How Our Education System Should Foster Wisdom.

Is Our Education System Preparing People with Wisdom and Discernment?

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

For many years, the education system in Tanzania has emphasized rote memorization of various knowledge areas, with the ultimate goal of enabling students to pass exams and secure jobs that provide income. This approach has left little space for fostering wisdom and discernment among students, which is essential for shaping responsible and thoughtful individuals.

To illustrate the importance of wisdom, let's consider an insightful Native American proverb, often misunderstood by European settlers, who called them “Red Indians.” The proverb asks: “Whatever you do, think about how it will affect the next four generations.”

This simple but profound piece of wisdom encourages us to consider the long-term impact of our actions. Whether it's farming in a particular area, building a house, or constructing a road, we must think deeply about how these decisions will affect our descendants. This reflective mindset underscores that true education should instill wisdom—an ability to foresee and understand the consequences of our actions on future generations.

Real education must teach us how everything we do today will affect those who come after us, whether in the next 100 years or 200 years. In other words, education should help us recognize our deep and lasting connections to future generations.

For many years, the Tanzanian education system has focused on memorizing facts to help graduates pass exams and secure jobs. However, it hasn't placed enough emphasis on equipping students with wisdom and discernment. This has been the case in my own educational journey, which involved philosophy studies and research. I was fortunate to encounter a professor who truly understood the vital relationship between education and wisdom.

Among the many teachers who influenced me, this professor stands out as the true educator, and I remember him with great respect.

Even today, despite the introduction of a new curriculum, I have not seen a solid foundation for developing wise and discerning students. I have noticed textbooks for lower primary school, such as those for grades three and four, focusing on topics like "The History of Tanzania and Ethics," but they fail to effectively prepare students to become wise and insightful individuals.

The issue of developing wisdom still appears to be overlooked, even as we shift towards more practical, skills-based education. There is still much work to be done to ensure that wisdom and discernment are integral parts of our education system.

What Kind of Education Do We Need?

To address this, I will explain the type of teaching and learning needed to nurture wisdom and discernment in students. John P. Miller, an expert in education and professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, suggests that education aimed at developing wisdom must help students understand the interconnectedness of several key relationships:

1. The relationship between individuals;
2. The relationship between humans and the environment around us;
3. The relationship between our nation and others;
4. The connection between our current thoughts and those of our past;
5. The connection between our minds and bodies; and
6. The relationship between us and our spirits, sometimes referred to as the spiritual world.

These six relationships should be integral to the education we receive. Yet, have we truly encountered these concepts in the education systems we’ve experienced?

In previous articles, I’ve discussed how one of the foundations of African philosophy is the interconnectedness of all things and all people. We are all connected, reliant on one another, and dependent on the environment around us.

To understand wisdom and discernment, let’s look at Miller’s definition: Wisdom is not simply an accumulation of facts, but a deep insight, humility, and love. A wise person sees beyond the surface and understands life from a spiritual perspective—seeing more than what the physical eye can perceive and hearing things that cannot be captured by ordinary hearing. A truly wise person looks beyond the visible world and recognizes the deeper connections at play.

An important lesson from the Native American saying adds another layer of meaning to wisdom: “It is only a fool who thinks with their head alone.” A wise person, or society, thinks with both their mind and heart.

For instance, a leader negotiating a deal to give away our forests to a foreign investor might see the immediate financial benefits. However, if they think with their heart, they would consider how future generations could be negatively affected by such a decision. They would recognize that this agreement, while financially profitable today, might lead to long-term suffering for their descendants.

The Wise and Discernment:

Returning to the core qualities of wisdom and discernment, a wise person perceives the deep connections between themselves and others. They understand that every individual is part of a larger family—a community, a society. They care for and support others, especially those who are most vulnerable.

To measure a person’s true character, we need to look at how they treat others, particularly those who are disregarded by society—such as the poor, the powerless, or the helpless. In this respect, many of us would fail the test.

Historically, some of the most revered individuals—like my own parents—taught me not to be selfish and never to take what doesn’t belong to me. Other examples of such remarkable individuals include Mother Teresa, who took in the poorest of the poor from the streets of Kolkata, India, and cared for them with love and dignity; Nelson Mandela, who was willing to die for the freedom of his people; and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, our first president, who preferred to be called ‘brother’ rather than ‘excellency’ or ‘boss’. These are the people who truly embody wisdom and discernment.

They possessed the highest form of education—not just in knowledge, but in wisdom, love, humility, and spiritual insight.

Conclusion:

Finally, a wise person also understands the profound connection between themselves and the environment. They recognize that the Earth is their home, and any harm caused to it ultimately harms them. As a result, they treat the world and its resources with respect and care. Sadly, many of us lack this wisdom. Just look at the ongoing destruction caused by climate change.

We must ensure that the education system produces graduates who possess wisdom of this kind, who can think deeply, act responsibly, and understand the interconnectedness of all life.