One Country, Many ‘Dunces’! By Seun Dawodu

Yeah I know the title looks absolutely ridiculous, but hear me out and decide for yourself whether it is apt or not. Anyways I guess it remains my prerogative whatever title I choose to give to my ‘writings’. *tongue out*

I was just minding my own business as I sat by myself going through the dailies. This isn’t really one of my favourite pastimes probably because more times than I want to I end up with severe headaches either from the problems besieging the country and the world or the sight of more than enough paid advertorials announcing the death of people in their youth. “Yes yes that’s part of life” you would say, but at least I can spare myself the terrors of constantly reliving the horrible thoughts that would want to find a nesting place in my head.

And like a hot slap in the face I come upon a table that showed the cut–off marks for admission into the Federal Government Secondary Schools, more common called Unity Schools. At the first glance it looked like a sick joke. So I paid it a closer look still and it was ‘sick’ but no joke. My goodness, how tax payers’ money goes into funding dumbness I really don’t get. Okay I understand that some states are educationally disadvantage – that I get. Why children from other ‘advantaged’ states have to suffer because of their ability to do well, much better than the average, that, I don’t get.

Who celebrates mediocrity? Geez! I guess we do!! Now I am getting all worked up thinking about how many children from states classified as advantaged states have missed ‘enjoying’ the ‘quality’ of education at these so called unity schools. How the heck did they come up with the word unity schools for such ‘lack of common sense’? I feel nauseous at the ludicrousness of this sham of ours called ‘Educational System.

Please don’t get me wrong, and if you want to please go right ahead. Not like I am a great bookie myself but to continuously subject some parts of the supposedly ‘One Nation’ to blatant injustice is simply put ‘A SHAME’. And anyone who continues to support this rubbish is not only silly read my lips, S-I-L-L-Y, but needs new sets of nuts for the loosened ones that’s gone missing ‘upstairs’.

How would we ever get it right if we don’t give everyone an almost equal chance – I don’t believe everyone can ever have equal chances anywhere in the world (Read ‘The Outliers’ if you have a problem with that thought). I would have thought that a time frame would have been set for the so called ‘disadvantaged states’ to declare whatever measure of emergency in that sector and ensure that they consistently measure up to the overall standard not just of the Federal Government, but that which puts their indigenes head to head with other students from around the world. This is the way to advancement in all forms – Political, Technological, Agricultural etc

Sad to say some people are in love with this idea that totally sucks. How this has been on for over 25 years at the least, measuring by myself, and still the ‘disadvantaged’ have not moved to the next level, should be enough reason to pause and re-evaluate the basis of such ‘inequitable’ treatment of the one who would lose a space on the admissions list to one who has no reason to be there but for the fact that his/her state is classed ‘disadvantaged’

Qui audet adipiscitur!