Education gives hope

Needless to say, the week of 29 March brightens my face because schools have finally been re­­-opened here in the amazing Kingdom of Eswatini. It has been a tough period of time for both the parents, students and teachers of this great Kingdom. This is undeniably the first sign of hope for all of us. Hope makes us live, gives us a purpose and I will keep hoping for the best when it comes to the education of our students.

I grew up certain that I wanted to be a teacher but I will be dishonest if I told you that I knew the weight carried by this noble profession. First of all, a teacher needs to profess hope to the learners every single day. This takes me back to the time I was still a student. My school had this particular school Motto that still resonates in my mind, and I quote, “Education is the road to success”, okay, let’s think about it this way; you are travelling to a certain destination and of course you have no guarantee but you hope to be there. 

Education gives hope of a successful life to the learners. Through education, students learn to be critical thinkers and this is what they need to manoeuvre in this life. My students for instance, are quite inquisitive and hardworking but are sometimes challenged by some… let’s say math problems which makes them sad. This gives me the opportunity to remind them of the one reason why God created us; and that is to live, be happy and face challenges with positivity because we live in hope and hope lives in us.

I like it when my students tackle classroom challenges and come up with a solution, their ability to think and solve problems at their own capacity is what I adore most in the classroom environment. This is important because they will use the same ability to think and come up with solutions years to come when they will be out in the world. I think when we talk about sharing hope, this is exactly what we mean; education brings hope and shades light to the darkest dungeons that life has to offer. 

 It is in my honest opinion therefore that education is the best gift one can offer any child all over the world because learning is an integral part of a child’s growth that promotes a positive mind-set which is an essential tool for a brighter, happier future.

Celestine Mutinda – Project Canaan Academy Teacher