Education essential for nation-building

Education is, arguably, the most critical element in building a nation. The responsibility of nation-building essentially lies in the hands of its citizens, predominantly the youth. Therefore, it is pertinent that the nation’s youth are well educated as this group of people are the ones responsible for building wealth for the nation and drive technological advancements for the country. As nation-building involves creating a unified identity for all its citizens and building a common roadmap for all to follow, the best way to propagate a central patriotic theme is by utilising the education system.

In the quest to achieve a successful state of nation-building, everyone must be thoroughly educated or at the very least, obtain some basic form of elementary education. Through proper education, common goals and visions for nation-building can be properly disseminated and the required mindset can be instilled into every student. All of these are to ensure that everyone is aligned with the common goal of building a better nation for everyone’s benefit.

From elementary education, the nation must next focus on more advanced education such as tertiary education either university degrees or vocational certificates are important to create an efficient workforce. Having a capable workforce at all levels will ensure that national productivity is maintained at an efficient level and that of national output is sufficient to support the growth of the nation.

Through education, the culture of meritocracy can be implemented. This will create a society that is able to compete and strive for excellence. Meritocracy is important as critical positions in the private and public sectors can be filled with competent people able to undertake the task to build the nation. The strength of a country lies in the strength of its society. Having an educated society at all levels will ensure a strong middle-class society where the rule of law is upheld, fair competition is welcome and national progress is a priority. Having a strong society also creates strong family units where strong familial values are upheld, thus reducing social ills and crimes.

Nation-building is essentially the creation of national identity, culture, and direction. In today’s age of technological advancement, the strive for progress must be inculcated into the system and into the hearts and minds of the people. It is, therefore, crucial to produce a sizable amount of professionals, researchers, and academicians to propel growth and to ready the country for global competition.
The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation.

Aliyu H.Yusuf,
Jos, Plateau state
[email protected]