All forms of Education matter a lot in the wider South Sudanese community
7 min readBy Ustaz Mabior Rioc Manyang, Juba, South Sudan
November 27, 2015 (SSB) — According to Yoloye (1980), he defines education as weapon for combating ignorance, poverty and disease: as a bridge between confusion and comprehension, As dam for concerning man’s store of civilization, as a rocket for transporting man from a state of intellectual subservience to a state of intellectual sovereignty. Here, I am recalling the anecdote of a proud professor with the shabby boy who was the boat rower and what went wrong eventually.
One day long ago a certain learned professor, theoretically at least, well versed in philosophy, psychology and Mathematics made arrangements with a boatman in the islands to take him across the river in a rowboat. The professor proudly considered himself as educated, rich, and a master of life and a shabby boy was poor who seemed not to have studied much and only a boat rower. As they were going, the proud professor idly wondering how best to pass the time during crossing, thought of showing off his knowledge to the boatman, so he asked the shabby boy few questions before he was drowned.
The first question was, “Boy, do you know psychology?” The boy replied, which type of food is psychology? The professor said, “You are foolish.” Another question, have you ever studied philosophy? The boy replied, where does road called philosophy lead to?” Professor, you lost everything. By the way, did you study Mathematics? No, Sir? The Professor, you are really an idle and an idiot boy. “Mr. Boatman, the professor continued and said, I am sorry to say that without some knowledge of philosophy, psychology and mathematics, seventy-five percent of your life is as good as lost.” The Boatman took his insult quietly and kept on rowing his boat.
When they reached in the middle of the Lake far away from the land, there came a very strong storm and the boy failed to control and steer the boat. The pundit shivered and trembled, but the boatman, with a smile of assurance on his face, said: “Mr. Philosopher, you have pelted me with questions; now may I ask you one?” Do you know how to swim? To this the scholar tremblingly replied: “No, dear boatman, I cannot swim.” Then, the boy said, with smiling indifference the boatman replied, “I am sorry then to have to declare to you that one hundred percent of your life including the knowledge you acquired through formal education is soon going to be lost.” As if to fulfill his prophecy, a furious gust upset the boat, and the professor was drowned; but the boatman, swimming with powerful strokes, overcame the waves and safely reached the shore. Who of these two was learned and wasn’t? All forms of education are all unique and important to every member of society who has acquired each or all of them.
Education, in its widest sense, indicates ways in which people learn skills and gain knowledge, information and understanding. It can be divided into various ways of learning namely – formal, informal and non-formal education. Formal education refers to instruction given in formalized structures like schools and day care centers. In many nations, people enter a system of formal education during their early childhood. In this form of education, the people in charge of a school decide what is to be taught, how to be taught, when to be taught and the children then study those things under the direction and guidance of teachers. Learners are expected to come to school regularly and punctually, work at the same speed as their classmates and to give tests to show how well they have learned and progressed. At the end of the year, successful students move up to the next level that is to the next standard, class or grade. In the end, they may earn a certificate, diploma, or degree as a mark of their success over the years of their studies.
Informal education, on the other hand, involves people learning while they go about their daily lives. For example, young children learn new words simply by hearing others speak and by trying to speak themselves. In the same manner, they learn to dress themselves, eat with civil manners, ride a car, and operate a computer or a television set. When people try to find out information or to gain skills on their own initiative without a teacher, this is also a part of informal education. For this, they may visit a book shop, library, village, cinema or museum. They may watch a television show or a videotape or listen to a radio program. They do not have to pass tests. There are many other ways to learn such education like on the job learning.
Non-formal education belongs somewhere between the formal and informal types. As in formal education, people using non-formal methods adopt planned and organized camps. But the education procedures are less tightly controlled than those of formal systems of schooling. However, each form of education can save you at a given time and period. Never despise anybody even those who sweep roads, mop or clean the toilets, as well as the street and the poor students because they are very important in our society. Do your part as a member of the society and be mindful of the appreciation and admiration people may give you. Give a more pleasant taste to the World around you; including those who are not related to you. Don’t be part of society’s problems but be part of its cure. “When a sheep bows down, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t know where the goats have gone and what they are doing?”
I am just recalling here in this passage the anecdote of a professor with a shabby boy who the professor considered inferior in quality to evaluate and ascertain our egoism and ignorance as south Sudanese of different backgrounds and affiliations. We have wrongly adopted Satan-oriented educational manners which all lack cohesion and absorption of our national identity as well as spirit of love and togetherness in our beloved country. These practices of ignorance and pride are common between the educated class and the illiterates, the rich people and the poor ones, the leaders and the subordinates, the bigger tribes and the smaller tribes as well as political leaders and their followers.
These bad attitudes among south Sudanese communities are the immediate root causes of the worst tribal conflicts which have been rampant in South Sudan since time immemorial. As I quote Yoloye’s definition of education, I truely believe that many of us are full of ignorance which is a bad disease to unity, peace and love, and that some south Sudanese educated classes are not different from the professor who asked the boy with wrong and foolish questions at wrong time and in the wrong place. People should practice and maintain humility in all aspects so that you keep your life persistent and more enjoying from one state of the affairs to another.
More so, I am sure that ever profession has its own professional ethics taught as one of the course units at the Universities or colleges. This course is very vital in our daily activities and it is meant to guide one in the workplace and in the wider community. Work station principles and morale obligations are universal in nature and they are against pride, incompetency, tribalism, gender based-violence, just to mention a few. In conclusion therefore, all forms of education matter a lot in the wider community and everybody is obliged to keep them in close and earnest observation on daily basis.
God bless The Republic of South Sudan and its people!
The writer is a south Sudanese and a graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education majoring in Geography and History at St. Lawrence University, Kampala Uganda. He can be reached on mabiorrioc@yahoo.com
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