BY SYCORAX TIYESA NDHLOVU –
WORKING hard while one is at school is highly beneficial to their life as failure to do so can culminate into serious challenges not only in one’s life but also in their family.
Level of education achievements among many citizens in a country also affect the employment and poverty levels; and in the process, education levels among many citizens also affect national development processes of a country.
Listening to one bicycle transport rider in Chipata District teasing the other that the other bicycle transport rider should continue sweating, while carrying some women weighing more than 90 kilogrammes uphill for more than five kilometres because one didn’t implement the advice parents gave their children to work hard at school; and also seeing how some people and their respective families suffer to make ends meet reminds us of the importance of taking one’s studies seriously.
In this article, school will include all learning institutions from pre-school, lower and high school; including higher learning institutions such as colleges and universities.
The purpose  of this article is to remind ourselves, our esteemed readers and their close friends and relatives and all those who are in formal education in various learning institutions to take studies seriously for them to achieve their career and life goals.
The old English proverb that says: ‘There is no sweet without sweat’; and the Biblical preaching that ‘waulesi asadye’ (a lazy person shouldn’t eat) seems to be very true in most modern societies.
Life these days has become hard unless one has good sources of income. Good sources of income come from either a good job or a good business. And both employment and entrepreneurship need good education to flourish; and to give one a relatively good income or profits respectively.
It is only those who worked hard; and are still working hard who seem to be enjoying their lives. Those who didn’t do well at any level of education seem to be facing serious challenges in their lives nowadays.
But those who seem not to have done well in their formal education; but went into entrepreneurship are also progressing well in their respective lives; and in some cases, such people are doing better than those who went to school adequately.
Even those who didn’t achieve much at school; but went into vocational skills such as carpentry, bricklaying, mechanics, tailoring, etc are also doing relatively well.
However, the number of those who are facing serious challenges in their respective lives seem to be higher for those who didn’t achieve higher education levels than for those who did so.
The importance of working hard at school can be proved by the number of people who, despite their age, have decided either to go back to school and start either Grade 8 or upgrade their school certificate results.
Such a point is further proved by the increasing number of people, both male and females, who are enrolling in different colleges and universities to achieve higher academic and or professional qualifications which they feel would make them earn a relatively improved life.
Therefore, for one to have relatively full and decent life today, one needs a good formal education.
This is because both good employment with a good salary and successful business with profitable operations need a certain level of formal education.
This is why when one analyses the performance of those who are straight from say, Grade 12 and those who are from the working life experience or business background, the majority of those who do well in learning institutions are those who have been exposed to some hardships of some kind or those who are working; and have felt the challenges of not having proper academic and or professional qualifications.
Consequently, the most critical point in this article is emphasizing the English expression that states: ‘Strike the iron while it is still hot’ or ‘make hay, while the sun shines’. Such expressions can be summarised as ‘Do the right thing, while the  situation or your age allows you do so.’ The equivalent Cichewa expression in Eastern Province is: ‘ Likawomba wotherathu’; meaning in the cold season, when the sun shines, bask in it before it disappears with the moving clouds.
All such expressions remind each one of us, regardless of our age and situation, to be serious with our studies. Failure to do so might culminate into some serious and perpetual challenges in our future lives  with full of regrets on our poor performance, while at school.
For example, we are now nearing examination periods for Grade 9 and Grade 12.
We are also nearing examinations for various academic and professional levels in different fields of study.
And because there are some pupils and some students in their respective studies who are not working hard, when it is time for examinations, we might learn about some pupils and some students being involved in various examination malpractices; including examination leakages.
The secret of success in life doesn’t lie in examination malpractices or waiting for the Government to give you a job; but it lies in hard work, while one is at school.
This point becomes important when one considers that in a modern world, with growing importance of effective business communication, improved communication technology and growing need for accurate business calculations; one needs a certain level of formal education for strategic and sustainable survival on the competitive labour market; and to ensure job security or for one’s business to flourish profitably.
As a result,  reports that about 16, 000 teenage school girls fall pregnant every year creates worries about the possible future economic vulnerability of such girls; and the subsequent possible disparities in gender equality in our country.
Additionally, reports that less that 50 per cent of teenage school girls who fall pregnant don’t go back to school after delivering is another concern on the future of such girls.
The First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba Sata has emphasised the importance of education for girls because she understands the effects of high educational achievements and those of low and poor educational performance.
Therefore, one can add that anyone at any level of formal education should prioritise hard work in studies; and not prioritising sexual activities for whatever reasons.
Moreover, increased drug abuse and youth delinquency among some boys and girls; and among some youths in learning institutions might worsen poor performance in the education system.
Eventually, some boys and girls and some youths who involve themselves in examination malpractices and in some social vices might face many challenges in their respective adult ages.
Sadly, earning that about 1, 000 children under the age of five years are malnourished; and that about 45 per cent of the same group of children have stunted growth in our country make one feel that sound formal educational achievements in their respective parents might have helped to reduce such negative trends in our children who are future citizens and future leaders.
Such reports ignite further concern in some enlightened citizens in that high malnutrition levels have a negative bearing on a child’s mental development processes; and therefore they also have negative effects on one’s educational performance at school.
It is from such a background that Education Minister, Dr John Phiri and many other development related experts have said education is key not only to individual development processes but also to national development processes.
The increase in both public and private schools, colleges and universities in our country is a sign that education is critical in both individual and national development processes.
Similarly, the increase in the number of male and female students studying in various learning institutions is a also sign that most people have realised the importance of education in life.
From such observations and analyses, one should reflect on self educational progression’s graph. Is it static? Where? Is it moving and rising? Or is it actually nowhere now because of your increasing poor reading culture?
Check yourself. It appears as many people realise the importance education in improving on one’s socio-economic status, the more people go to school.
This process seems to be creating more competition on the labour market as population in our country increase.
Moreover, reports that despite Zambia having many rich natural resources such as minerals, wildlife, fertile soils with good climate and with vast water bodies has an annual economic growth rate of between five and seven per annum with only 1, 000 people out of a population of about 13 million being in formal employment; and with 60 per cent of the population in high poverty levels when other countries with low and poor natural resources than Zambia have higher national economic growth rates, higher formal employment levels with low poverty levels than those of our country are signs that most Zambians either didn’t work hard or aren’t working work hard at school or that those who are highly educated aren’t using their education to develop this country.
Therefore, whether one is or will be in formal or informal employment, working hard at school is important for one’s full and decent life; and sustainable human and national development processes.
(The author is a trainer and career coach).
Contact: Cell: 0976/0977 450151
E-mail: sycoraxtndhlovu@yahoo.co.uk