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Latwell Nyangu

Youth Interactive Writer

College is supposed to be the best time of your life. And in many ways it is  — from living with your besties to college parties and cool classes, your years on campus are full of amazing times.

But college can also be one of the hardest times — living away from home for the first time, juggling friends, exams and papers, internships and jobs, and trying to stretch your food budget as far as you can.

The saddest part about us, is that we have been regarded as educated fools at the same time losing the value of academic achievement.

Most of our stories are about us being educated fools. We have been condemned despite us being learned.

And it is my wish that we maintain the learned cap and exhibit the highest level of knowledge, critical thinking and reasoning capacity.

My fear is that we have so many graduates but we are lacking wisdom. Yes, we have all First Classes, many degrees but we are educated fools.

It’s not me who is saying this but those who see us.

The world has eyes and don’t assume these people around us don’t see us or know what we are capable of.

Here is a simple definition of educated fools, an “educated fool” is a paradoxon, which describes a well-educated person, who has trouble dealing with everyday situations or socialising. Although he may be very intelligent, he often ends up in awkward situations due to him acting “foolish”.

In this real world, many students have failed to deal with many challenges at hand, in most cases we have fallen victim to many traps yet we are educated.

There are three kinds of fools in this world, fools proper, educated fools and rich fools. The world persists because of the folly of these fools.

Fellow students everything starts from us the young generation and we are who we are today due to what we do.

Education doesn’t mean that the person is wise. Today education simply means you must have your degree. You just have to memorise certain concepts written in the book, write it in the examination and that’s all you are educated now.

As a result of this, we often see many educated fools here and there. But some of the students, we are deemed educated fools.

We need wisdom to discern in many realities we come across.

Many times I have heard this statement, inga wakadzidza wani (you seem educated).

While, there is also another statement which irritates me most, vafana vemazuvano vakadzidza but zvinoitwa zvacho zero (today’s generation is educated but nothing good comes out of them.), ko sei uchiita izvi munhu akadzidza why are you doing this yet you are educated).

These sentiments are loaded as we have been found wanting when it comes to use of common sense and reasoning.

Once educated, we are expected to behave well and be on the right track of being praised.

An educated person knows how to make productive use of knowledge; they know where to get the knowledge that they need, and they have the ability to organize that knowledge into a plan of action that is directed to a definite end.

But many of us have been labelled educated fools due to failure to execute plans or even being able to do proper jobs.

We have no competence and they end up calling us educated fools.

An educated person has the ability to identify harmful behaviours and traits — including thinking habits that are not serving them well — and the ability to modify them.

Having many degrees doesn’t mean you practically use your common sense, everyone is born with common sense.

Fellow students, educated fools are people who have tons of academic achievements to their credit and are full of bookish knowledge, but have very little practical experience and common sense. On the surface, they look like wise and intelligent people.

Lacking basic ethics, manners and respect for others, is the most uneducated thing we are facing as educated students.

But in this process as we all see there is no place for wisdom.

You can have someone with a PhD who doesn’t question, isn’t hungry for knowledge, is arrogant so doesn’t give weight to other people’s perspectives, doesn’t think and reflect. Perhaps they did their PhD to loaf around at university after graduation, or for the title, or because they perceived it would make them money.

You can also have someone who left school at 16 who is hungry for knowledge. They read, they question things and challenge people and assumptions. They think beyond money, they empathise with others, they ponder and reflect.

Education provides us with knowledge, but character, brain development, and proper experience is needed to wisely use that knowledge. It could be a statement from those who don’t value education or didn’t have the opportunity to pursue education and a way to help themselves feel better by calling those who do and had opportunity fools.

Regardless, education is valuable, knowledge is valuable — but without some emotional strength it loses some of its value.

We need to move away from this educated fools tag and seek wisdom from fellow students.

We need to be smart and caring to be wise. They say, being educated is a state of mind, not a bunch of certificates

At times we act like we are not students, we go astray and directionless. The way we are dressed, has prompted people to call us fools yet we are educated.

So it takes some eagerness to have wisdom. Our behaviour has cost us a good name.

One thing we need to know is that, being at college means, we are ready to be ushered into the world of our professions.

After college most of the students take the work route.

Above all, after looking into different issues which affect students, I have noted that I need to bring into attention the issue of smartness as a student.

With this winter season, many of us just wake up and do face wash, but we need to do justice to our bodies and look smart.

The clothes we put on also need your attention. The cold weather mostly affects us as students. It has been regarded as difficult to take a bath in the morning.

Lacking basic ethics, manners and respect for others, is the most uneducated thing I ever came across. Welcome to the new semester to those who are coming from a break. If we continue to act in weird manners, they will keep calling us educated fools.

Cheerio!!!