Increase your avidity for learning, Ezekwesili tells graduating class

Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has charged the graduating students of Greensprings School, Lekki, Lagos, to be studious and continuously seek new knowledge so as to be visible and relevant in the contemporary world.

Ezekwesili, who was the guest speaker at the 2018 graduation ceremony of the school, where 73 students received certificates and prizes for their academic achievements and social skills, said continuous learning is very imperative going by the way new knowledge is emerging in every facet of life.

The only saving grace for the present generation, which she envisaged would face more complex world, will be an increased appetite for learning with emphasis on character, competence and capacity.

According to her, “The world started long time ago, but what we have today is an entirely different world from the world of your parents. You are in a world of disruptive technology, the world of the robotics, the Internet of things, simulation science, world of big data, the world of block chain technologies. You do not belong to a small or local, but a global world, so you must think and act global, create your own frontier.

“Today’s world of technology has given you a totally different dimension, and so you must continue to learn because life is a series of learning. The say you stop having avidity for learning, just close your eyes and die. It is even more so for your generation because the new knowledge makes the existing knowledge obsolete. Its exponential in degree compared to what happened in our time. Everyday new knowledge makes a mess of existing knowledge that is why I think that 21st century belongs to you, but you must be abreast of the happenings in the new world through continuous learning.”

While harping on the need for the system to be in tune with emerging economy, Ezekwesili urged school managers to educate for character, attitude and societal needs. The idea according to her is that without character, the individual lacks the basic essence of humanity.

Executive Director of the school, Mrs. Lai Koiki, assured that the graduands are well prepared to face future academic and life challenges. “We gave them a holistic education, both academic, social and thinking skills. We don’t have the blueprint of what they will be experiencing out there and so the best thing is to expose them to skills that will enable them to cope wherever they go.”