#TheTruthAboutGhEducation

Kwasi and Kobby were not friends when they were in schools,neither did they consider themselves as enemies. For one and many other things, Kwasi was exactly what Ghana's educational standards desired -- a conformist, a timid person who would agree with everything and sheepishly believed whatever his teachers told him were as (or more) right than the Bible.  He believed that he can never write sonnets as best (or more) as Shakespeare or can he ever be as brilliant (or more) than Einstein or can he ever sing as perfect as Michael Jackson. He believes as he is taught- he can never be better than the people he reads about.

Kobby, on the other hand, was a notorious boy in school, he was not notorious because he smoked or engaged in boisterous activities but unlike the Ghanaian educational standards, he was not a conformist neither was he timid. He didn't believe in conventions and he thus reasoned that if his ancestors molded laws (which society thought as perfect) he could vary it to make it more perfect. Everyone laughed at him and thought him mad because he was just not a conformist. He was at school branded as a stupid dull child and teachers marked him down not because he was less intelligent but he was just not a conformist! This was the letter he wrote that got him sacked:

Dear sir,

Why do you always tell us that we cannot be better than Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Beethoven or even you. I have realized that our education wants people to wear clothes this way not because of 'reason' but because you are wiser and must obey what you say. We are to believe that by obeying every law and memorizing every line of the text books you make our parents buy, we are intelligent student. No sir, this is not intelligence, as humans, we were created to change the world and everything in it to make life better for us. What are customs if it destroys us than to liberate us. You beat us down till we become conformist. We are to wash your clothes, sing good songs of you and try as much as possible to be in your good books. No sir, we should be allowed to express every fiber in us rather than trying to fit into stereotypes.

                                      Your student

                                       Kobby Nti.

The next day, he was sacked and was branded as a bad boy and student.  Very soon, the whole world bought into the label the school had made him wore and unlike a flower he never bloomed.

Few years down the line, Kwasi and Kobby grew up to be adults. Kwasi became a doctor while Kobby became nobody but he still did not want to be a conformist like everyone.

Kwasi became a regular panelist on radio and instead of talking about how to change Ghana and how we should not let politicians steal our money because they are, well, politicians, he was still the conformist the Ghanaian educational standard had made him be . He preached about we shutting our hears to the truth and making sure the old order progresses.

'After all, this practice had gone on for a long time, we have had dumsor for a long time, we should shut up and 'conform' to it because a good citizen is not to have opposing views to what authorities say. A virtuous citizen is one who always finds way to survive instead of questioning the status quo,' he spoke through the one of the microphones at the radio station

Now, Kobby was walking on the streets of Kumasi with a earpiece on and shouting 'No, we must not let our politicians take us for a ride. We should not be conformist! We must change the rules to benefit us. We are our own destiny. We must liberate ourselves! We were born free!'

Day in and day out, people watch him and laugh. He is a failure, he failed to master the skills of conformity. He is lunatic, even his family deserted him because he would not 'conform'.

Kwasi is #TheTruthAboutGhEducation, we must all be conformist not just to  survive in this turbulent times but to be consider as a normal wise Ghanaian. Close your eyes to corruption and shut your mouth to dumsor because after all no matter what you do or say, things are never going to change!