A Utilitarian Instrument for Social Change in a Nation

Ike Francis Ekene^*
*Correspondence: Ike Francis Ekene, Department of Physics, NCE University, Nigeria, Email:

Introduction

Chemistry is a popular subject among senior secondary, polytechnic and university in a Nation due to its nature. It addresses the needs of majority through its relevance and functionality in content practice and application. What many nations like Nigeria need now is a functional chemistry education that will assist in national development. Chemistry Education has been identified to be one of the major bedrocks for the transformation of our national economy. Chemistry Education can be seen as the acquisition of knowledge or ideas relevant to chemistry. It is concerned with the important of knowledge on properties, components, transformations and interactions of matter. Education itself is the process of imparting knowledge, skills, and judgement. According to 2016-06-17 Arop Joseph; Education is the slight hammer that breaks the yoke of ignorance and mould’s knowledge, skills, ideas good moral values in a person be it a child, a youth or full-grown adult. No matter a person’s age learning never stops. Good education is essential for a well-run society. Therefore, the need for rebranding educational sector in under-develop nations is a vital key to restructure human wealth and ignite a light to society; So, Education is a pragmatic instrument for social change in a Nation [1-4].

Chemistry Education can be seen as the acquisition of knowledge or ideas relevant to chemistry. It is concerned with the important of knowledge on properties, components, transformations and interactions of matter. Chemistry Education is therefore the systematic process of acquiring the fundamental knowledge about the universe with this indispensable knowledge richly acquired, man can shape and reshape his world for his benefit. Hence, the development of the nation is usually measured by the degree and extent of growth brought to it’s through the Enterprise of science Education and a gate way to it is chemistry Education.

It is very important to say that most problems and challenges that we face today- global warming, religious and ethnic conflict, the misdistribution of wealth and opportunity, the decline of citizen interest and engagement in the political process, the increasing ineffectiveness of government, and the shift from an industrial to a knowledge-based society, and from a national to a global economy- call for adaptive, creative solutions that will require a new kind of leadership. To cope effectively and creatively with these emerging national and world trends, future leaders and our youths will not only need to possess new knowledge and skills but will also be called upon to display a high level of emotional and spiritual wisdom and maturity. Education plays a major part in shaping the quality of leadership in any modern society. Our colleges and universities not only educate new generation of leaders in government, business, science, law, medicine, the clergy and other advanced professions, but are also responsible for setting the curriculum standards and training the personnel who will educate the entire citizenry at the primary school level. Education grooms’ good leaders who will help to change or recreate our environment for the benefit of all by bringing out their latent potentials [5,6].

Therefore, Chemistry Education is the vehicle through which chemical knowledge and skills reach the people who are in need of capacities and potential for development. In addition, chemical Education addresses the social objective of substance development as Education is now of the primary means for empowerment, participation, cultural preservative, social mobility and equity. (Emma 2013). The impact of Chemistry on technology involves the process of bringing manufacturing inventories and sculpturing, designing etc. Technology can be seen as the application of scientific knowledge skills, work attitudes, tools and equipment in evaluation of new processes and adoption of these processes to the production of goods and services for the benefit of mankind. (Honeby 2010). Chemistry Education plays important role in enhancing the quality of teaching and research as well as ensuring that students are equipped with good knowledge to produce intensive goods and services to meet human needs for food, health care products and other materials aimed at improving the quality of life. Every single material thing in the universe is a chemical and the ability to understand and manipulate these chemicals is responsible for everything from modern food and drugs to plastics and computers.

The Need for Social Change in a Nation

A good look at the situation in some nations shows that some nations are ripe for social change. Enrollment into secondary and tertiary institutions is still very low due to poverty and ignorance. Some forms of child abuse are still prevalent In some nations. Subsistence farming is still the order of the day and most farmers find it difficult to make ends meet. Some roads could be described as death traps and commuters capitalize on the already bad situation to exploit the masses. The poverty level in some nations are increasing at alarming proportions with several civil and political unrests in many parts of the country. The ruling class appears more interested in choice locations abroad while local infrastructure decays. Some girls are given off in marriage by their parents even before the age of puberty and for such women, their social class remains pre-determined; they remain confined to the illiterate class because of the lack of opportunities to improve themselves early enough in life through functional and qualitative Education. There is therefore a great need for social change in some nations because they deserve such changes. We need to live in clean and healthy environments. We need social amenities like clean water and electricity that perennially elude millions of our people. The existing social system in many parts of the country is no longer meeting the needs and aspirations of the people while the changes going on in the world today also demand that we change our way of doing things in order to survive.

It is therefore my conviction, that Education can initiate the required social changes by bringing about a change in Outlook and attitude of our people [7-10].

Acknowledgment

None

Conflict of Interest

Author declares there is no conflict of interest

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