THE NEED TO KNOW

I have grown to see education more as being aware, not just as a resource for classroom knowledge. This is appealing because the outlook allows me to broaden my world view and to relate same to all aspects of human endeavor, for example the economy which i see as the reflection of the socio-cultural well being of a people and through which development is measured and appraised.

I would summit that, it is important for young people to understand the role of awareness in issues of good governance, the politics of leadership, the law of averages and growth, human dignity and the rule of law in a given society.

Clearly, the problem for young people is hinged on what i call the scale of information (knowledge, and from which civic participation and leadership, political will and the need to act in a certain impact-oriented way can be noted, and acted upon.

Simply put, without adequate information, our response and performance will fall beyond expectation in matters that affect us directly or indirectly. We wouldn't know where to place our priorities and what to do when the need arises.

This is in fact the one thing that has been missing and with a daring consequence. However, there are indications that young people have begun to act in a certain way that holds promise. The key is to be consistent and to adopt approaches that are sustainable. To team up via networks and to embrace values that can be applied to the moving forward process in Africa and beyond.

For example, if we must protest about the lack of accountability in Government, inconsistencies in enforcing the rule of Law, the failure of certain health policies, lack of adequate educational reforms, human right violations by individuals or groups etc, we must do so based on the current information available. Information that is not biased or interpreted irrationally to benefit certain quarters only and not the people. The approach to adopt must also be one that would not portray a contradiction or ruin the outcome of that which must be achieved.

Sharing information and exploring ideas and insights is a powerful collaborative tool. Young people must use this to scale up. Being separated by distance is inconsequential in today’s world; hence this can be achieved through online platforms. The trick lies in having a team in regions other than ours, a group of like minded people acting as an indivisible unit. This is basically expressing one of the core values of the internet of things, which AI – Artificial intelligence has bought to us.