January 18, 2016

Re-imagining Education in Nigeria (and Africa?)

Re-imagining Education in Nigeria (and Africa?)

Education shouldn’t be something we try to “get through”. It should be a lifelong process. This is something that was difficult for me to understand as a high school student in Nigeria. I recall being in musty classrooms, staring at charcoal boards all day, trying not to get distracted by the sounds of creaking ceiling fans in the classroom. We had to write speedily because if you failed to keep up, the teacher would all too quickly wipe off the notes from the chalkboard, and in simple terms, you were screwed. It was never fun, it was hell. I recall thinking that there had to be a more efficient way to learn. I earnestly looked forward to my graduation because it meant I was that much closer to becoming a doctor. It also meant that I was only a few years away from never having to learn again. I was eager to be done with studying forever.

Fortunately or unfortunately, if I was looking to stop learning, medicine could not have been further from my target. The entire premise of medicine is daily, continuous learning. New research is published everyday that could drastically change disease management. New, potentially fatal drug interactions are unearthed with new research publications. More importantly, with each new patient, comes an entire history and opportunity for learning. Each patient is different and it is your job as a physician to know as much about him or her as you are able to in order to provide the highest quality care. If self-driven learning was not already a way of life, such a process could get tiring quickly.

I spent a larger part of my formative years in Nigeria. For me, transitioning to the US for college was a shock for many reasons. There were stark differences in ethnic culture, but more importantly there were very palpable differences in educational culture. For example, I was used to staying up late into the night, trying to get through pages and pages of boring, god-awful texts with no colors or pictures. I would remind myself that I only had to cram the material, run off to the test to off-load it, and I was free from it forever – or at least that was what we were made to believe. I certainly got by with this approach. Some might even argue that I excelled at it; I topped my classes and I felt like a great student. By Nigerian standards, I was a great student. Unfortunately, what I failed to realize is that in the real world, cramming material would never suffice. In the real world, you must learn the information and then you must apply it. Theoretical knowledge is just that: a bunch of facts. The real value in learning is evident in hands-on application of learned facts.

I was made even more aware of this insight during my medical training at Duke. I am currently at the beginning of what would be considered the 3rd year of a traditional US medical school. There is no doubt that it has been challenging, but it is also true that I expected it to be. What I did not expect, however, were the reasons behind the challenge. I thought that the most difficult part of learning for me would be the sheer amount of material. While it is true that we have an unthinkable number of facts to memorize, what I struggled with more was how to apply these facts to caring for patients.  I would love to say that I struggled like every other medical student, but that would only be half true. What would be more accurate is that I did struggle… just in a different way from my classmates. Some students did absolutely fine from the start and maintained stellar grades throughout the year. I was almost convinced they had passed through the medical curriculum in another life. A part of me was envious of these students, but more importantly, I was curious. I wanted to know exactly what it was they did differently and how their process of learning differed from mine. What I learned shocked me. I learned their excellence was rooted in 3 major factors that were promoted by the learning culture at the University (and probably other medical institutions in the United States). These included a hands-on/interactive culture that was adaptable to multiple styles of learning, a fun/interesting approach to learning with every opportunity (including the use of educational cartoons), and most importantly, an emphasis on self-motivated learning.    

Perhaps there were ways that we could begin to transfer some of these interesting learning methods back home (and to Africa)? My instincts were that this issue of ineffective modes of learning was not unique to Nigeria. Before now, I was already aware that education was one of the problems I wanted to help solve in the world. However, I now have access to innovative learning tools and pedagogy to effect that change. It will take a while, but what is important is that I have begun that journey. Myself, along with a group of similarly motivated individuals at Grow With Nigeria are working to provide high quality expository programs to Nigerian high school students. Our goal is simple: we want to demystify careers through exciting hands-on activities that make learning fun and readily applicable. We recently visited Nigeria to conduct a STEM educational program that featured over 61 students, 4 participating high schools and a number of educators, volunteers and contributors. During this experience, students learned to work collaboratively in groups on fun, practical, coursework. They learned to manipulate anatomical specimens, do laparoscopic and gross suturing, and apply learned concepts through case studies. We also showed them how to use technology as a powerful tool in STEM fields by offering short “coding 101” classes. From my perspective, however, the greatest value probably came from the protected time they get to engage in interactive dialogue with graduate students and faculty. Such opportunities have always been absolutely priceless for me. At Grow With Nigeria, we believe that opportunities like these are vital in helping students gain a better understanding of their prospective careers.

The feedback was inspiring. What is clear is that students and teachers alike are open and ready for newer, improved approaches to learning. Education in Nigeria (and Africa) is a difficult issue to tackle, but it is an important one. I hope that one day more individuals can be inspired to translate some of the wonderful opportunities they have been privileged to benefit from here in the United States back to their home countries. I believe the time to take on such a critical issue is now. I also believe it is a duty to give back to our communities, and we do not need to wait till we are executives or working professionals to do so. Giving back starts now, in whatever way we can.

Temini Ajayi, MPH is an MS2 who is passionate about education and global health,  and hopes to use his medical and public health training as a platform to develop responsive local and international public health initiatives that will inform widespread policy. He is currently a member of the Grow With Nigeria team. To learn more about what we are doing, please visit www.growwithnigeria.org. If you would like to support our vision, or contribute to our cause, please click on the donate button at the top right corner. Thank you in advance!

Special thanks to DGHI, DukeMed Engage, the Grow With Nigeria team and other partners/sponsors for program support.