“Education is freedom” Education means creating a better life
FEB 19
Posted by Hizbawi Mekete
By – The No.1 Eritrean Lifestyle Magazine
African parents harp on about the importance of education ad-infinitum – to them education is everything. Eritrean parents are no different – they seem to have high regard for educated people irrespective of how they may behave.
While most agree education is important in changing an individual and society, it may not be a cure-all solution for everything. In fact, formal education isn’t everything and even, not for everyone. Furtuna Kiflezghi investigates.
The word education comes from the Latin word educare meaning “bring up”, which is also related to educere “bring out”, “bring forth what is within”, “bring out potential” and ducere, “to lead”. Understanding this, I decided to engage several of my Eritrean friends and associates on the topic. I spoke with some who were what we would consider highly educated, others who had no formal education and everyone else in between. What began as a few friendly questions in some instances, ended up being a fiery debate but in the end, I came to what appeared to me as an obvious conclusion.
There is no doubt that Eritrean parents vehemently encourage their children to engage in specific areas of study. From the time we are young we are taught which professions are admirable or in other words, which ones make you the most money. We are taught to believe that becoming an Engineer, Doctor, Lawyer or Pharmacist is the only way to achieve educational, financial and even personal success. We are even programmed to believe that our profession will determine our desirability thus leaving a great deal of our personal and love lives up to our education or lack thereof.
While I agree that anyone from a developing country will rightfully place a significant value on anything that could very well lead to independence and a higher sense of freedom, it is becoming clear that the actual knowledge attained is not what is being valued. Emphasis is in fact placed on the status that accompanies two things, income and title. Eritrean parents seem to be occupied by the esteem and prestige that is associated with a title such as Doctor or Engineer as well as the income that accompanies it.
I believe it is safe to say that should one obtain these two things – income and title – without any formal education, their parents would be just as proud and satisfied of their child’s achievements. A perfect example is our very own Nipsey Hussle, an up and coming gangster rapper of Eritrean descent. Despite his lyrics, many parents respect what he does because he is in fact a bit of a celebrity (title) and a successful star with money (income). This demonstrates that formal education is not everything because at the end of the day it is social status and not knowledge that prevails.
Our parents like to brag and that’s not new. Many times, they get word of someone’s success and we are the first to hear about it. Every Eritrean at some point or another has been compared to their cousin or family friend (the other ‘cousin’) who just completed their Masters or Doctorate program.
If we acknowledge that for many Eritrean parentssocial status precedes knowledge and money outweighs it all, what does this mean for the child whose parents routinely put him down about his decision to pursue a degree in Literature? In most cases, it sadly means that he will continue to be scolded and his pursuits undervalued until the day he generates a substantial income. However, there do appear to be signs of change.
A growing number of parents are becoming more and more flexible in their ideas of success. In addition, parents are becoming more aware and sensitive to the psychological and social implications of discouraging their children from pursuing something that they are not only passionate about but show promise in. Parents are learning to develop their child’s sense of self-worth.
Before some of you – if you haven’t already done so – start to raise your eyebrows at the thought of me questioning our parents’ well wishes for us in terms of education, you should know that I have nothing but respect for any parent wanting their child to live comfortably. But so many Eritrean youth today describe their disappointment in their parents’ disregard, total lack of interest or downright anger at their involvement in activities outside of academia.
I know that our parents want nothing more than for us to do well and it just so happens that, as in most other countries and cultures, doing well means making money. It not only gives our parents bragging rights but it raises the family’s social status, provides more income creating a sense of long-term security, increases the chances of additional members of that family pursuing higher education – but most of all, it gives our parents a sense of accomplishment.
Imagine leaving family members and everything you’ve ever known behind. Imagine making your way to a new land where nothing is familiar. Why would anyone put themselves through a major state of vulnerability? Two words: education and children.
It is said that the ultimate sacrifice is life and in some ways, we can say that is exactly what our parents sacrificed for us. Completely unaware of what might become of them once they arrived in their new destination, our parents could only think of the opportunities that awaited their children. The chance for their children to pursue the highest degrees formal education had to offer. Education is freedom. Education means creating a better life and allowing the family to thrive and flourish for generations to come. Who would fight that?
Understanding our parents’ perspective, they are damn right to want to brag about our educational achievements and monetary gains. Our success is in reality their success. It means that their journey was not made in vein.
For many parents, some disciplines are highly regarded while others are not but we have seen changes taking place. Formal education is not everything nor is it for everyone. Many people I spoke with, most of whom had obtained their degrees, cited ambition and not formal education as a deciding factor in almost everything from forming casual friendships to the dating process. This takes us back to the idea that promoting a healthy sense of self will in fact produce confident and ambitious young adults who will succeed no matter what.
In the end, I truly believe that parents should always be huge advocates of education and encourage their children to seek knowledge. While formal education may not be for everyone or the solution to everything, knowledge undoubtedly is. Seeking knowledge is irrefutably a precious experience of allowing yourself to be open to what the world has to offer. This experience of seeking and attaining knowledge is what shapes us into well-rounded ambitious individuals allowing us to move forward with our pursuits.
Ultimately we should all be seeking knowledge and have a desire to progress as individuals regardless of what, if any, type of formal education we pursue. It is hunger for and drive toward knowledge that will allow us to fully bring out our potential and we’ve all learned what that means – education, and in my opinion, education of any kind, formal or not.