Majority of the students in our education system come from rural areas where households only have basic resources at their disposal. People in rural areas live in communities sharing some of the basic resources at their disposal. They walk for kilometers to access public services. They plant crops in their gardens mainly for own consumption and surplus if any to sale to meet any emergencies. They get low farm production from the farm because of lack of farm inputs. They all depend on agriculture which is affected by many factors including climate. They lack the skills to add value to their farm produce hence they sale the surplus output from their farm unprocessed at low prices to the middlemen. The households have a few animals and chicken around the homes for own consumption. They often sale them to get cash to pay school fees and handle any emergencies. The animals and birds are often a form of saving and investment for the households.
The education system should therefore be relevant to the communities the students come from. To students with this background, education is the process or journey that starts from homes in the rural setting through schools and colleges and goes beyond what is taught at home and schools. The education system is expected to reflect the culture, values and customs which will enable the students to network with fellow students and the society at large.
The education system is expected to meet the needs of the students and the communities to which the students belong. The education should equip the student with the skills which the student will apply later on in life. The education system should be relevant to the real life the students will be faced with.
The education system should promote growth, development, volunteerism , leadership , self esteem, communication skills and identity of the student. The student should be empowered with the knowledge and ability to succeed in life for personal and society benefit.
The formulation of the education system should reflect the following:
- The scarce resources should be applied for purpose of acquiring knowledge which beneficial to the student and the society.
- The education system should be aligned to goals of the country
- The quantity of education should be right and should not over burden the students with too much knowledge. We have too many cases of people who have been over trained to the extent they can hardly find what to do in the area of their specialization.
- The education system should take advantage of technological advancement which can easily be applied in our environment
- The education system should give the students the ability to search for information for decision making.
- It should enable the students to network with fellow students and the society later on in life
- The education should enhance the health and nutrition standards of the student and the country
- It should incorporate the values of the society they live.
- The education should equip the student with communication skills and leadership ability.
- Therefore our education system should be relevant to our environment and beneficial to both the student and the society.
