EDUCATION USES AFTER SCHOOL

HOW IMPORTANT IS EDUCATION TO A STUDENT IN REAL LIFE?

An essay by WAMAKALE David William, a Bachelor of Education Student at Makerere University, Kampala- Uganda

QUESTION; According to John Franklin Bobbitt (1918) “Education was not important in its own right, but its value laid in the preparation it offered learners to their adult life” With reference to the above statement, to what extent did the curriculum you were exposed to in your in your secondary school prepare you for the adult life? 

 INTRODUCTION; 

In recent decades, a popular topic for research, debates, forums and conferences on education curriculum is whether the curriculum plays a major role in the transformative life after school of the recipient (student) or it does not play any role in the life after school of the student. There are several issues in the education system in Uganda, especially in the curriculum field that in one way or the other affect educucion. Therefore it is against such background that many interesting topics have come to life and questions being asked. The current curriculum in Uganda more so the one implemented in the secondary school setting is one of the current controversial issues. Many curricular issues are the result of assumptions and expectations that are formally or not formally communicated. Over the years, ever since secondary school education was introduced, the products it offers society in form of 'trained' students, the time it takes to do so, and the methodology used have all been questioned by experts. All of this brings into question the significance, in a broad sense, of the secondary school curriculum to a Ugandan student both short term and long term for instance, is the curricum a student exposed to for Six years as important as it should be? Or, is it the other way round? According to UNESCO's Secondary Education Reform: Towards a Convergence of Knowledge Acquisition and Skills Development, 2005, "Secondary education is in most countries the phase in the education continuum responsible for the development of the young during their adolescence, the most rapid phase of their physical, mental and emotional growth. It is at this very level, particularly in its first cycle, where values and attitudes formed at primary school are more firmly ingrained alongside the acquisition of knowledge and skills." A student therefore, being a product of the secondary school curriculum, is expected to portray the improvement in spheres of skills, knowledge, and values which shows a clear distinction betwixt the learned and the unlearned. Therefore, the secondary school curriculum is more important in its sense to a student in preparation to their adult life as it did to myself in various ways including the following, 

Development of leadership skills through elective processes. “Being elected a prefect gives young people the opportunities and support to find their voices, to participate in decision making and understand their rights and responsibilities as active citizens (Yusuph and Obich, 2017). Chapman and Aspin (2001) further adds that, the facilitation and improvement of student leadership programs at secondary school level is important for those in the educational process, as leadership experiences contribute positively to student development. Consequently, the skills students are able to acquire as a result of opportunities to exercise mentored leadership can be developed in a variety of ways and through a range of situations and experiences (Hine, 2012). For instance, Lavery and Neidhart (2003) advocated a model of inclusive leadership whereby all senior students have a legitimate role in exercising leadership. Additionally, Neumann, et al.(2009) pointed out that in fulfilling the expectations of the position, school captains are likely to give a better underatanding of themselves, a higher level of confidence, and an increased capacity to manage and organise their own lives. They are also likely to develop processes and skills useful in their learning, and develop a deeper sense of maturity. For example as a former head prefect, my experience as a leader helped me gain a sense of maturity and responsibility which skills I still carry forward to this date. However, a lack of support and underatanding from the staff, as observed by Johnson (2005), and Willian (2003), can have a deleterious effect on the success of student leadership programs. This sentiment is echoed by Lavery (2006) who contended that, "If there is one reason student leadership fails, it is due largely to [a] lack of staff backing. For instance, Johnson, (2005) found that student participation in the Student's Representative Councils (SRC's) was negatively affected by a lack of staff support. Student leadership therefore to me was an important aspect in developing my leadership skills. 

Instilled a sense of seriousness and punctuality through home work assignments and exam assessment. Examination and assessment processes are important in to students. Peterson, (2007) affirms this when he remarks that; most importantly, public examinations guide teaching and learning in schools. Furthermore, according to Center for Public Education, (2007), encouraging students to keep a daily homework planner to organise work may develop important organizational skills. Students with with an established homework routine strengthen and build time management and study skills. This process which requires a level of preparedness and seriousness helped me for example in my adult life to prepare accordingly where I have a job interview among others. However, despite their many benefits, public examinations are criticized for promoting exam oriented pedagogies as the result of these examinations to determine the quality and standard of the schools (Islam, 2016). In a sophomore year, we were exposed to heavy reading and tests than ever before in preparation for national exams and therefore lost a great deal of valuable time cramming and revising things which after the exam, had no real life practical application. Even some scholars argue that the public [national] examination system gives students extrinsic motivation per se but weakens their motivation to put in any effort and learn. Instead, "preparation for high stake tests often emphasizes rote memorization and cramming of students and drill and practice teaching methods" Madaus, (1991). “…..And if the examination is a bi product, there is an implication that the quality the student shows in it must be an under-estimate of his real quality. It is hence rather difficult to get the weak student through an examination using a process model. Crammers cannot use it, since it depends upon a commitment to educational aims.” (Stenhouse 1975, p.95) Therefore, I strongly agree to the notion that the curriculum I was exposed to in my secondary school did more sense than nonsense because am now punctual and serious with my appointments and assignments. 

Leads to pursuit of achievable career through guidance and counseling. Most secondary school students are in the adolescent stage. According to Robert and Elizabeth (1983), during this time, adolescents experience alienation which is a syndrome comprising of distrust, anxiety, pessimism, egocentrism, meaninglessness, normlessness and powerlessness. Guidance and counseling is therefore needed during this stage to assist the teenagers understand their development stage and adjust to school life and life after school. Through this for example, I became aware of the various job openings available, the qualification required plus the responsibilities involved and nature of work, which helped me decide on and have clear occupational goals after school. In addition, “Counseling is a learning process in which a counselor helps an individual or individuals learn, understand themselves and their environment and be in a position to choose the right type of behaviors that will help them develop, grow, progress, ascend, mature and step up, educationally, vocationally and socio personally.” Egbo (2013). Therefore, counseling is a transformative process of helping people to learn all that are to be learned both in and outside the school. I therefore gained much from the curriculum I was exposed to in my secondary school as it helped me make proper decisions regarding career through guidance and counseling. 

Critical thinking skills. Today, it is important that students learn critical thinking skills, so they can be both the inventors and the critics of the new information. Debono, (2004) writes, "Knowledge is not enough, the creative, constructive, design and operating aspects of thinking are just as important as knowledge." Therefore the goal of critical thinking is to learn a way to think more deeply, solve problems better, communicate, collaborate and innovate more effectively in our personal as well as organizational lives. For example, I gained the skill through discussions, debates, and lessons like general paper which helped me greatly in becoming a good argumentatibe discussant. In a statement at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical thinking and Education Reform, Scriven & Paul affirmed that critical thinking is, "...the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and/ or evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a guide to belief and action". However, it is prudent to remember that to think critically is not is not to criticize in a negative manner but rather to "think deeply or to question." According to Michael Roth (2013) "In a humanities culture in which being smart often means being a critical " un-masker" our students may become too good at showing how things don't make sense"Therefore with the arguments above, the skill of critical thinking that I gained from my secondary school curriculum, proves the importance of the latter. I gained the human value of respect and ethics and moral improvement. Since the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor perform contain activities but to bring about significant changes in the student's pattern of behavior. It becomes important to recognize that any statements of objectives of the school should be a statement of changes to take place in the students (Tyler, 1949). People do not live their lives in moral or ethical isolation but grow up within particular moral traditions (Reiss, 1999). Therefore, morals, values and ethics are strongly attached to society, spirituality and culture (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, 1991). Kang and Glassman, (2010) further emphasize that morality and ethics are part of a way of life and cannot be separated from all other aspects of life experiences. For example in my Secondary school, through advice and wisdom talks from head teacher, warden and prefects, I gained a sense of respect and improved on my morality and humanity as it would be essential in my after school life. Campbell (2008) summarizes it all by saying, The objective of moral education lies in the fact that it can develop shared feelings with others and makes one committed to one's own personal responsibilities and actions. 

Gained computer literacy. With the ever increasing need of computer skills in the digital era of the 21st Century, it is incumbent upon one to at least know anything about how to operate a computer. The usefulness of it was more heightened with the emergence of the COVID 19 Pandemic which brought about lasting changes to the world more so to peoples interactions with either family or work, people had to rely on computers for day today interactions and employers are also shifting from the traditional job application process of physical to emailing. It is against such a background that one comes to a realization of how very important the computer basics we learn at high school are. Self efficacy which refers to a person’s confidence in his or her ability to perform a specific act comes to play here in secondary school for example in my school, with the availability of computers for practice, my computer efficacy increased hence learning and practicing more which skill I still pride in to date. However, due to the fact that we could only do more in studying and practicing, much of the important aspects in computer were not dealt with like the full knowledge of database and spreadsheet which to some students of low self efficacy negatively impacted persistence then low computer efficacy which might have caused them to avoid higher level technical courses. level. 

CONCLUSION 

In conclusion, the secondary school curriculum in Uganda according to research and expert knowledge, does more in touching all the aspects of a students life that is to say, during the entire process, a student gets the values, skills and knowledge that is to say, the 3Hs are all touched and worked on fully. These are the head (knowledge), the heart (values) and the hands (skills), all of which form an integral part in the life after school of a person hence the outcome being a responsible and knowledgeable citizen.  

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