The need for Educational Advancement for the African Youth in Germany

TopAfric

Education both formal and infor­mal is the bedrock of all societies and those that have more of it ad­vance in same proportion. In that sense the African youth have no option in the land of Ideas (Germa­ny) than to learn a trade with dully registered certification since ex­pertise is very much acknowledged here or upgrade through higher education. As Mahtab Narsimanhan put it “a good education is the greatest gift you can give yourself or anyone else” This holds true because of the vast mysteries that are unravel in the process of acquiring knowl­edge with the most basic being the fact that our perceptions change and we get refined as well. What we do is what we know and have learned, either through instruc­tions or through observation and assimilation.

While most feel that education is a necessity and use it as a tool for reaching a specific target or personal mark, after which there is no further need to seek greater education. Nonetheless, the im­portance of education in society is indispensable and for that reason society and knowledge cannot be ever separated into two distinct entities. The merits African youth can derive from Education are enormous as it changes lives and society in general. Self-Empowerment is strongly linked with education as it makes you strong enough to look after yourself in most given situations and also able to question authority for its negligence or discrepancies. With that, you can exercise your rights as a person and seek im­provement in the structural func­tioning of governance and econ­omy. It is only when one is aware of the policies of its government will he be able to support or pro­test for a change because people can bring about development only when they know where improve­ment is necessary for the greater good of society. Education helps you understand yourself and oth­ers better even as you realize your potential and qualities as a person.

Financial Stability and Dignity of Life is another concrete fruit of both formal and informal educa­tion in the sense that you do not only gain sufficient academic qual­ification or recognized training through learning of a trade but you are able to get suitable employ­ment at a later stage. A decent em­ployment would be rewarded with appreciable income through which you can look after your personal expenses. With enough financial indepen­dence you are able to extend hand to others at the same time hav­ing the financial security to meet emergencies and also take up in­vestment opportunities. In that sense, you become the fisherman who has the skills to earn a living as the proverb goes “If you give a man a fish, he will go hungry again but when you teach him to fish, he will fend for himself for a lifetime; this literally backs the need for skill development of the youth of Africa here in Germany and Africa. Most importantly, the German sys­tem is very practical and gives you the hands on experience needed to sharpen skills which invariably affect productivity positively. This is perfectly seen in the output of products and services in the Ger­man Economy. From many years of experience and education the youth will be able to take to entre­preneurial Ventures that will lead to self-fulfillment and the rippling effects will be seen at home(Africa) in the form of capital outflows for start-Ups and well-tailored pro­fessional services that the Conti­nent is in constant need of.

More important is the axiom that “An Idle Mind is the Devil’s Work­shop” How is this true? Psycholo­gists posit that an average person has about fifty thousand thoughts in a day and each one of them leads to an action and we leave by ACTIONS. For this reason, proper harnessing of the thought process­es of the youth is very vital for re­searches, active dialogues on de­velopment and continuous effort for knowledge and skills through higher education, skills develop­ment from learning of a trade and proper mentorship. This calls for selfless mentorship from accom­plished individuals who are keen on passing the baton to the African youth to be independent and as­sets to steer the continent to the next level.

As the saying goes “if you think education is expensive, try igno­rance” often the zeal for education is among the youth but funding is a major issue but interestingly the following Foundations and fund­ing opportunities are available and African youth can take the oppor­tunity in bridging the education­al and literacy gab by applying to them for Scholarships.

Among them are the DAAD www. daad.de (Scholarships for Masters ,Professional Training and PHD), Vodafone Stiftung ,www.voda­fone-stiftung.de (mentorship and scholarship for bachelor’s degree and master’s degree for youth with migrant background), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (www.fes.de sup­port for degree programs), Schot­stek (www.schotstek.com Mentor­ship and scholarship for youth with migrant background), Hamburg Merit scholarship (Scholarship for master degree students), Clauss­en-Simon stiftung (www.clauss­en-simon-stiftung.de scholarship for high school, degree, masters and PHD opportunities), Kon­rad-Adenauer Foundation (www. kas.de scholarships for degree, Masters, Artist, Musicians and Writers) What Africa needs most is the Ed­ucation of its youth, hence Africa Youth must Arise and sharpen their skills and above all, it will be great for all African youth to actively get involved in the AFRICA YOUTH ED­UCATION (AYE) program as it is an elevator for networking, dialogue and promoting of the Values of Af­rica. To this end, Best Wishes to all African Youth in their endeavors, many thanks to Mr Desmond John Beddy and other Organizers who have tirelessly worked by uphold­ing community empowerment as a major priority and as such initiat­ed a worthwhile program like the African Youth Education Program (AYE). “From Mathematical rea­soning, if time is equal to life, they have given part of their time to so­ciety, hence a fraction of their life is equal to the AYE program” and May all together uplift the AYE pro­gram and the image of Africa.

Extract from the AYEA Magazine
By: Francis Amemador
Master of Law and Business Candidate
Bucerius Law School Hamburg-Germany.
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