What to take from IYD 2019
International Youth Day 2019 is here! Following its birth in 2000, the UN propagated global awareness day has aimed at raising awareness and finding solutions to cultural, social and legal issues affecting youth around the world.
Inspiring and intentional, International Youth Day recognizes the roles the next generation has to play for global change. ‘Transforming Education’ – the theme for this year’s IYD hits home hard enough to raise eyebrows, as there is a need for more relevant, equitable and inclusive education for youth in Nigeria.
As TW aims to participate and share conversations with a handful of youth, we find that the International Youth Day event was completely foreign to them. Considering it’s been two decades since its inception, we can either say the youth aren’t being taught things relevant to their progress and development or they just aren’t looking. Or both.
This just stresses the fact that the standard/methods of education being employed locally are inadequate at best.
A lot can, and has been said concerning the state of the youth in the nation, but Orake believes that a lot more can be done.
We are still being taught the most outdated things in a world that is so fast-paced and always evolving. Until we start learning things that can be useful in today’s world such as sustainable agriculture, we will always be left out of the conversations that would change the future of our world.
With respect to educational standards, Nneka says …..
We have to expand the outreach of quality education to youths in more vulnerable positions.
Trevor thinks….
As africans, we need to zero in on specialization as soon as possible. As certain life skills are necessary to produce responsible members of society, we also require technical skills. For example, a child has a passion for computers, there’s simply no need to force anything else on the child. We need to do better in terms of teaching children relevant things in order to foster a functional and sustainable environment
I think ideas hold enough weight to be considered.
Transforming education should mean more than a theme to us Nigerians. Many would say it is the reason we “suffer” as we do – so what can be done?
The IYD 2019 theme should ideally be hung on every sign board across our green and white nation. A lot more thought ought to be put into such initiatives aimed at improving the life and lifestyle of the youth of a nation.
Also, thoughts will remain thoughts till actions take over. As many youth as are reading this, TW implores you to become more aware, and take to the proverbial mountain if it fails to come to you.
“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”—Friedrich Nietzsche
