As Nigerian students in Nigeria, mapping out our life paths starts as early as SS1, when you choose one of either Arts, Commercial, or Science. This might seem like a tiny choice but it is one of the most definitive choices in a person’s life, and most times, the decision is made for us without any proper guidance. It’s simply “if you’re smart, go to science department. You, you’re not that bright, go to Arts. The in-between kids can go to Commercial”.
That sort of classism based on supposed intellectual supremacy at that age ruined the lives of a lot of kids. It also enforced a very negative stereotype that people studying in the Arts and Commercial fields are nowhere as smart as people in STEM fields. My mom and teachers thought I’d do great in the Science department but that wasn’t what I wanted for myself and I argued and fought till I was allowed to do what I wanted to do. Just last week, I heard of this boy who wanted to go to Arts, and had started attending Arts classes in school, only for his uncle to come and give him Science textbooks, and tell him to go to Science class, because that’s where the smart kids went. At the end of the term, he had a result sheet full of D’s and C’s.
That a child can’t survive in the Sciences doesn’t mean he’s dumb. Science students that excel in Physics and Chemistry might not have as much success doing Financial Accounting and Economics, or doing Literature and Government. Having a passion for what you are doing is very important, even at that age. I know a handful of people who were in my department in uni(English and Literary Studies), who had been in Commercial department in secondary school. When they came out and saw that the uni courses where not something that they could do, they retook JAMB and some extra classes, and went to Arts. Same thing for people who studied Arts in secondary School, and ended up resenting their uni degrees because it’s not what they had the passion for – they were just pushed their by teachers who felt they weren’t smart enough to survive in Science or Commercial.
Proper counselling is needed, and I know most people reading this are adults now and most of you can definitely relate to this form of social conditioning. You definitely still have cousins and siblings or even neighbors around you who are about to go into Senior Secondary classes. The older generation of parents and teachers, for whatever reason, don’t see things the way we do, but we have the chance to be there for them like no one was for us. My brother is in the Sciences now and most times it might just be my overthinking but I always make sure to ask him if he’s okay there and if he understands what they’re teaching him.
The entire educational system of this country needs a reform, and those of you that always side eye or talk down on people in the Arts need to fix the fuck up. It’s the stigma that most kids face when they opt for Arts that make them try to force their way into Science or Commercial. Proper counselling should be put in place for young kids, so they know what they want to do, and how to properly map out a path, and choose a department that aligns with this.
If you’re reading this and you were forced to go to a department when you got to SS1 for one reason or another, I’m so sorry, especially if it has negatively affected you now. While pushing for change at the top might be close to impossible, you can still help the kids around you, one at a time.
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