By Olowogboyega Oyebade
Are you aware that the world had witnessed three different industrial revolutions that transformed this modern society? Do you know that the world witnessed advancements to steam engine, to age of science and mass production and the rise to digital technology? Are you aware that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is about to be put into orbit at Davos? What is this Revolution 4.0? You care to know? Come along, please.
Hurray! Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is now a Doctor of Public Administration, honoris causa. Do you know that the conferment of honorary doctorate degree in Public Administration on him at the convocation ceremony of Joseph Ayo BabalolaUniversity on Friday, 17th January, 2020 was not the news unusual, as he is worth that honour and more? Do you know that the news unusual about the award was the dedication of that award, not to his parents, not to his ever-beautiful First Lady of the State, not to his very brilliant and hard-working children nor to himself as an accomplished private-sector investment guru but to the civil servants of the State of Osun? Do you know that act is novel and a short lesson in nobility? Do you know that such simple gesture of recognition of others accounted for why History was sympathetic to Alexander III, King of ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon when ‘Great’ was added to his name for displaying uncommon chivalry to soldiers under him at critical times? We hasten to say: “Governor Oyetola! You are great!” Comrades! Do you know that this generous dedication has Pygmalion effect? What is Pygmalion effect? Come along, please. The voice of Governor Oyetola cuts in:
“I accept this award with all sense of humility and I regard it as a call to rededicate myself to the service of the people who, as owners of public service, deserve the best. I dedicate this award to the civil servants of the State of Osun whose unwavering commitment, unbridled loyalty and unparalleled creativity and innovation produced outcomes that qualify me, nay us, for this recognition.”
Are you familiar with Industrial Psychology? Have you read the Pygmalion effect or Rosenthal effect in motivation? Are you aware that Pygmalion was derived from the poem of a Greek poet called Ovid? In one of his poems, do you know that Ovid wrote of a sculptor named Pygmalion, who built a statue of a woman so beautiful that he himself, fell in love with it, and it subsequently came to life, magically? Do you know that the statue was named Galatea? Do you know that in the Pygmalion effect, employers who offer workers more trust, freedom and responsibility and work more closely with employees to look for solutions to problems, instead of simply telling them how things should be done enjoy higher productivity from workers? Do you know that this attitude promotes pro-activeness, integration self-confidence, innovationand higher employees’ performance?
Do you know that Rosenthal and Jacobson, in their book, applied the idea to education as they discovered that high expectations by teachers of their students lead to better performance and low expectations lead to worse performance? Do you know that the whole idea behind the Pygmalion effect can only manifest when employers show more leader-behaviors such as exchange of mutual trust, symbiotic respect, strict adherence to obligation including promptitude in the payment of salaries, setting specific goals, and allowing for more development opportunities for employees, and giving employees feedback on issues of common interest?
Are you aware that the antithesis to Pygmalion effect is the Golem effect, a psychological phenomenon in which de-recognition by employers through lower expectations placed upon their workers lead to poorer performance by the workers? Are you aware that the effect is named after ‘Golem’, a clay creature that was given life by Rabbi Loew of Prague in Jewish mythology? Do you know that in the legend, ‘Golem’ was originally created to protect the Jews of Prague and act as the conscience of the collective morality, probity and accountability for the people? Do you know what ‘Golem’ did? Do you know that it acted in the reverse by growing more corrupt, more inept, became a menace that could not be controlled and was eventually destroyed? Do you know that the effect was named after the ‘Golem’ legend in 1982 by Babad, Inbar, and Rosenthal in their research in Industrial Psychology? Do you know that they affirmed in their study that supervisors or leaders with negative expectations will produce behaviors that impair the performance of their subordinates or workers while the subordinates themselves produce negative behaviors? Can you now see that the Golem effect lowers employee’s performance while the Pygmalion effect does just the opposite? Can you now see that what Governor Oyetola did with the dedication of his award was the beginning of an Industrial Revolution in the State of Osun, Nigeria and the world? You care to know more? Come along please.
Are you aware that as Governor Oyetola was launching an industrial revolution in JABU campus on Friday 17thJanuary, 2020 with a kind heart of gratitude to God and the support of the teeming workers of the State of Osun by dedicating the award to all civil servants, another revolution was launched at the same time at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife by His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Eniitan Ogunwusi(Ojaja II)? Do you know that His Majesty has instituted Royal African Young Leadership Forum (RAYLF) to honour ‘admirable and outstanding young Nigerians that are breaking the ceilings, changing the status quo and birthing new speeds of outstanding achievements in Governance, and Leadership in the most populous black nation on earth’?
Have you met Hon. Tunde Olatunji, the Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly one on one? Do you know that he is extremely brilliant and humble, too? Do you know that he goes to school to teach, counsel and support students? Do you know that many indigent students know he cares not just by beaming smiles to them to show well-set dentition, but by displaying an uncommon charity to all? Do you know that anywhere he goes, he introduces himself first as a teacher, second as a Finance and Economic expert and then a Public Servant? Do you know that he was one of the awardees of the new initiative of His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife? Can you believe that Hon Tunde won this award for his love for education like the Governor of the State? Do you know that this award is compliant with the launch of the Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 to mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos between Tuesday 21 and Friday 24th January, 2020?
Have you heard the news that Nigeria celebrated 50 years anniversary of the end of the civil war? Are you aware that many nations converted the experiences of wars they fought to develop their science and technology? Do you know that Nigeria seems to be one of such rare exceptions? Do you know that we are worse off? Do you know that the only opportunity we have to leverage on is education contained in the ‘Revolution 4.0’ canvassed by the World Economic Forum? Have you heard the news? Do you know that President Buhari had signed into law the Finance Bill passed into law at the close of last year? Do you know that the flagship of that Act is the review of Value Added Tax to 7.5 percent to increase revenues to government? Do you know that the pains it would cause worth bearing by us all? Do you know that the revenues to generate from there are to bear the receipts of the new minimum wage? Do you know that the surplus that may be incidental probably, needs to be invested wholly in education to build Schools of the Future Generation as recommended by the World Economic Forum? You ask why? Come along, please.
Are you aware that World Economic Forum is a non-governmental agency based in Switzerland and founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a Professor of Business Studies at the University of Geneva, Switzerland? Do you know that its first name was the European Management Forum and was changed to the World Economic Forum in 1987 to broaden its vision to include providing a platform for resolving international conflicts? Do you know that it is marking50th anniversary this year with the theme:“Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”?
Do you know that the Forum has drawn membership from the world’s largest corporations and hosts an annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, a mountain resort in Switzerland? Do you know that the organization also convenes some six to eight regional meetings each year in locations across Africa, East Asia, Latin America, and India and holds two further annual meetings in China and the United Arab Emirates? Do you know that beside meetings, the organization provides a platform for leaders from all stakeholder groups from around the world tocollaborate on multiple projects and initiatives? Do you know that it also produces a series of reports and engages its members in sector-specific initiatives to bring the best to the world? Do you know that for the first time, political leaders were invited to the annual meeting in January 1974 and ever since, they use the annual meetings as venue for promoting their interests? Do you know that China attended the Forum for the first time in 2017? Are you aware that membership is stratified by the level of engagement with forum activities, with the level of membership fees increasing as participation in meetings, projects, and initiatives rises?
Do you know that the Forum has some organizations based in Cologny, Germany, New York, United States, Beijing, China and Tokyo, Japan? Are you aware that in January 2015, World Economic Forum wasdesignated an NGO with “other international body” status by the Swiss Federal Government under the Swiss Host-State Act of 2015? Do you know that as early as 10th October, 2016, the Forum announced the opening of its new Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco to “serve as a platform for interaction, insight and impact on the scientific and technological changes that are changing the way we live, work and relate to one another”?
Do you know that the flagship event of the World Economic Forum is the invitation-only annual meeting held at the end of January (Winter Session) in Davos, Switzerland, bringing together leaders of all persuasions in industries to discuss key issues of global concern such as globalization, capital markets, wealth management, international conflicts, environmental problems and their possible solutions, to mention but a few? Do you know that in Summer annual meeting in 2007, the foundation established the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (also called Summer Davos), held annually in China, bringing together participants from from rapidly growing emerging countries such as China, India, Russia, Mexico, and Brazil, but also including quickly growing companies from developed countries to engage with the next generation of global leaders on competitiveness and smartness? Do you know that the Forum has an organization called Young Global Leaders consisting of 800 people chosen by the Forum organizers as being representative of contemporary leadership, “coming from all regions of the world and representing all stakeholders in society”? Do you know that this looks like the initiative of His Imperial Majesty Oba Ogunwusi in Young African Leadership Awards 2020?
Do you know that the Forum has platforms for Social Entrepreneurs to advance societies and address social problems? Do you know that the Forum publishes research reports in the fields of competitiveness, global risks, and scenario thinking? Do you know that the Forum has some Initiatives such as the Global Health Initiative (2002) the Global Education Initiative (GEI) (2003), the Environmental Initiative (2005), the Water Initiative, the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) (2004), the Environment and Natural Resource Security Initiative (2017), the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE)(2017), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI),(2017), the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)(2017) for the Earth Initiative, a collaboration among WEF, Stanford University and PwC, and funded through the Mava Foundation? Do you know that in 2018, WEF announced that one project within this initiative was to be the Earth Bio-Genome Project, the aim of which is to sequence the genomes of every organism on Earth to propound the ‘theory of everything’? Do you know that the World Economic Forum has the Network of Global Future Councils that meets annually in the United Arab Emirates and each 35 distinct councils focused on a specific issue, industry or technology including the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Do you know that the race for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is real? Do you know that Ren Zhengfei, Huawei Technologies founder will be there, live and direct to tell the world of his new meat and sauce in 5G technology? Can you still recall that Huawei led the 5G race across the world, a feat that is drawing envy in the United States and the European Union? Do you know that at Davos2020, the issues of increasing interconnectedness of cultures and economies will feature? Do you know that the issues of digitization, Big Data, and the migration of IT services to the cloud are issues in focus in Revolution 4.0 and Globalization 5.0?
Do you know that 5G and advanced networks are fifth generation wireless technology that is billed to improve network speeds while allowing more devices to connect at once including technologies such as autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, and remote surgery? Can you believe that robots are now programmed to carry out intractable surgeries with microscopic exactitude? Do you know that the new 5G Technology has solutions to next generation life sciences such as gene-editing and genetic engineering, human therapeutics, agricultural biology, and basic scientific research? Do you know that the new technology could eventually correct genetic differences, eliminate microbes that cause disease, more productively cultivate healthier foods, resurrect extinct species, and eradicate dangerous pests that cause and spread diseases causing death? Do you know that as things are going, death will be a choice in the future? Do you know that with this technology in Synthetic Biology, we can design biological components that do not exist in the natural world to enable researchers to manufacture new DNA sequences that can be used to produce biofuels, biochemicals, bio-electrics, and synthetic medications? Do you know that the new advancements in bio-informatics and computational biology, issues of cancer, diabetes and sickle cell anaemia as terminal diseases will be like a fable, ‘a story told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing’? Do you know that through analysis of large volumes of biological data, these advanced technologies will allow us to detect diseases far earlier in their development, rendering common treatments more effective?
Do you know that with this Industrial Revolution 4.0, we shall have smart cities and energy infrastructure worldwide? Do you know that this revolution is needed to bring on board, collaborative robots that work alongside humans to augment their capabilities, and “service robots” that perform a growing number of tasks outside of manufacturing environments? Do you know that advanced computing will promote artificial intelligence and the use of drones? Do you know that in these scenario, the issue of cyber-security is key?
Are you aware that the new Revolutions 4.0 and 5.0 have opened ways for the commercialization of space, thus creating new data for humanity and the natural sciences? Do you know that private space companies are already creating “constellations” of satellites that can perform previously impossible experiments and data transmission activities?
Do you know that PwC South Africa is advising Universities in Africa to brace up to the looming challenges of the Fourth Industrial revolution? Do you know that the pace of change is accelerating and we need future-ready strategies? Do you know that many of the roles, skills and job titles of tomorrow are unknown to us today? Do you know that the secret for a bright future seems to be in flexibility of the individual and in the ability to reinvest himself? The voice of
Jon Williams in his publication titled ‘Joint Global Leader, People and Organisation, PwC cuts in:
“The new requirement for universities is to be able to track the skills demands within the industry and move quickly to make sure that students leave their education ready to add real value to businesses worldwide. The skills needed for the future are not just about science and technology. Human skills like creativity, leadership and empathy will be in demand.”
Do you know that the Global Agenda for Fourth Industrial Revolution are recognized to be implicit in Education and Skills Entrepreneurship? Are you aware that to flourish in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, three things are prescribed, namely: the need to reconfigure our perception of education, employment and entrepreneurship?
Do you know that education as we see it now is certificate-based and programmed to open employment and serves as the key to connect to the world? Do you know that the present credentials we all carry will put us behind a closed door at the bar of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the bar of digitalization of the workplace? Do you know that as at now, an educated person is the one that reads from the general to the specific, narrowing down knowledge to the particular, calling himself a specialist? Do you know that the educated man of the future in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is one who has an in-depth knowledge of various fields, diversifying his knowledge to move the world forward?
Do you know that the future employee will be an entrepreneur with a broad and complementary skill-set? Do you know that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)—characterized by the fusion of the digital, biological, and physical worlds, as well as the growing utilization of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and advanced wireless technologies, among others—has ushered in a new era of economic disruption with uncertain socio-economic consequences for Africa and has left Nigeria behind? Do you know that the share of workers with at least a secondary education is set to increase from 36 percent in 2010 to 52 percent in 2030? Do you know that our country must copy the examples of some other countries in Africa on how education should be funded? Do you know that we have over-priced elections over education, a situation making our voyage to Revolution 4.0 tempest-ridden? Can you see why the surplus in VAT should now go for Education to build the customised Schools of the Future?
Do you know that the future is intelligent and the World Economic Forum is prescribing Schools of the Future and defining New Models of Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Do you know that education models must adapt to equip children with the skills to create a more inclusive, cohesive and productive world? Are you aware that sixteen schools have been identified as “Schools of the Future as a way to define new models of Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Do you know that these 16 schools are identified to be preparing global citizens for 4th industrial revolution? Do you know that schools of the future are defined as schools, school systems and programmes that are playing a critical role in preparing the global citizens and workforces of the future? Do you know that these schools are located in five continents as well as in developing and developed economies, and collectively reaching nearly 2.5 million children? Do you know that these schools represent public-private collaborations to improve education systems with strategies including aligning curricula with future skills needs, training teachers in the latest industry practices and providing hands-on education experiences for students?
Are you aware that according to the report, innovation-driven economies and increasingly interconnected and interdependent societies demand that children develop four key skill-sets that include: global citizenship, innovation and creativity, technology and interpersonal skills? Do you know that fostering these skills will require a shift towards radical new approaches to learning that are personalised and self-paced, accessible and inclusive, problem-based and collaborative as well as lifelong and student-driven? Do you know that these are tasks for all of us to pursue?
And now the bad news! Do you know that all schools in Nigeria, from elementary schools to Universities are absent in the list published on 14thJan, 2020 in the Business News Report, 2020 as Schools of the Future? Do you know that this is a tragedy? Are you aware that two of the Schools of the Future are in Kenya and Mali qualifying from the African continent? Do you know that the names of the School of the Future according to World Economic Forum are: The Green School Indonesia; The KakumaProject, Innovation Lab Schools Kenya; The Knowledge Society Canada;Kabakoo Academies Mali, TEKY STEAM (Viet Nam); Accelerated Work Achievement and Readiness Programme (Indonesia); iEARN (Spain); South Tapiola High School (Finland): Pratham’s Hybrid Learning Programme (India): AnjiPlay (China): Prospect Schools (USA): Tallahassee Community College, Digital Rail Project (USA): Innova Schools (Peru): British School Muscat (Oman): Skills Builder Partnership (United Kingdom). Skilling for Sustainable Tourism (Ecuador).
As revealed by the World Economic Forum, do you know that “Systems-level change” is needed to realise Education 4.0 for all children? Are you aware that there are more than 260 million children out of school today in the world with Nigeria alone having 13.3 million of them? Do you know that there are an additional 617 million children in school, but not learning adequately? Do you know that even those enrolled in relatively well-performing education systems are often missing the core tenets of future-ready education? Are you aware that without urgent action to address these gaps, more than 1.5 billion children could be left unprepared to fulfill their potential by 2 030, posing risks for future productivity and equality? Do you know that an uneducated child today is a smart ballistic for tomorrow? Do you know that all of us must get on board to salvage education so that Revolution 4.0 will not pass us by? We congratulate Governor Gboyega Oyetola for his heart of love for all workers in our State. The voice of Saadia Zahidi, Head of the Centre for the New Economy and Society and Managing Director of the World Economic Forum cuts in:
“To facilitate the transition to the education of the future, to define and implement a holistic action agenda to realize Education 4.0, ….education systems must be updated to ensure children become productive, innovative and civic-minded members of society. Educators, education and finance ministries, and private-sector leaders have a moral and economic responsibility to co-create and implement new models to ensure that all children are prepared for the future.”
