EDUCATION VS. SCHOOLING: A CONCEPT

Although it has been argued over the years that education is the key to success but, there’s a need to ask ourselves a question. Is university education really a requirement for success in life? Education is a lifelong process that entails acquiring and transmitting knowledge, values, and norms from one person to another for the benefit of the individual and society at large.

Schooling is the education one receives in a school setting.Education as a life long process implies that education only stops when one dies.This serves to demonstrate how important education is for everyone, but there are other considerations at the university level. People's misconceptions about education have consequences that have an impact on society as a whole.

Nowadays, an average person in the society believes the concept “Education” is bent on acquiring a university certificate. Education can take place anywhere, which is why it is based on formal and informal. According to the survey, there are 39.75% unemployed BSC holders, 49.55 percent unemployed OND graduates, and 58.9 percent unemployed HND graduates.Are these people competent enough, or is there really no job for them? is the first question we need to ask ourselves.

There are people who have some level of expertise in one or more fields, but because of the misconceptions surrounding university education, they decided to enroll in school. As a result, they lost out on their skill as well as their education, resulting further in them losing out on both sides of life. A noteworthy example to show that university education isn’t a prerequisite to success is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who, according to reports, only has an SSCE as an academic qualification yet, beats out candidates with higher levels of education to win the position and also ruling people with more advanced education. The implication is that he chose the proper path for his political education which wasn’t a university education .

As far as gaining information and knowledge about something you don't know is concerned, education can happen anyplace. The university only serves as an organized system where the process of education has structures. Taking a proper view of it, a university must be attended for a minimum of four years. If a skilled person devotes these years to what he is skilled at, becoming a professional wouldn't be a difficult undertaking.Taking a further look, the implication of forcing university education on students who aren’t capable is having a negative effect on the students. Additionally, it results in producing incompetent graduates which is has a negative impact on society as a whole. Also as a university students, I am aware of individuals whose sole focus is obtaining a degree that will allow them to prove to society that they have completed tertiary education. In this sense the primary goal of education isn't always accomplished.

People with low IQs in terms of schooling but good skills should be supported by society, which  should  do so without prejudice and without passing judgment on them.In summary, this is not to antagonize university education as it is of utmost importance for the progress of the nation but it is to awaken the public that there can be a lot to achieve in life even if you are not capable of attaining a university degree. People with poor learning capacities in the aspect of learning shouldn’t be forced to pursue higher education; instead, they should be urged to realize their full potential, which would be advantageous to both them and society at large.

The government also has a role to play in this by creating more technical institutions that would help develop the skills of those who do not have much ability to learn The development of skills can contribute to structural transformation and economic growth by enhancing employability and labor productivity and helping countries to become more competitive.

OWOLABI AYODELE OLUWAROTIMI

LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY, OJO.