Post by Adeyemi (@adeyemitalabi)

LET US BUILD THIS THING ON GRIT, NOT GENERATIONAL WEALTH &ETC‼️.

When I saw this Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board advert, I was genuinely excited.

You know why❓T’was cos of the “Entry Requirement” : BECE/JSSCE Result.

For many people, that may mean nothing.

For me, it meant everything.

Growing up in Nigeria, I always felt all the stress I went through preparing for JSSCE was almost… pointless.

Once you got into senior secondary school, it was as though that examination never existed. Whether you excelled or barely passed, it had virtually no bearing on your future. Your journey to university would eventually come down to your SSCE and JAMB.

So when I saw this advert, my immediate response was:

“Finally, BECE/JSSCE is having some relevance.

As a child, I always felt all the stress I went through reading to pass JSCE was just a waste but now… some usefulness to JSCE…

Praise the Lord.”🙌🏾

Seeing that advert reminded me of something else that I didn’t fully appreciate until I moved to the United States.

Initially, I didn’t understand the U.S. educational system, but when it became necessary for me to learn it, I came to see the intelligence behind it.

For example, a high school student with strong intellectual capacity and drive doesn’t have to stake their entire future on one examination taken on one particular day.

That student is noticed throughout high school.

Their GPA i.e the scores accumulated over years through tests, assignments, projects, quizzes, classwork, and examinations; is one of the major ways colleges assess their academic ability.

Colleges also look at the level of courses the student has taken, leadership, extracurricular activities, essays, recommendations, and other evidence of “SUSTAINED” effort and potential.
(I capitalized the word 👉“sustained”)

A student who has worked 👉CONSISTENTLY hard can become competitive for merit scholarships. If they already know what course they want to study and identify schools that are particularly strong in that field, ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS APPLY.

Their FAMILY’S FINANCIAL INFORMATION is then USED TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH FINANCIAL AID THEY QUALIFY FOR, and many institutions provide grants and scholarships to bridge much of that gap. Where additional support is needed, federal aid and student employment opportunities can also help make college affordable.

My point is this👉, the system recognizes years of consistency.
👉Admission into a great college is not based solely on whether your parents can afford it.
👉It is not based on one examination.
👉It is not based on who your parents know.

IT IS BASED LARGELY ON YOU‼️
Your determination.
Your passion over four years; 🙄🤨not four hours‼️.

To me, that’s what an educational system should look like.

A system where your future depends more on your determination than on your parents’ financial strength or your performance on one examination.

Now, don’t get me wrong ohh💁, I know no educational system is perfect. The U.S. system has its own shortcomings too. But on this particular issue, I think there’s something worth learning from.

A child’s future should reflect years of effort, not just the outcome of a single day.

Now that’s a system that works.

Period.🙅🏻‍♂️‼️

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