School is scam when said in Pidgin English (a parlance in Nigeria) can be rephrased to “School na Scam”. This slogan according to its users connotes that the idea of going to school is a waste of time because school is not contributive to one’s betterment in life.
The idea of schooling involves taking your children to a school where a teacher speaks in front of a group of students covering subjects like Math, English, and science. It also includes attending school five times a week and graduating from one level of education to another.
The normal routine is for a child to pass through Kindergarten, Nursery, Primary, Secondary, and College or University. So many have passed through this system of education and routine yet feel unfulfilled in life. This has made a lot of people cling to the opinion that school is a waste of time.
Bill Gates, an American computer programmer and entrepreneur, popularly known for dropping out of college, thinks that, generally people should stay in school since it is a surer path to success. He said this in his blog post in 2015.
Whether or not schooling is a waste of time is dependent on the perspective from which it is viewed. Below are 5 different reasons school is considered to be a waste of time and why it isn’t.
Reasons why school may be A Waste of Time
1. Financial Intelligence is not practically taught in school
Robert Kiyosaki argues in his book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, that the educational system teaches one to be poor. This is not far-fetched as the school system does not teach one how to make, manage and multiply money.
The main reason people go to school is to get a high paying job after they graduate. Yet nothing is taught about money. In school you’re taught many things which you’ll probably never need or use in life. The curriculum just isn’t practical enough which makes many young graduates wander in life after school.
2. There is no universal standard for measuring intelligence
Can you relate to a scenario where a first class graduate in one institution can be a third class graduate in another institution? This makes one argue that school is a waste of time as the educational system varies, not only among countries but also within the same country.
3. You are not taught how to learn in school
Jim Kwik argues that the school system does not teach us how to learn but only what to learn. The school system uses old methods of learning such as rote repetition, which is ineffective. Schools bombard us with lot of information, leaving us in the dark on how to learn or memorize them.
4. School teaches you no useful skills
School is supposed to be a place where you learn useful skills that will make you relevant in society and different spheres of human existence. But the reverse is always the case. We see many students graduate with little or no useful skill to show for it. Most graduates are unemployable today, not because there are no jobs but because they lack the relevant skills employers seek which were not taught in school.
5. A paper constitutes a certificate of knowledge instead of practical realizations
In the schooling system, passing your examination is seen as the test of knowledge. People who have excellent grades are considered the smartest students, while those with low grades are considered to be dull students. This is considered to be the biggest scam of schooling. An examination is not the true test of knowledge, and a certificate is not either.
More emphasis is placed on a certificate rather than their intrinsic intelligence. The truth is that every child is intelligent, but the schooling system is not designed to help identify each child’s uniqueness. This is why we have many first-class students working for third class students and college dropouts.
Creativity is killed in school as you’re only considered to be an excellent student when you can replicate what your teacher taught. You’re only as smart as your teacher or lecturer, if you prove to be smarter, it will be misinterpreted for folly, and you will be failed.
You must have to pass all your subjects to be considered successful, even if you’re a genius in one or two subjects.
The schooling system fails to recognise that you can fail all your subjects in school and yet be successful in other ventures of life. The schooling system has no room for passion; the focus is only on the subjects taught in the school. Little wonder you see many people dropping the course they studied to pursue their passion later on in life. This further proves that the schooling system is not designed to accept passion.
Reasons why school may not be A Waste of Time
It is argued that in as much as school is thought to be a waste of time, there are certain heights one would never reach without the certificate that schooling offers.
1. It offers employment opportunities
There are jobs one could never dream of applying for without a degree. School is thought not to be a waste of time because it still creates employment opportunites.
2. You are likely to earn a higher income
The higher your educational qualification in civil service such as in academia, the higher your rank and your pay. More so, highly educated people with years of experience stand a better chance of landing a high paying job than those who are uneducated. Therefore, if you study smart to gain knowledge and attain a high level of competence, your chances of securing a high-paying job become high too. As you’re probably aware, most employers pay you based on your level of qualification and skills. Therefore, the higher your experience and qualification, the higher the salary you’re likely to earn.
3. It exposes you to become well informed and enlightened
The school system exposes you to become enlightened as you meet several people from different backgrounds. You also become well informed and enlightened in school when you encounter challenges or problems and learn to solve or tackle them.
4. School also enhances your communication and vocabulary skills.
5. If properly maximized, the school system can help you discover your passion, purpose and vision.
Is school is a waste of time for you? Drop your views in the comment section.
School is no scam, we have one problem in our nation today and our problem is that majority of the population don’t understand what education is and the essence of education, and like Late Dr. Myles Munroe will put, when the purpose of a thing is not know abuse is inevitable. And until it this problem is being addressed the education will remain a scam in our nation
From all the point mentioned above I only accept one point that education is not scam, which is, education exposes one to be well informed and enlightened.
A good perspective. Thank you for engaging.
Schooling is not a scam. Anybody can school.
Denzel Washington said nothing is worthwhile without taking risks. To me, schooling means taking risks and that’s part of human story which is meant to be the center of our understanding of the world. We need school to even understand ourselves and the world better. It pays to be educated either monetary or otherwise.
Thanks GiftedBrain
A good perspective. Thank you for engaging.