In
the old days, Africans married in order to have children. Children were
seen as an investment into the future. The more children one had, the
more secure their future would be.
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| African Children in class. USAID |
It was believed that children exist primarily to help their parents in old age. The future of the children was not vital as they were expected to outlive their parents and therefore they would plan their future later on in life. Indeed, anything that was necessary in laying the foundation for the children’s future, such as education, was considered a waste of time.
Men who sired boys were rightfully content with the fact that they had guaranteed help by their side. Boys were taught in the ways of men. This included fending for the extended family and taking care of the family’s possessions such as livestock.
The young boys bore dividends when their parents grew old and incapable of providing or caring for their families. Girls on the other hand were regarded as investments that grew in value. At maturity they would be married-off to wealthy men who in return paid a handsome dowry. This dowry which was mainly in the form of cattle, made the fathers of girls wealthy in old age.
Times have changed and the world we live in today demands that children must be educated so as to equip with the right skills to help them face the future confidently. Ironically, education is still an investment by parents. As parents work tirelessly to raise money to pay for their children’s education, they expect that the children will excel and be assimilated in gainful employment. Through this, they will support their families and their parents in old age.
But things don’t always turn out that way. While basic education is a requirement for all humanity, tertiary education comes down to talent. Those who are not talented professionals, normally find other things to do along the way.
They might become excellent sports people or shrewd tradesmen and women. However, many do not find their talents in education. Unfortunately, due to the hostile nature of talent development systems or the lack thereof, most young minds in Africa are wasted, never discovering something constructive to do with their lives.
In the developed world, people are aware of the fact that you can not bank your future on your children. As people in such countries work hard to pay for their children’s education, they are also alert to the fact that there are credible financial tools or similar channels of securing their own future.
Unlike in Africa, governments in the developed countries, especially the West, are more responsible and transparent. For this reason, they have set up means and mechanisms of ensuring that people can plan ahead for their retirement and that the elderly are adequately cared for.
This has eased off the pressure from children who can now concentrate on what they think is for their own good. Such a noble approach has also liberated the minds of the young ones. So they can be innovators and inventors. With or without tertiary education, these young people are the force that is driving the world today.
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