute with precision like the Americans, British and Chinese?

The world is gradually being ‘automated’, and in few years, machines will be doing most of the jobs we see today. At the moment, in advanced countries like the US, UK, etc., their Departmental Stores like Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Walgreens, H.E.B, Walmart, Morrisons, Fiestas, Icelands, etc., are practically not being manned or run by Cashiers or Attendants, but rather by machines, especially at night hours. Apart from few persons who usually restock the shelves, the businesses/transactions are run by machines. And that is the same situation with all their Gas/Filling Stations. So, we can see that soon, certificates will be irrelevant when it comes to getting a job. That is why Nigeria needs to start thinking for themselves on how to be more creative in addressing its problems in line with global trends, and not lay much emphasis on certificate acquisition. The Chinese, which our Governments are beginning to give so much room in the economy, are never to be trusted. Yes, they might be very aggressive in infrastructural development, but they can’t be trusted because they have the tendency to take over everything if we allow them. They have already done so in most Eastern African nations. But the important thing is that we need to start thinking for ourselves as a nation. The Chinese, Americans, British, French, Germans, Italians, etc., cannot think for us, we have to think for ourselves as a people and structure our own development ourselves.

Zik Gbemre.

National Coordinator

Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)

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