My Country: Academic Laurels are overrated?

"And if this issue is not addressed properly, it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
Then every school has the audacity to have policy on equality" -Sulibreaks

How many "A" grades did you get, which were never asked for when applying for a job?
How many times have you remembered something 5 minutes just after the teacher said: "Stop writing"
Only to receive your results a month later to realize that you were only 1 mark short of the top grade?
Does that mean remembering 5 minutes earlier would've made you more qualified for a particular job?
Well, on an application form it would have
We all have different abilities, thought processes, experiences and genes
So why is a class full of individuals tested by the same means?

Introduction
Prior to the 19th Century, no organized public education system was in place anywhere in the world. In the United States, an educational system was created in order to meet the manpower needs of the Industrial Revolution. It was based upon the tenets of academic achievement and the application of reason. The most useful subjects to achieve maximum performance were ranked in a hierarchy of importance. On top of the hierarchy were subjects such as math, science and language. On the bottom of the hierarchy were less essential subjects such as music and art. Professors designed this educational system in their image. Their views on academics have come to dominate our perception of intelligence. The entire system was designed to create a track to university entrance, advanced degrees, and a perpetuation of the system.

Success in life after college / university is achieved through your choices. Most important of those choices are your daily choices, not those colossal few life decisions as many would think.
Success: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

Ghana at the moment:
Should it just be the question of fee free education? Is that what we have identified as the main challenge with our educational system as it stands now? As a country, what are our educational priorities? Must it always be politics as usual or fulfilling some campaign promise?
Think of it, if truly and in all sincerity, it's the question of free and cheap education, we all know and, indeed, it's common knowledge that private schools pay far more than government schools. In fact, basic education is virtually free and compulsory in Ghana. But have you ever wondered why the political class has their children in expensive private basic schools instead of the free public basic schools? If it's not abroad then it's international schools for such "golden children" They have little faith in our system...

Does academic excellence guarantee success in life?

Not only does academic excellent not guarantee success in life, it can lead dangerously in the opposite direction.

Unless you plan to be a professor, pretty much everything rewarded in the academic system is the opposite of traits, habits, mindsets, and products rewarded in the real world.

You can certainly succeed if you’re a good student, but you’ll need to deschool your mind first and learn to focus on creativity, innovation, relentless value creation, and not giving a damn about the good opinion of experts, rather than the rule-following and memorization needed in school.

Is an academic excellence more important than practical skills when it comes to a successful life?
A computer science PhD doesn’t make one a good programmer. There is a world of difference between getting an “A” in robotics class and winning a “bot” competition. MIT’s motto isn’t Mens et Manus (Latin for Mind and Hand) by accident. Great knowledge is not the same as great skill. Worse yet, decent knowledge doesn’t guarantee even decent skills. Unfortunately, educrats and eduzealots behave as if college English degrees mean their recipients can write and that philosophy degrees mean their holders can rigorously think. That’s not true.

Conclusion
If you want to be a student your entire life (and I don’t mean learning your entire life - I mean being a student in college / university) and if success for you means having all those degrees, graduating with honors, than yes academic excellence will guarantee success in your life.

If, on the other hand, being a student, graduating with honors, holding this degree is not enough for you to consider yourself a successful person, then no academic excellence will not guarantee success in your life.

You see the more reason why you and I should be worried if a whole minister of education will only be interested in students obtaining good grades. He says,"heads of schools will be sacked if students fail BECE and WASSCE".(Rephrased), "Grade D and E should not be glorified by teachers"... It's about passing theoretical examination and not acquiring real knowledge, skills and attitudes/abilities (KSAs) relevant to life. So unfortunate!

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Friends: When we were no more friends again but we look like friends.

Sometimes you have this buddy of yours,  you were too close, you help each other, do stuff together and then one day you discover your friend has another friend who is your enemy. They will at least one day discuss you.

I wrote this two weeks ago on my way to Tema from Mampong-Akuapem. I was thinking about a lot of stuff that is going on in life. One which caught my attention most is fake friends or enemies in disguise. 

When are new at a place we get more friends,  new friends,  good friends and bad friends; Everyone wants to be your friend because of one reason or another. As time goes on we discover true friends from the fake friends. 

So who are friends? 

 A friend is someone who is closer to you than an acquaintance.  You advice him, he advices you, you give him stuff he gives you stuff (exchange gifts) Friendship is not a one party receive affair, if it becomes like that one will get too 'tired' of the other.

How do we consider someone a friend? Some people consider people who can help them a friend, people they only receive gifts from as a friend but I believe there's more to friendship than just give and take. It is a relationship;  there's sacrifice,  communication,  attention and a whole lot involved. 

Who are frenemies? Yes they do exist, they use friendship as a decoy.  They are like wolves in sheepskin;  they use friendship to cover their own agenda.  Some are also former genuine friends.  They're just interesting characters to enjoy watching  if you are able to spot them. 

Do they actually exist? Yes they do. They're those friends who you see their messages when they only need something.
They're those who talk sh*t behind your back.
They're those who are friends with your enemies. They discuss you at any given time.
They betray you at a every given chance.
They don't value their relationship with you.
They don't tell you the truth.
They always want to hear your news but don't wanna share theirs.
They are lairs.
They always look like they wanna convince someone. 
Until they're spotted,  they try hard to cover something. 
They hate you.
They will rather see you loose than win.
They're worse than your enemies.
They don't like you.
They're not good Christians.
They're the ones you normally have differences in ideas with.
You can't agree with him easily.
They're enemies.

I Wrote this in one if my series (letters to self) on this blog that;

"They become close to you because of what you can do for them

Fall into trouble, they'll be like they've not seen you suffering

Come out of the trouble, they'll be like we didn't know you were serious about it.

Ask them for help they'll be like I don't have I don't have; let them fall into trouble and act like them, they'll be like you have changed, you're becoming wicked, you're now becoming an a*s hole.

Become rich, your whole village want to be associated with your name, become poor and nobody ever knew you.

Become hungry and nobody would want to feed you, fall sick and nobody knows where the hospital is located, die and they'll write unknown tributes for you.

Society is indeed stuck on a druken stupor.

Treat humans based on your discretion! Just care about yourself first."

On the path to success and the journey to change the world, we need to check our relationships. Some people only care about what they receive from you, the moment you stop they will start hating.  It is pretty much difficult to handle these people but if you're able to spot them, you try your best to handle them. 
You will encounter great opposition on a path to success, need such characters in our lives!
There's a part two of this but I will share it when I  have learnt how to deal with them.

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The Hope Journey: An Example of dream works only if we make the effort

The hope journey is dream project come true. I actually thought it might fail, the hope journey wouldn't see light but by dint of hard work and the great team work by the the hope journey family it was a success. 

The Beginning: 

A young man with a dream was putting his bed room in place and he got the idea of sharing his  clothes with the needy. He told his younger brother, Owusu-Acheampong and he gave him more ideas like adding sharing of bibles to it. Later that day he called his friend,  Okine Ebenezer discussed it with him and he actually lauded the idea and gave his insights into the project. 

The following day was his birthday, 6/1/17. There was a small drinkup at the mission house in Mampong Akuapem  he made the idea known and the friends who came to the party were excited about the idea, they agreed and the event got its basics. 

They had most of their meetings online (WHATSAPP) and that summer(july) the journey was made.

The Spirit of giving:
The lord blessed us with the spirit of giving the event got funded from our personal pockets with the help of friends and family.  Our main patron was Mr. S.K Ampofo. 

Childhood friends:
I always consider nsawam as a hometown,   not because I was born in nsawam, not because I like writing about the place but the love the place and her people keep showing me. I started schooling in nsawam met great people like Ebo Wilson, Boateng Asiedu, Joel Sanco, Eugenia Larbi and Michael Atiemo at Nana Osae Djan School. These are people I no longer consider as friends but family.  They always got my back since childhood times; from getting roll call numbers for me to paying my excursion fee to borrowing me kalypo when I had an empty box in high school, Presec legon...lol When the dream got to a point where I almost gave up, these peeps kept calling me on phone and when it was time to go for the journey,  they brought their van, donated stuff and they were like the main engine of the event. It was phenomenal and great in a way science can not capture. 

New friends, Now family.
We just got posted to Mampong-Akuapem, due to my dad's job. I met great people here at Mampong-Akuapem at the early days. Eben Okine, The best organiser I have known yet. Yaw Boateng-Danso and Sem Boateng-Danso they are  brothers to me their since daddy is also a clergy man so we share most sentiments together,  Esinam and Rachel are sister's friends but they're now but of the family now.  They contributed emercily to the hope journey. 

The challenges;
Starting something look easy until you try doing.  I felt soliciting for funds and items for charity should be easy but hey I think it's the most difficult thing I have ever embarked on.  Too difficult than starting a company or having a startup. With the strength of the Lord we made it.

The way forward:
The people who are crazy enough to think they change the world are the ones who do. We will change the world one day I don't know how but I feel we will make something great in the world.  Hope Journey will make an impact.  

Think differently,  Change the world.

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