Cursed?

It's a common thing here in Africa to believe every wrong turn of event is caused by an enemy from one's household or neighbourhood. We take every delay or failure as a lineage Curse and most time resolved to not fighting it , because we believe it is meant to be, it is our Destiny.

Let me use a life story as an example, there is a girl who lives down the street, she graduated from secondary school in the year 2017 and ever since has been seeking admission into the University. I think I need to do a quick run through of the situation or let me say the hierarchy of higher Institutions in the country. So many Governments promised at one point or the other to stop the dichotomy between these institutions . Though it's unwritten, it is perceived by many that this is the how the ranking of higher institutions is:

• The University

• The Polytechnic

• College of education

We have other type of higher institutions, for example the University can be; University of technology, University of education, or just University, all these can be either state owned, private owned or owned by the federal Government. We have the ICT schools too, Nursing schools e.t.c But it is the three (3) aforementioned institutions that are regarded as the majority while others follows. Just like Yoruba, Hausa & Igbo are used as a general classification of all ethnic groups in the country.

The number of years spent in the university varies depending on the course you are studying, we have courses that are done for 4 years, we have 5 years, 6 years and even 7 years. While in the polytechnic after the first 2 years, you'll be awarded a National Diploma ( ND) after which one will go on a Year industrial training programme, then spend another 2 years before you are given your Higher National Diploma (HND) making it a total of 5 years. I don't know much about the College of Education, but I know most are 3 years with few months Teaching practice sandwiched between it.

Now back to the story of the Girl, for the sake of this article, let me call her Bimpe. She came to me in the year 2017 and I helped her in registering for Jamb (a compulsory exam for students seeking admission into higher instruction in Nigeria though there are alternatives) which I did, but the result wasn't Good enough for the institution of her choice.

Oh! My bad. I didn't tell you there's a cut off mark for each institution, For the university it varies from 200-160 I.e one must score a minimum of 160 in jamb to be considered for admission in some universities and 200 in some. While that of the polytechnic varies from 160-140 , and College 140-120. So Bimpe decided to wait till the following year, same thing happened again , and again in year 2019. After the Third jamb exam with a school of 198, we had a conversation in which she said she's giving up on her dream of going to the university of her choice , that she will settle for the polytechnic. I suggested other universities to her - universities that accept less than 200 jamb score as cut- off markit's not that I'm against going to the Polytechnic or I'm among those that feel that going to the Poly is a low, Never.but her reply shocked me. She said she has accepted her fate, that it is her Destiny, for there is a generational curse in her family. I was left speechless and I asked her how she came about such conclusion or should I call it theory. She went further to explain to me how her immediate older brother had to settle for the polytechnic after numerous attempts, how her younger sister who finish in the year 2018 is already preparing for her second year in the College of Education. She went on and on to site examples of people from both her mother and father's side who tried countless times but ended up in a polytechnic or a College of Education.

I disagreed with her and told her what she called "Generation curse" is nothing but a faux and an excuse not to attain what she desire. I went with her to the CBT centre to get another Jamb Form and took it upon myself to teach her at least Three (3) times a week. As things will go, the Pandemic lead to the closure of all schools in Nigeria I TALKED ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS IN MY LAST ARTICLE, YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT , which gave me the opportunity to dedicate enough time to her. We treated past questions together and solved so many questions online. She went for the exam and had 269. The excitement on her face when she came to my house to tell me her score can be compared to none. Few months later the Post Utme ( Entrance exam) of the school she chose came out, though this time around my school was running Virtual learning system of teaching, but I still find time to take her in between assignments, projects and some other class responsibilities. She went for the exam and got 19. And the wait for the departmental cut-off mark and admission started.

Guess what? As we speak she has been given admission into the University of her choice to study the course of her choice. I said earlier that the excitement on her face when she saw her Jamb result was incomparable to none, forgive me I lied. The smile on her face when she brought the News to me could have powered Elon's space X starship if it was near. I still nurse the wound inflicted on me from my fall after she jumped on me. Her happiness knew no bound and my heart soared with Joy. I was more than happy that "She" was able to break the Supposed "Generation curse"

Now to you reading this, is there anything you have been trying for long and it seems far fetched? Be it in your Academics, work, Business or Relationship, Have you also taken it as fate? , as your Destiny or as a Generation curse?. C'mon (as one of my lecturers would say) rise up and give it one more push, and when that "one more push"fails, give it another ,then another ,till you achieve your purpose.

Never settle for less, don't let the situation pull you down, don't let it kill your confidence rather let it be a form of motivation to try harder, to do better. For "Every star have a story to tell" all these are happening so you can have a wonderful story

You are a fighter, Rise up Champion!!!.

Here is the link to my previous posts

https://read.cash/@HappyBoy/lockdown-587fe4a4

https://read.cash/@HappyBoy/covid-19-outbreak-and-the-transportation-industry-effects-challenges-and-prospects-d7952cba