By: Osasuyi Mikel

Reported by: Gabriel Osa | Stone Reporters News

Mind Aider

Mind Aider

In Nigeria, the conversation around education is shifting from mere memorization to fostering analytical and problem-solving skills that prepare students for a complex and fast-changing world. For decades, the country’s education system has largely relied on rote learning, emphasizing the ability to recall facts over the capacity to reason, analyze, or innovate. While this approach has produced graduates with impressive knowledge of theory, it has often left them ill-equipped to tackle real-world challenges, drive innovation, or engage critically with issues affecting their communities and the nation at large.

Curiosity is the engine of human growth, the spark that compels a child to ask why the sky is blue, a student to explore new ideas, and innovators to challenge existing boundaries of knowledge. In Nigeria, a nation rich in youthful potential, cultural diversity, and natural resources, cultivating curiosity is more than an educational aspiration—it is a strategic tool for national progress. Psychological research underscores that curiosity stimulates the brain’s reward system, improving memory retention, critical thinking, and adaptability. Yet, despite its power, curiosity often remains undernourished in many Nigerian classrooms, where rigid curricula and rote learning overshadow exploration, questioning, and creative engagement. Students are frequently assessed on their ability to recall facts rather than their ability to ask insightful questions or explore practical solutions to real-life problems.

Education in Nigeria is standing at a defining crossroads. For decades, the traditional classroom model—marked by chalkboards, strict timetables, rote memorization, and high-stakes examinations—has dominated the system, producing some of the brightest professionals in medicine, law, and engineering. Yet, despite its legacy, this approach is increasingly struggling to meet the expectations of a digital-first generation. As the country grapples with overcrowded classrooms, inadequate funding, and a culture that places more emphasis on passing WAEC or JAMB than on developing critical thinking, a new force is quietly reshaping the learning landscape: gamification.

On August 1942, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia made a historic decision that would change the course of his nation and inspire Africa as a whole — he officially abolished slavery within the empire. For centuries, the practice had shaped Ethiopia’s social and economic life, with countless men, women, and children born into bondage. But the Emperor, determined to modernize his country and position it as an equal among nations, ended this age-old system with a single bold decree.

Mind Aider

By: Guest Writer

Every August, across the African diaspora, communities pause to observe “Black August”—a month dedicated to honoring freedom fighters, political prisoners, and grassroots activists who stood against oppression. Originating in the United States prison system in the late 1970s, Black August has since become a global tradition of remembrance, resistance, and reflection on the struggle for Black liberation.

On August 23rd, the world marks the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, a UNESCO-recognized observance that honors the victims of one of the darkest chapters in human history and celebrates the struggles for freedom and justice.