‘No gree for anybody’: Insisting on the student’s right to think

This article is for students, and for the people who love them. 

It is common to hear that people have the right to learn. That this right is in fact a fundamental human right.

But what exactly does it mean to learn? How does learning happen?

From being a student who has pursued multiple degrees, to being a teacher both at the high school and higher education level, I have found that learning in Nigeria many times means having someone to tell you what the facts are and what you need to know about them.

Our education systems in Nigeria are designed to stifle student’s thinking by assuming they cannot think for themselves. The average Nigerian classroom is designed in such a way that students only need to be told what is right and what is wrong. Most of our learnings happen through a “hand-me-down” process where the teacher stands as the major arbitrator of knowledge and the students are passive acquirers of it.

Let me be clear about where I stand: I believe that is NOT learning. 

Learning is not just memorizing. Teaching is not just telling. 

We need to shift our idea of what learning means and shift it fast. One of the ways to do this is to change how we see the student. Our practice of education must acknowledge the student as a co-creator of knowledge, not just a passive acquirer of it. We need to respect the intellectual agency and creative autonomy that students possess, and allow them to be an active part of their learning. 

Knowledge creation is at the heart of learning. Students who have thoroughly learned are well-versed in the art of wadding through the messy journey of thinking that creates the knowledge and ideas that rule the world. They don’t simply know the right facts, they understand why the facts exist and how to manipulate the facts for higher purposes of application and idea synthesis. They can appraise and evaluate ideas with articulate thinking, and make use of their minds to shift the frontiers of knowledge.

If you are a student, it is time to insist on your right to think. Don’t simply sit in a classroom while someone just talks away at you. Don’t be a passive acquirer of knowledge. The people who invented that formula you are cramming don’t have two heads. The people who discovered that scientific law you are trying to memorize with a song are not smarter than you. They were only willing to think—to do the hard rigorous work of putting their minds to work. You have such a powerful mind whose huge potential should not be left to waste because it is only used to repeat after people who use their minds. 

I say to you, dear student:

No gree for anybody! In every learning environment you find yourself, insist on your right to think! 

Oluwatoyin is a Doctoral Researcher in STEM Education, Social Entrepreneur and Education Policy Advocate.  She writes from Nigeria and United States. She can be reached at [email protected] or on LinkedIn here.