Societal academic excellence

TOTAL EDUCATION FOR EXCELLENCE

Education for future success and a balanced life must flow from the adequate enrichment of the individual from his/her formative days of emptiness (tabula rasa) as a child to adulthood. The failures of individuals prevalent in our society reflect the failure of the educational system to provide wholesome education.

Education is in three domains: cognitive (brain, academics), affective (mind, behavioural and moralistic) and the psychomotor (physical skills).

THE COGNITIVE DOMAIN:

Inculcates logical and intellectual knowledge, the cognitive gives answers to questions like What is chemistry? What are the principles of social psychology? etc.  The cognitive helps explain the world around us; it dispenses knowledge and gives the child a broad understanding of the world and how it works?

AFFECTIVE DOMAIN:

The affective domain teaches ethics and moral philosophy, it answers questions such as is creating genetically engineered foods right? Is it right to use neuroscience in marketing? It aids in building attitudes and emotional framework for individuals thus affecting their behaviour.

PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN:

The psychomotor domain builds the physical skills of the individual example the turning of an athlete, the physical exercises of a footballer etc. The failures of individuals and the Nigerian society reflect the failure of the educational system to provide wholesome education. Consider our political elite and technocrats that are vast in technical knowledge and philosophies but lack the moral philosophy required to do what is right (this is a classic example of lack of insufficiency or complete lack of affective education).

The area boys in our streets, possess the physical activity and vigour (physical activity: psychomotor) yet lacking adequate cognitive education and most often affective required to contribute meaningfully to the society.

The combination of the three domains guarantees the success of individuals and thus society. Society needs to build the brains, mind and physical ability of its people for proper functioning and activity. While the brain gives man intellectual ability to function, the mind decides what he should or shouldn't do, while his psychomotor domain maintains his body in a state of physical well-being thus avoiding the harmful effects of body use and disuse.

WRITTEN BY ALABI, PHILIP EPHRAIM