I said, "A for akara."
Someone pointed out that that was 'local'. That I should've said, "A for Apple."
This later led to a conversation with my mother, who runs a crèche. I'll share some of what we talked about 👇🏾
The girl had been given an assignment. When asked who cooks for the home, her answer was, "Daddy."
The teacher marked her wrong. In 2018. As far as she was concerned, cooking is a woman's job.
To me, their generation was raised on the colonial educational system, one that was meant to produce clerks, engineers,...
We talked about my generation that has been raised on that same school system, only worse.
We were taught using books, systems, and structures that guaranteed that we view ourselves as employees and never as employers.
We were raised to be users and never inventors; consumers and never manufacturers.
Check out Aba, those who make Aso oke in the West.
And it continues to this day. We still worship knowledge without understanding. Paper degrees and connections over skills.
Parents are in competition over whose child crams more.
We are parents who will never be patient and let children between the ages of 0 to 5 learn through play, drawing and social interaction.
For parents of our generation, the TV is a substitute teacher.
We don't want to improve the system or even tailor it to fit our needs. We're lazy like that.
My mother and I talked about one failing that was common to our parents: how they did not prepare us to be financially responsible and accountable.
----On the concept of being dashed money, rather than earning it. Holiday/odd jobs to raise pocket money was unheard of among the children of the middle class and the rich.
So you have young people who believe they're entitled to a rich uncle or auntie's money.
----To distrust and be unaccountable. For how can you teach a child accountability, when you take the money they've been given by uncles and aunties. and then berate them when they ask for their money?
Taxpayers' money are the "national cake" which our politicians will account for, and public officers and service providers are viewed and treated as Ogas, rather than people who should serve in the true sense of the word.
Yes, the hustle is real. However, our children deserve better. Don't just throw them in school and leave it at that. Make sure what they're learning is age appropriate. Ensure they understand.
Only in this way will we go forward in this nation, and stop travelling to other countries to have our talents, contributions and productivity recognised. Only in this way will we be accountable.
Let me stop here.
Over and out.