Clive Thabo Dube
IN Africa, many a parent struggle to put their children or themselves through school for a formal education, but for what and to what end?
The failure by many to find jobs after long years of studying has proven beyond doubt that academics do not define success nor does a white lady for a partner.
This has prompted many to find other alternatives to make it in life without any formal education. Thus you cannot be book-smart and taste wealth overnight or street smart, and still be successful.
A book smart individual is someone who has knowledge acquired through education or study and implies lack of common sense in solving real life issues. The book smart person weighs the pro’s and con’s of everything situation using informed data to come up with ‘bookish’ solutions.
Meanwhile a Street smart person does not rely primarily on academic background findings, that person uses experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life.
They simply take risks, head on.
Looking at the unemployment pandemic, the millennial generation has been gifted with the advent of technology to influx simplicity in doing things and achieve quicker results as well generate income through various innovations. Those with street smart knowledge took advantage of this advent and became self- employed by opening various online businesses.
The book-smart person still considers to be under someone (employee) to climb up the career ladder on a specific field they studied for. At the end of the day, Zimbabwe has an exuberant number of unemployed graduates who hope their certificates will rescue them instead of going out there, and create something for themselves.
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe President (PTUZ), Takavafira Zhou said that it is not advisable for someone to solely place all their focus on one field they studied. One should also consider other avenues.
“Education must improve one’s reasoning capacity and one can accept to work in a field he/she has not trained for and use it as a stepping stone to desired work priorities. It is important to have a considerable number of priorities on which one can always chose than the pursuit of a monolithic job orientation.”
Zhou added that, “There is need for broad based career guidance, and scenario planning that can ensure flexibility as opposed to rigidity in pursuit of careers.”
Interestingly in Africa unlike in the East and West, PhDs, Masters, Degrees and Diplomas do not guarantee a good career or a high standard of living. This has left the Einsteins of this world to be outmaneuvered by the Pablo Escobar’s who do not need academic prowess to bail them out. Instead they take up every opportunity that comes their way.
In truth, education only lays the foundation which is structured, in the real world the intelligent go off book because in reality D students are able to apply their expertise in overcoming life problems better than straight A students. This has enabled most Zimbabweans who have turned on to hands-on jobs for a living tackle out-of-the norm situation called unemployment.
A self- employed technician in Bulawayo said the Zimbabwean education system has created individuals who refuse to be street smart and prefer to be employees.
“The billionaires we have today and those of the past invented or created something with their own hands. Mathematics was not really needed there, they saw a gap in the untapped market and took an opportunity. Elon Musk is educated yes, but he came up with Tesla, SpaceX. So this notion that you can be successful through academics does not really hold water, lets not lie to ourselves. This (education) is designed to make you a good employee
“The problem really lies on gaining knowledge, l can learn something outside school grounds and make it in life. The painful part is that when we were growing up parents told us that “have school and you will make it in life”. When you grow up, you will realize you are on zero.” Said the technician who identified himself as Welly.
Elon Musk holds a bachelor of science degree in physics, bachelor of arts in economics and is one of the richest man in the world. Currently he owns Twitter and his success can be mostly accredited to his never ending imagination.
Desire Moyoxide, considered to be one of the best poets in Bulawayo, through his infamous poem titled ‘Dear Mbalisi Wami WeSecondary’ lamented on the same issue.
…Dear my teacher, l remember science lessons on osmosis, the movement of water molecules from a region of higher concentration to the region of lower concentration through a semipermeable/ partially permeable membrane. I can’t forget my teacher…….but with all this data, still lam poor…Mbalisi wami you did not dish out data about spinning cash (black market), running umsika lokuthenga imali ezidabukileyo lamabilions akudala. Awutshelanga neks. Awuzange ungazise ngokuqakatheka kokuthengisa umuthi wokubulala amagundwane…mina lokhe ngijomba ngisiya phambili…
Speaking to Zim GBC News, on the global debate of book smarts and street smarts, Educators Union of Zimbabwe (EUZ) President Tafadzwa Munodawafa said the government is the one failing to make sure academia’s pockets get filled. This has led many to flee the country in search of greener pastures. Meanwhile others have turned to informal trading and vending.
“The whole country is at a point where everybody is selling something, everybody is importing but selling to who? Its abnormal and the issue is not hinged on the general populace or the young generation which we are saying should be street smart. The issue is on governance, we are having a country which is mismanaged. Where academics should flourish we are failing. If academics where useless, why would other countries be taking our human resources? We have people going out of the country to be teachers, engineers, doctors and nurses. From a country where there is a deficit. People are going out to be teachers in other countries meanwhile there is a teaching ratio of 1:50 in Zimbabwe.” Said the EUZ Predident Munodawafa.
Munodawafa said that everyone has the ability to be street smart and book smart. She further added that the country’s once vibrant education system is not useless.
“As an educationist, I’m responsible for the academics. Our duty as Teachers Union leaders is to safeguard education and l do not believe we can sit down and say/ agree that academics is useless. It is very useful even in first world countries. Its also true that there are people who are innovative and gifted amongst us who go through the informal route. However it will be a tragedy if we sit down in Zimbabwe and agree that education is useless and people should be street smart.” She said.
The Zimbabwean academics sector during the tenure of the late former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe was termed ‘superior’ and praised as one of the best in the world.
From birth, we are neither street smart nor book smart, with time one chooses between the two either consciously or unconsciously.
Possessing both is however advantageous, analyze the surroundings/environment street wise and approach academically.
Street smart individuals become ambitious, spot opportunities and are determined to make it in life by making use of life skills. Using street knowledge allows one to not shy away from doing things, in simpler terms one becomes a risk taker who rely on what their gut says.
The best attribute of being street smart is being able to make good situation analysis practically. For the real world which is forever changing and not structured does not function the same way the academic world does