Way back in primary five, my school had extracurricular activities. From crocheting to sewing to bead making to drawing and other things. I remember how I really wasn’t interested in any of that, but it was compulsory, and it was part of our academic report at the end of the term, so I had no choice but to join.
I later became very good at it, and that’s how I reluctantly learned a skill in primary 5, which eventually even helped me to earn a lot of money. When I was in junior high school, I had to choose between pre-technical skills and home economics. I chose the former, and that's how I was able to learn a lot about wiring, building, carpentry, even steel bending, and other things. And up till now, my mom commends me for some of these skills, especially as a woman.
Fast forward to senior high school. I studied general science, and we had the opportunity to learn a lot from our practicals. I remember my favorite being the electrical practicals, where we could calculate the amount of energy a battery of a particular capacity could give to a fan or other things.
The home economics students also learned how to sew and cook. I know of this home economics student who is currently a nurse and also sews. And according to her, it’s all from what she learned in school. I remember how the visual arts students were taught how to draw so well, and the last time I checked, one of them was behind one particular tiling company with beautiful designs.
With all that I’ve said above, you can see that the problem isn’t with the primary and secondary institutions. And any of those institutions that have problems teaching skills probably don’t have the resources, which is a whole topic on its own for another day.
If you ask me, the problem with our education is with the tertiary institutions. I believe that by secondary school, every student already knows what they want to be, and that’s why they pursue certain programs at the university level. But imagine a visual arts student who can draw very well pursuing maybe architecture in the university, and all she’s made to do is cram words for exams.
Imagine a home economics student who is in the university to study fashion, and you’re telling her to learn “from the anther to the stigma.” Oh, can we be serious? I always thought that university should even be the place where your skills are honed and prepared for the real world, but they rather end up killing what you even have.
I strongly believe the primary and secondary school syllabus isn’t perfect, but let’s be honest here. They are trying, and they are way better at helping students acquire certain skills. It becomes a different issue when the school doesn’t have the necessary resources to undertake these skill courses. But for the universities? I don’t even know what they are doing. I remember someone saying that after all those years of learning pie charts, the only thing he uses it for is to cut cake, and I don’t even blame him.
Images are mine
