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A high-quality secondary school system is vital for creating civically engaged citizens who can think logically and critically. Without one, taxi drivers could not read road maps, business owners could not do basic accounting or follow mandated guidelines, and consumers could not make informed choices about grocery store purchases. Indeed, there is often chaos and confusion in countries where most people cannot read or write, and thousands die each year from preventable blood-borne diseases because of inadequate schooling. Moreover, while the United States is ahead of many countries in recognizing the importance of a literate populace, it remains to be seen whether Nigeria’s secondary education system can provide a similarly high standard of teaching.
In Western countries, and especially in the United States, relations between parents and school authorities have not always been cordial. The United States of America is home to people from different parts of the world who have different religious beliefs, which are protected under the U.S. Constitution. For religious or other reasons, some parents choose to homeschool their children instead of sending them to public schools. Until about 30 years ago, however, the government routinely denied parents’ requests to home school their children in the belief that they could not teach the secondary school curriculum effectively. When one such case went to court, the judge sided with school administrators, stating that educating children in public schools was necessary “to keep a buoyant civilized society and maintain the country’s democracy.” However, the government’s stance on homeschooling has softened over time, provided that parents meet certain educational qualifications. The dedicated people who successfully challenged the government on this vital issue are well aware of the importance of secondary education for their children and are now able to provide it as they see fit.
For most of us, high school is the gateway to university admission or a career. However, in Western countries, the brightest students often make major contributions to art and science even before they graduate. A thirteen-year-old secondary student named Aidan Dwyer recognized the pattern of the Fibonacci sequence in tree branches, and applied the discovery to the invention of a revolutionary design for maximizing the efficiency of solar panels. Another young boy from Sierra Leone named Kevin Doe was recently invited to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to display his cutting-edge inventions, including electronic generators, a sound amplifier, and a radio receive r. Many other kids like these have a lot to offer their communities and the world. Secondary school is the bedrock of innovation: it is where young people start to have dreams and attempt to actualize them. This idea is encapsulated well in the words of Maria Montessori: “If education is to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the total individual development lags behind?” A commitment to the individual development of our children, whether in the home or in public schools, is critical to Nigeria’s future.