LAST week, I tuned into one of our local radio stations where the presenter was running what seemed to be a casual, lighthearted segment.
The question posed to listeners was deceptively simple: "If you could travel back in time 20 years, what advice would you give to your younger self?"
What followed left me in disbelief, my heart growing heavier with each caller's response.
One after another, listeners phoned in with variations of the same haunting message — do not waste money on school fees, invest in betting, start a business, forget about education.
As I listened, my mind wandered to the countless sacrifices my parents' generation made to ensure we received an education, the stories of families selling cattle and land to send their children to school and the unwavering belief that education was the key to a better future.
Now, here we are, two decades later, with our people publicly declaring their regret for pursuing education.
The weight of these confessions stayed with me long after I had switched off the radio. These were not just isolated opinions of a few disgruntled individuals; they represented a worrying shift in our society's value system.
The callers ranged from young professionals to middle-aged parents, from urban dwellers to those in rural areas.
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Their unanimous verdict on education being a waste of resources painted a devastating picture of how far we have fallen as a nation.
These were not uneducated voices dismissing the value of learning; these were people who had walked the educational path and found it leading to a dead end of broken promises and unfulfilled dreams.
The transformation of our nation from one that revered education to one that now views it with cynicism and regret is a sad development.
The economic collapse that has plagued Zimbabwe for decades has created a perverse reality where the most educated often earn less than vendors.
Our universities continue to churn out graduates by the thousands each year, releasing them into an economy that has no place for their skills and ambitions.
These young men and women, armed with degrees and diplomas, find themselves joining the ranks of the unemployed or underemployed, their certificates gathering dust while they struggle to afford necessities.
The rise of social media has added another layer to this crisis, creating a new paradigm where the display of wealth, regardless of how it is acquired, has become the ultimate measure of success.
Our youth are bombarded daily with images of lavish lifestyles, flashy cars and expensive clothing, often flaunted by individuals who proudly proclaim their lack of formal education as a badge of honour.
This visual assault on their sensibilities has created a dangerous narrative that education is not unnecessary, but actually stands in the way of financial success. The message being internalised is clear: why spend years studying when you can make money through shortcuts?
The corruption, that has become endemic in our society, has played a pivotal role in this deterioration of educational values.
When children see their educated parents struggling to make ends meet while those connected to corridors of power amass wealth without qualification or merit, it creates a distorted view of what it takes to succeed in modern Zimbabwe.
The sight of qualified professionals moonlighting as taxi drivers while politically-connected individuals with minimal education live in mansions sends a powerful message about what truly matters in our society.
This corruption has not just affected our economy; it has corrupted the very soul of our nation, distorting the relationship between effort, merit and reward.
The solution to this crisis must be as comprehensive as the problem itself. First, we need a complete overhaul of our educational system, not just in terms of curriculum but in its fundamental approach to preparing students for the real world.
This means creating an education system that combines academic rigour with practical skills, one that produces graduates who are not just job seekers but job creators.
Our schools and universities must become incubators of innovation, places where entrepreneurship is taught alongside traditional subjects, where critical thinking is valued as much as memorisation and where the focus is on creating problem solvers rather than certificate holders.
Government must take decisive action to rebuild the bridge between education and economic opportunity.
This requires more than just policy changes; it demands a fundamental restructuring of our economy to create spaces where educated professionals can thrive. We need to establish industrial hubs, technology centres and research facilities that can absorb our graduates and utilise their skills. The private sector must be incentivised to invest in graduate development programmes and barriers to starting businesses must be removed to allow educated youth to transform their knowledge into enterprise.
We must wage an aggressive war against corruption, not just through legislation but through a complete transformation of our societal values.
This means creating systems where merit truly matters, where qualifications and skills are properly rewarded and where the path to success is transparent and accessible to all. We need to celebrate and elevate real achievement, creating role models who inspire through their legitimate accomplishments rather than their ability to game the system.
The media has a crucial role to play in reshaping the narrative around education and success.
We need stories that highlight the long-term benefits of education, that showcase individuals who have used their education to create sustainable businesses and meaningful innovations.
Social media influencers should be encouraged to promote educational values and legitimate paths to success, rather than just displaying wealth without context.
Most importantly, we need to rebuild the social contract that once existed in Zimbabwe, where education was seen as not just a personal investment but a contribution to the greater good of society.
This means creating opportunities for educated individuals to give back to their communities, establishing mentorship programmes where successful professionals can guide the next generation and fostering a culture where intellectual achievement is once again celebrated and rewarded.
Most importantly, we must act now to restore faith in education as a pathway to success, not just for the sake of our current generation but for the future of Zimbabwe itself.
This requires courage, commitment and a collective willingness to confront the harsh realities that have brought us to this point.
Only then can we begin to rebuild a society where education once again becomes the foundation of personal and national development, where our youth see learning not as a burden to be avoided but as a powerful tool for creating the future they deserve.
