What is art? From galleries to concert halls, theatres to books, we engulf ourselves in a sea of it, relishing every stroke and every note whilst never questioning what it truly is. Of course, sneaking closely behind this question is another, far more pressing debate: what is an artist? What marks the difference between a
Tag: Blogging Prize Shortlisted
How schools can be better potters
There may be as many varied definitions of the term “education” as there were varieties of sports at the 2016 Olympic Games. Summarising the key words in those definitions however, one can describe education as a systematic process of facilitating learning and honing skills, beliefs and values to cause individuals to develop personally, so that
The Death of Universal Education
Everyone knows the vast majority of what you learn over the course of your education isn’t particularly useful afterwards. History grads and Chemistry grads go for the same graduate jobs, in spite of there being little overlap in what they have learned. Students cheer when classes are cancelled, despite paying for those very classes to
Saving the planet is more important than improving individual life
There are over seven billion people living on the planet- and, yes, we all need this planet. It has the materials we need to build and develop, the gasses we need to breath, the ground that we need to grow food in and environments that provide uncountable amounts of goods and services. Even if there
Remodelling the modern education system: the need for creativity
“Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not”- Robert Francis Kennedy.Robert Francis Kennedy, popularly called RFK, was a great man, a down-to-earth American politician, an unbiased Attorney General and a major supporter of the civil right movement before his painful and shocking assassination
Education without limitation but innovation and imagination
The beauty of childhood is in the power of imagination. The ability to dream and see things and believe in the possibility of the impossible. I explored this special power of mine when I was a child. I believed I could do anything I wanted to do like when my parents would ask me: “What
Set in Stone
He was sweating, his hands moving in a blur, ever so eager to let the image in his mind that was screaming out at him out of the marble. Moving, moving, moving, tool after tool, noises that made his ears ring, months of exhilarating work, still moving, still moving, still… Finally still. After many months,
Teaching Tolerance
I was fourteen when I was first labeled as too dangerous to attend school. My act of rebellion? I had tried to kill myself. The sad thing is, it wasn’t the first time this had happened, nor was it the last time I would try to end my life. Even today, as I suffer from
Power of speech
When I came across Maya Angelou’s quote – ‘WORDS MEAN MORE THAN WHAT IS SET DOWN ON PAPER. IT TAKES A HUMAN VOICE TO INFUSE THEM WITH SHADES OF DEEPER MEANING’ it inspired me and generated quite a number of ideas which I have elaborated below under subtitles. Actions speak louder than words Words written
Redefining courage; Lessons for education
Growing up as a child, one of the people I have come to identify with and in fact whose memory I will forever cherish is that of the first black president of South Africa Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. We loved Madiba as he is referred to in his native Xhosa clan so much that we knew
Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning
I agree with Maya Angelou’s assertion that “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.” I will manifest my accordance by referring an actor and singer who I believe use their voice to permeate “shades of deeper meaning” into words.
Checkmating the Malaise of Intellectual Indolence in the Nigerian Educational Sector
Introduction There is no gainsaying the fact that education is an instrument of empowerment. The reason why there is increase in the quest for formal education by most citizens of the world is because of the fact that education helps the downtrodden and poor members of the society attain great heights, which ordinarily they will
If there was one thing you could change to improve education in your country…
The one thing I would improve in English education, in the UK, is learning ‘how’ to learn. In the Twenty First Century, the process of learning far outweighs the need for change in any other area of education; the content of any academic subject is now easily available on school, college and university websites. There
Fantasy and reality often overlap
Beginning my disquisition with the words of the legendary Walt Disney seems only pertinent and apt, for this man has left a legacy of fairy lands, pixies, giants, unicorns, wizards, dragons et al, a scrumptious lavish treat for us to feed upon for centuries to come. Today, we all have our heroes: Percy Jackson, Harry
Investing in Philippine Public Education System: Reforming the Mindset
I grew up in a far-flung community of Cabitan, a small barrio in the municipality of Mandaon, province of Masbate, Philippines. It was in the 1990s when I first stepped onto the school grounds where I, as a child innocent to the realities of life, would walk more than two kilometers to attend schooling in
“To be or not to be…” Is that what school is about?
Definition First of all, to make sure that we are all on the same page here, I shall give my definition of the phrase, “To be or not to be”, based on how it went on in the beginning of a soliloquy in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The phrase here is of Prince Hamlet contemplating whether
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”
I support the funding of higher education despite the tight finances because there are countless reasons why we should support education. Educating our youth is more worthy than other forms of investment. This is because of an obvious reason: they are our future. They are the ones to take care of us in our old
If there was one thing I could change to improve education in my country…
Reading culture is dying in Nigeria. A tiny number out of about 160 million people have healthy reading habits institutionalised. Majority just enlist into various schools. Many have graduated. They are all for the obtainment of certificates. This habit is causing our country harm. Half-baked educated people dot the streets. Reading of books isn’t taken
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” – Nelson Mandela
The enduring advancement in scientific innovation and the irresistible potentialities of technology are transforming how we acquire and share knowledge, our understanding of what constitutes educational materials, and the key learning skills we will need to be successful learners. Yesterday, there were no books. Today, books fill libraries and house vast knowledge. What tomorrow holds
In The Future, People Will Cease to Hold Books
To start with, a 2003 survey conducted by a company called the Jenkins Group produced some statistics which have been quoted in books, blog posts and newspaper articles, stating that “One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives, 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after