[t.D.A.]

I definitely agree about the need for education. I also agree wholeheartedly about the education that we 'inherited' for the Brits not necessarily being an education meant to inspire the next halogen bright leader.

Having had the pleasure of studying at a high school level abroad and at home I can honestly say that one of the goals of our education system in Kenya is to crush any form of independent thoughts and ideas. From being forced to sit down, shut up and listen in class rather than engage in debate. To being forced to learn and mimic the literary styles of writers and poets who are long passed. To the cramming of facts irrespective of whether they have practical application to the present or the future.

Here in Oz, people may complain a lot about education, but for me it was like heaven. I had choice over what to learn, I could have gone to a TAFE (polytechnic type of place) while still in high school where I could have learned a trade and gone into the labour workforce immediately after high school - apparently only 10% of Ozzies end up in university. A large chunk of them end up going into the trades or into the family business (quite successfully from an economic standpoint).

In short, I definitely think we need to rethink just why are we sending our kids to school: " I would argue that now it's a case of the old trying to force their way of doing things on the young" and maybe change that to: " We are sending our kids to school to teach them how to become the leaders of tomorrow" and adjust the school system accordingly. So many countries including Japan, Botswana etc etc already give us examples of how this can be done well so we don't have to reinvent the wheel.

My humble 2 cents