GANIYU Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB) has cautioned Alimosho students against the popular notion that education is all about sitting down within the four walls of an academic environment to be tutored by a lecturer.
Dr Bamgbose, a lecturer in the Department of English, Lagos State University, gave the clarification while speaking as a facilitator at the maiden edition of the AlimoshoTomorrow Leaders Conference which was held on Friday, September 23, 2023, at the Lagos Theatre, Igando.
Bamgbose, while delivering his lecture, faulted the notion that education is all about schooling. He defined education as anything one does that makes him or her a useful human being.
To explain this, he drew a comparison between a tailor and a teacher. He said although a teacher is responsible for 'educating' a child, that child cannot appear before the teacher without putting on clothes.
Further breaking this down, Bamgbose added that compulsory education stops at JSS 3 and that whatever useful venture a person chooses to engage in thereafter besides furthering secular education, should not be seen as a waste of time, or the person termed as being 'uneducated.’
“Do not assume that whoever does not go to school is not educated. Learning is a set of experiences that brings about a permanent change in your behavioural pattern. If nothing has changed about you, you have not learnt anything,” he said.
Dr GAB, who is also a motivational speaker and author, called on the students to access themselves on a regular basis to find out what undesirable traits have changed in their lives. He said for one to be useful in society, he must first be educated, and then, most importantly, learn.
“Anybody who would be useful to the country must first be useful to himself, and the way to be useful is to be educated, and to learn. Learning is monitoring your day-to-day growth through measurable changes,” he added.
Further speaking on the need for students to be patriotic, Bamgbose said that optimism in the country was vital, adding that despite how morally bankrupt the society is, many still strive to make a change and earn an honest living within the same society.
Emphasising the need to be patient as one progresses toward success in life, he said, “Every shortcut you take may cut your life short. If your success does not have a procedure, it will end in failure. You must believe in due diligence, and follow the norm.”
The Business Day columnist also admonished the students to be ready to contribute their own quota to nation building, now, if they must gain in the future, adding that the quest for money ahead of value will ultimately lead one to poverty.
Dr Bamgbose concluded his address by giving out two free copies of his most recent book to two students who participated actively in the question-and-answer interactive session.
The maiden Alimosho Tomorrow Leaders Conference organised by Alimoshotoday.com tagged 'Walking the Pathway to Lifetime Success’ brought together 375 senior secondary school students from 26 private and public schools in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
