Page 41 - Blooms Schools Yearbook 2019

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they are academicians, instructors, lecturers, mentors, teachers, heads of schools, principals, facilitators,
curriculum developers, among others. They are those who are passionate about the dissemination of
knowledge from one generation to another; they are nation builders.

Societal development goes far beyond the acquisition of technological products like computers, cars,
planes etc. or constructing the most beautiful buildings and architectural wonders nor does it mean having
good access road, bridges, airports, dams among others. These are bye products of development. The
United Nations first Decade said that development is equal to economic growth plus social change which
can be translated at the level of the individual / and the society at large.

The problem with most societies is that many educational leaders do not understand their roles in the
society. They do not understand that education is synonymous with the existence of human societies. They
may not fully understand that education does not simply entail being knowledgeable; it also entails the
acquisition of the many physical and social capabilities demanded by the society in which an individual is
born into. This lack of understanding adds to the obstacles many societies face. Vashistha, Dronacharya and
and Chanakya are today considered as educational leaders because they understood their roles in the
society and executed their roles almost perfectly

What then are the roles of educational leaders in developing a society?
The bedrock of most societal problems lies in diversities; cultural diversities, linguistic diversities and
religious diversities. A quick review of the success rate of most Western countries against African countries
can justify the fact that diversities tear a society apart faster than plagues. It may then be argued that for
this reason among others, Western countries seem to get it right in education among other sectors while
African countries suffer. At the risk of comparing Western and African countries and highlighting the
disadvantages of multiculturalism, it cannot be ignored that to become a fully developed society, one must
abandon all notions of 'otherness' and instead embrace 'togetherness'.

It can then be said that educational leaders' first step towards developing their societies is to use education
as a tool to emphasise unity in a culturally diverse community. In the history of ancient India, Chanakya will
always be remembered because he identified the disadvantages of multiculturalism to a society and fought
to use education to unite his nation. He taught his students to first be good citizens before becoming good
healers among other professions. To him, a good citizen “should give up oneself for the sake of one's family,
one's family for the sake of one's village, one's village for the sake of one's country and the whole world for
the sake of one's soul”.

The last one is difficult. Thus the teacher laid emphasis on the third one i.e. giving the greatest
importance to the country or the nation. Hence, he emphasized togetherness. Togetherness is the first
step towards nation building and perhaps the most important. This is because when citizens of a country
share a similar belief and a common goal, then steps can be taken to build a society that will be favourable
to every citizen.

The mystery is in how this can be achieved through education. Using Nigeria as an example; I am a Nigerian,
a Yoruba and a Christian; while I know a lot about Nigeria as a country, the cultures of the Yoruba people and
a whole lot about Christianity. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about the Tivs, the Idomas, the
Calabars, the Efiks, the Kalabaris among other “minor” cultures in Nigeria and I know little about the Igbos
and the Hausas. Muslims to me are almost like foreigners; I know very little about Islam, I have never read a
Quran and I hardly associate with Muslims. This is the hard truth, yet we are all Nigerians. Nigeria's loosely
sealed can of war is at the brink of bursting open due to either religious diversity or cultural diversity.
Educational leaders can use education as an effective tool in bridging this gap and building a better society.
While the curriculum caters for Christians and Muslims separately, it does not bridge the gap that exists
between them.

Recently, the Federal Ministry of Education moved to merge Christian and Islamic Religious Studies as a
compulsory subject known as Religion and National Values (RNV). This scheme was developed by the

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