Unibadan Distance Learning Centre

THE CLASS OF DEGREE AND THE LIFE BEYOND
Dayo Olajide

At the initial stance, it was delightfully interesting to know that everyone who showed up at the entrance of the Convocation Hall was a First Class graduand. As an official at the event, I joined my colleagues to dress them appropriately in their academic outfits and check them into the hall. Unconsciously, I had started to size each one of them up, from their appearance, attitude to their demeanour.

If I were the University of Ibadan Management, I could start stripping some folks of their first class based on the yardstick I had set. I could also double it for others who impressed me. I was lounging in this subconscious activity when another set of graduands showed up. Alas! They claimed to have Second Class Degrees and pleaded to be allowed into the hall. I noticed three ladies and two young men particularly. They looked stunningly amazing. My mind switched to the judgmental mode again: “these are the ones who should have the first class”. They were cultured and courteous, well dressed and spoke good English, but denied access to the hall which was designated for first class graduands. Well, I knew my judgement was somewhat whimsical.

Notably, a young chap from amongst them cautiously walked up to me. He said he had a 5.9 CGPA, hence missed first class by one point. I went mum for a while but was swiftly inspired to tell him that the CGPA does not define him. I made him realise that he is the definition for his class of degree. His face suddenly shone. I further nailed it by charging him to go out there and make his certificate count even if he was not counted among the first class graduands. I don’t pride myself as a motivational speaker but I think I did a brilliant job on his mindset.

Subsequent activities in the hall gave me mixed feelings. The University in its wisdom had decided to streamline participation at the convocation to ensure precautionary measures were taken against COVID 19. Considering the sober ambiance of the event, I could not but deduce that the difference between those who excel and those who don’t is their attitude to failure and success. For the first-class folks, that level of success attained needs to be conquered in order to sustain success. Success, not necessarily failure, is the greatest enemy of success. A first class in the hands of a clueless graduate is a frustrating reminder of a pursuit in futility. The failure to attain a first class degree is not a write off but a sign up to do more. You cannot attain success until you learn from failure.

The idea of schooling is premised on an issuance of certificate at the end of the academic sojourn. These deductions came on the heels of an allusion the Keynote Speaker made about the notion that “Schooling is a Scam”. Schooling is a mindset that strips one of the rights to education. I believe education is an attitude, a poise, the sagacious will to matter in life. Schooling then is an opportunity given by one’s parents or the government, but education is a right bequeathed by God. Everyone, regardless of schooling outcomes, can matter in life. You must discover life as an antecedent to maximizing the right to education. The denial of schooling opportunities or lack of brilliant outcomes is not a judgement of class but privilege. God did not create us to be schooled, he designed us to explore. The mediocre predisposition to schooling is what robs many of education.

Consequently, schooling for all the graduands ended at that convocation ceremony. To judge education by schooling is to circumvent the process of equipping people for gratifying life outcomes. Schooling is only a phase in the crave and pursuit of education. Every graduand, regardless of class or degree should make this phase count by leveraging their successes and failures to count in life. Schooling, which is timebound introduces you to content, education which is lifelong nurtures your guts to deploy that content.

Dayo Olajide
Communications Officer, UIDLC

OVERCOMING THE SCHOOLING ‘PALAVA’: THOUGHTS FROM THE UIDLC ASPIRE SYMPOSIUM

The importance attached to schooling is so overwhelming that going to school has been erroneously perceived as a license to success in life. Is schooling actually the antidote for a mediocre life? Understanding the disparity between schooling and education is core to gaining the right perspective in seeking university admission and in pursuit of a right standing on the very competitive terrain of relevance. There is no gainsaying the fact that good schooling can produce good graduates, but the rude reality that stares us in the face as a nation is that we have not been able to translate our first class honours to significance in life, hence the clarion call for value added educational delivery.

In a bid to shift the perspective of its learners from the straightjacket pursuit of certification to single-minded pursuit of relevance, the Aspire Symposium was organized by the University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre. Specifically, the symposium was put together to motivate the learners to build a healthy mindset and self-esteem, spur them to take advantage of the time advantage which Open and Distance Learning avails and stimulate Career Prospect and Focus.

The event held on Thursday, 28 October, 2021 at the Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole (PIFA) Hall, University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre CBT Centre. It featured speakers who facilitated sessions from academic and professional angles with practical infusion on the following topics:
1. Leveraging ICT for Entrepreneurial Development: The Distance Learning Advantage
2. Planning your Professional Development
3. Unschooling for Entrepreneurial Development

It had an array of prolific and dynamic speakers which include Prof. Ayotola Aremu, an Educational Technologist and Director, Office of International Programmes, University of Ibadan; Dr. Adebayo Oluwole, a Counselling Psychologist and researcher in Department of Counselling and Human Development Studies, University of Ibadan and Adewole Williams, a career coach and Associate Member of Centre for International Executive Education and Development, United Kingdom.

The symposium emphasized the need for participants to think entrepreneurial development above a pursuit of paid employment. Unarguably, the value placed on certificates as a parameter for relevance is the reason why we retrogress as a nation and fail to get our educational priorities right. It is therefore apparent that certificates become stale achievements when the bearer lacks value for lifelong education. Professor Aremu pointedly shared personal perspectives and professional insights with practical experiences from budding and successful student entrepreneurs. She painstakingly explained and nudged participants to leverage online opportunities for skill acquisition and networking.

Dr Oluwole particularly urged them to go to school but be aware of their environment in order to evolve the spirit of entrepreneurship. He mentioned categorically that entrepreneurs are problem solvers but schooling has been revealed to be one of the ways by which subscribers are brainwashed. According to him, creativity and innovation is a product of critical thinking and self-discovery not a reflection of high grades. He also shared funding opportunities available for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Mr. Williams consolidated the thoughts of previous speakers with a mind blowing and energetic presentation which answered the question of schooling actually increasing the chances of graduates making it in life. He emphasized the need for participants to have a Personal Development Plan (PDP). He taught them how to develop their career pathway without basking in the certificate frenzy which breeds more mediocre graduates than purpose enthusiasts.

What is the way out? What are the piercing deductions from the symposium? Every youth should make up their minds not to allow their schooling to rob them of education. Schooling is time-bound, but education is life-long. Regrettably, our society's judgment of academic success is wrapped in mediocrity. The priority placed on academic qualification is defeated when upon getting a job; you still have to learn on the job. The reason is not farfetched: graduates are not trusted to deliver until tested. The years of pursuing a degree should be a defining period of a youth’s life, but many of them tend to be more confused after graduation than they were upon admission.

The value placed on education should be birthed in the place of personal discovery. If you do not discover your uniqueness, you do not deserve the spotlight. The spotlight is for people who have value to offer. Participants were nudged to reflect on how they can add value to the society because discovered value puts educational pursuit in perspective. Instructively, the certificate at this realm becomes a backup not a projection of who they truly are.

Consequently, the need to subscribe to Distance Education as offered by the University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre should be emphasized. This is the 21st Century rescue from the schooling rot! If the conventional mode cannot accommodate the number of young people who seek tertiary education misconceived as schooling, it is believed that they can be positioned to become entrepreneurial undergraduates on the Distance Learning mode of educational delivery. The conventional schooling system gives little or no leverage for entrepreneurship. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) therefore affords its subscribers the opportunity for self-development, engagement in volunteering activities and learning a vocation or skill. The TIME ADVANTAGE is key on this pedestal. This is education which transcends schooling.

The well attended event was spiced with varieties which include a raffle draw. It saw some participants go home with cash prizes, recharge vouchers and gift items. With ceaseless requests for a sustenance of the symposium, UIDLC learners are to anticipate a bigger and better edition in months ahead

Dayo Olajide
Communications Officer, UIDLC