For a long time, the norm was for most parents to insist that their children go to school. They will work hard to keep them in school. The idea is that with good education, the child will get a good job and a secure future.
Unfortunately, they did not observe that most of the things taught in schools are outdated and have little or no relevance to the future. The rules of the game of life are changing. Getting a good formal education does not guarantee financial freedom or a secure future anymore. We now live in a rapidly changing world with constantly changing rules and ideas about almost everything.
For a modern day educational system to be relevant, it must include financial intelligence and entrepreneurship with a good dose of investment mentality or awareness. The student while in school must be equipped to be both an employee and an employer of labor on graduation.
Mergers and Acquisitions, Layoffs, Automation, Downsizing, Rightsizing, Global Economic Meltdown and the likes are terms we are all very familiar with. These have inflicted a lot of pains on individuals and families. The educational system should prepare people to think about their future including life after retirement and old age. The pension scheme has failed yet we live in a world where spending is emphasized to the detriment of saving. Sadly, financial institutions that are supposed to help you develop the saving culture will encourage you to get into the credit trap while their chief executives engage in manipulating the books to support their extravagant and sometimes ridiculous life styles.
Today, we have a lot of rich and successful people who did not have formal education in the real sense of the word. They abound in the entertainment and business world, in science and technology and other fields of human endeavors. One thing is certain. They discovered what they were good at or what they had passion for and invested quality time polishing their skills. They learnt investment and wealth creation principles along the line. Some of them like Bill Gates have amassed stupendous wealth.
It is said that if you are not in the know, you cannot be in the flow and if you are not informed, you are deformed. If you are a parent, invest some time to discover what your children are good at. You may not herd them all off to the formal sector since some of them may have their calling in the informal setting.
SPICES
You can get all A’s and still flunk life….Walker Percy
Knowledge is the true organ of sight, not the eyes…Panchatantra
Education is the movement from darkness to light…..Allan Bloom
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child….George Santayana
Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity………Aristotle
If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found time to conquer the world…Heinrich Heine
An educational system isn’t worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn’t teach them how to make a life….Author Unknown
