“If Education is expensive, Then Let’s Try Ignorance or Lets Kill our children's futures “
By Dennis S Imaan (Challenge:Future Mzuni Determination President)
“If
Education is expensive, Then Let’s Try Ignorance “
I know that common
sense is not common and this post will put me at loggerheads with those who
want me to side with them but I will post anyway. So, I will ask you to read this with an objective and sober mind.
At the rate things are
handled in this country, it will take us eternity to be where God wants us to
be as a country and to talk about our young generation, its just more of a
waste of time.
The recent public University students upkeep allowance
saga against University councils and now the (Mzuzu University 1 week
misunderstandings) have triggered me to write this post! One would ask why I
think I am in a right position to comment or advise? My answer is simple,
EXPERIENCE! It has taught and still teaches me enough about being a student in
tertiary institution in Malawi.
I am surely one of the
very few people who have tested at least all sides of terminally education
experience in the recent times.
I have been in The
University of Malawi Polytechnic under the parallel Programme; I have been in
The Catholic University of Malawi (Private University) and now at Mzuzu
Univesrtity under normal entry all in the past 5 years. I have been both an off
campus and on campus student at Mzuni! So I am experienced enough to comment.
When I was at Poly, I
hated myself so much that I remember I kept asking God why me? For being under
the parallel programme. As a Parallel student under Unima, you pay the highest
fees for merely your seat in a classroom. By then in 2008 we were paying
MWK75,000 per year while the normal entry students paid MWK25,000 (which was
paid by the government, they received stationery allowance worthy MWK30,000 and
had free meals and accommodation) when I had
to provide all those for myself on top of the huge sum I was alredy paying.
Seeing normal students throw away food when I had completely nothing for lunch
was the worst experience of my life. And interruption of classes because the so
called needy students were demanding for their allowances was a needle in my
flesh. The thought that because I did not qualify to be enrolled under the
normal programme as I was less qualified than the normal students gave me an
inferior complexion. (Ndinali mbuli kuposa anzanga a normal entry) That made me
feel bad about myself and perhaps the reason I always thought I deserved better
and not compare myself to my better (Normal Enrolled Classmates) I wanted an
environment where I would have the same resources made available to me and all
my classmates and have the same basic necessities.
Another 4 years after
my 1st year in engineering would be
another Spell in jail and I simply had to leave for a University where I would
Pay a lot of money and feel comfortable
that all my classmates were at par with me and we had to compete while enjoying
the same privileges and paying the same fees. My family’s quest for higher
education saw me at The Catholic University. Do not even be cheated to think I come from a rich family.
My family spent
everything on me to get educated at one of the most expensive universities in
Malawi and for me that was worthy it than unbiased life at Poly! Only if you
have been to CU, or under the parallel programe, you will never appreciate my
opening statement. I was ready to do anything to excel but God was to intervene
and Mzuni came calling.
2009, Mzuni it was,
generic entry, Bsc Tourism, off Campus. Another public university life, another
experience but different this time. I became a needy and government had to meet
all my needs.
For the first time, I
was going to have my accommodation paid by the government, access free meal,
and receive stationery allowance! What a change in fortunes? And 4 years later
I get Paid MWK40,000 per month to learn and am still being given my MWK30,000
as stationery allowance. As much as I so much love and enjoy these privileges,
scars of my past experiences both at Unima and CUNIMA are still very clear.
I always put myself in
the shoes of my brothers and sisters who pay huge sums to acquire the same education
that I am being paid for. I still do not understand why the government punishes
the 2C students at Mzuni and Parallel students at Unima. I have friends who are
under parallel Programme and every time I am disrupting classes because I need
my MWK20,000 upkeep allowance for 5 days of the month , they are losing as they
paid hundreds of thousands to acquire the education I am misusing because I am
needy. God must forgive me!
I feel for these
brethren. I love money and I swear I
will never be satisfied with money but my rational thinking and experiences,
encourage me to be considerate and objective when am making my grivances known
to those who owe me money and mainly when it comes to tax payer’s money.
Looking at the way we
conduct ourselves as students, am more than convinced that the talk of young
people being leaders in this country be it tomorrow or whenever is a big joke!
It’s a surprise that we think pressuring administrators of our institutions to
bow down to our monetary demands by the use of force is the greatest sign of
victory we have known as Malawian students only second to getting our degrees.
I am Sorry to generalize
but where 60 students make decisions for near 2000 students and that decision
stands, the majority rule theory is but ignored. That’s how our university students’
bodies are run. Few vocal students dictate the way the institutions must go.
(Tasometsa a VC ndi a
Registrar ife) We have caused problems to
the Vice Chancellor and The University Registrar, are signs of victory to
us! We so much love it and wow! It feels so good! Its like the greatest
innovation our universities show to the world only compared to the 20 seconds
cell phone charger invebted by a 2nd year 18 year old University of
Cambridge student in the USA or Facebook an innovation by Mark in hos
University dorm. And now we have added impregnating and being pregnant while in
school as another innovation to show off to the world.
Sometimes I get to
think, how many times did people we adore as role models who stepped out of the
university corridors saw making their proffessors walk on foot from the
university to their homes because they had blocked the roads for them not to
use their cars as a sign of victory during their university days? Thinking
about people like, Bill Gates, Steve Blank, Steve Jobs well and several
Malawians to point at, did they have the
time to block the road for their professors and administrators demanding for
money? Maybe am taking things too far with my reasoning!
And I just got
interrupted and went out to see the AXA Executive buses which Mark Katsonga is
showing off and am thinking, “ when did
start thinking ways of making money and not being dependent on the government
to provide even transport and money for mbatatesi zoti akakafika kwawo
akalandire kuti achimwene abfika kuchokera ku school?” It must have been way back. And what was he
like when he was in the university? I need to hear from him or his classmates I
guess.
Its so pathetic that as energetic as we are,
as creative as we are, we cannot find sustainable opportunities to explore and
use to earn us income. The thinking is, “I
will graduate, get a job, earn decent income, get a loan, buy a car, show off
that I have a good car, marry a beautiful wife, have kids, and give them to the
government to educate them for me. What is the government loan scheme there
for?” The reason our friends come
here from all over the world as volunteers and appear as though they are very
superior to us is because they have learnt to be independent at a young age and
create different sources of income. Critics will say, “man stop dreaming, this
is in Malawi!” Well, Tell Kondwani Chimatiro and Dan Chiwinga to stop dreaming
and Malawi will be losing one of the most promising IT Companies hatched in the
dorms of Mzuzu University. If Mark Katsonga had stopped dreaming as a young
person, he would never be parading billions of Kwachas in Buses today because
no ordinary Malawian ever owned a bus company except the government.
I have a problem with
our mindset and I have a big problem with our crop of graduates. It looks like
we opted for Education when in fact education is very expensive. So there is still
an option, Let’s try Ignorance! It is less expensive. Who needs education
anyway? Is it anzeru kapena opanda nzeru? Why train someone who is already well
upstairs? And what are we training in our universities and colleges? I am of
the view that, It is better to have an uneducated savage than an Educated fool!
We can not just watch while we cripple our abilities and potentials! We have to stand up and say, "I want to be that person to change things in my community" Our mindset problem is bigger than I can imagine and the " We found it this way and we can do nothing mentality is sending us with our untapped potential still intact to the grave.
Feedback: dennis88@ymail.com
For more Ideas www.challengefuture.org
