The decadence and rote in the education system have left degree holders shameless, deserving no respect or trust, and with no moral obligations. They have completely obliterated every form of moral compass in society.
Your social status doesn’t matter.
Your oratory prowess cum fluency in spoken English, your fancy suits, exotic cars, and position in society do not suffice to the fact that during your first degree, you procured mercenaries to write your exams and do your project. It cannot be forgiven that, during your master's, MBA, or PhD, you cited, “I’m busy at work and hardly have time for myself,” and then you contracted your project work to someone to help you get it done. You deserve no place in the midst of intellectuals.
This is your situation.
A perfect scenario of your situation is likened to that of a cheating wife who got pregnant by another man while still married to her caring and loving husband. The husband has taken care of the child for a reasonable number of years, bonding with and caring for the child with no reservation, and finally finds out through a DNA test that the child he had cared for for so many years is not biologically his. Imagine the pain, the agony, and the rage that brews in that man’s eyes with heartbreak. From the woman's perspective, she feels shame and regret at that moment. Taken together, this is how you who earned the degrees you're proud of are meant to feel. Shame, shame, and more shame, and society should treat you with disdain with the kind of anger the man with a failed paternity test feels.
Let’s put this in another perspective.
Like the story of the leper in the bible, the way lepers were treated in society back then ought to be your reality in the committee of intellectuals. If you are reading this article, you should not be appointed to any public office or allowed to lead any sensitive role. Because, tell me, how would you feel, for instance, as a man, if you saw a beautiful lady whom you admire? You approached her, exchanged contacts, started dating, went through the full courtship process, and planned and executed a court wedding, a traditional marriage, and a white wedding. On the night marking the beginning of your honeymoon, you booked an exclusive exotic island with premium services. Then you procure a man to make love to your newly married wife. Your reason is that you are busy with work-related responsibilities. Mind you, you are very healthy and sound, with the right energy to give any woman the best treatment and satisfaction in the bedroom. This man you contracted with enjoys your beautiful, elegant, and gorgeous newlywed wife and has gotten her pregnant with twin baby boys. Tell me, as a man, will you be proud of yourself in the midst of legitimate fathers in your circle, knowing that those boys are not biologically yours? The answer is NO. This is how the procurement of degrees feels demeaning.
Pause your education if you are busy with work. It is not a do-or-die affair.
If you are busy with work and you are unable to handle both work responsibilities and education, quit or pause the studies and concentrate on what puts food on your table, and then continue with your academic pursuit when you feel you have the time instead of ridiculing yourself for procuring a degree. You should fail an exam or project and retake it, not pay someone to write an exam for you or do your project work. Your PhD, MBA, Master’s, and BSc project work is not an “invention programme". You are not tasked to invent something new that has never existed. This is research on existing events, so using artificial intelligence is not a crime.
Should I use AI in my research?
Yes, using AI to aid your research is ideal. What is not acceptable is using AI-generated content as your final product. This is why paraphrasing was imperative, especially when there was no internet and no AI. Research was conducted in the libraries and through site visits. However, the information gathered was paraphrased in your own words, making it original. So while you are using the right prompts to get the best research results from AI platforms, you need to paraphrase them into your own words. This will not only boost your writing skills but also give you the confidence to speak boldly about the research topic without fear.
It is better to score a C (Pass) by yourself than to score an A (Distinction) by procurement.
Back then, in secondary school during WAEC, some teachers organized mercenaries to help students with the exams. This was championed by a teacher called 'Uncle X', not his real name. Uncle X has been in this business for 25+ years. He looks good and dresses well, and all the young, beautiful teaching practice ladies flirted with him, and he “bagged” them all. Uncle X didn’t need to touch his meager teacher's salary to fund his expensive lifestyle; he was making enough money from exam-mercenary supplies. During the exams, he would ask students to pay a specified amount. In my set, the fee was N1000 per student (in 2001). Students who paid will be separated from those who didn’t, and the exam halls were named Heaven and Hell.
Most of the challenges we faced at my school were due to a lack of teachers.
Some subjects never had a teacher. Further Mathematics (Engineering Maths) was one of the subjects with no teacher in the entire school. As a mathematics lover and science student, I purchased the Further Mathematics textbooks: Projects 1, 2, and 3. The books were for SS1, SS2, and SS3, respectively. I engaged in self-study and group studies with my friends. During the exams, a few of my friends and I refused to pay the N1000 for the exam aid, and, as you can tell, we were isolated from those who paid and were sent to the “Hell” exam hall with strict invigilation. In the end, I earned a C in further mathematics, did well in other subjects, and went on to obtain a BSc and an MBA with no form of procurement.
The irony of this story is that, in my class at the time, there was a particular student whom we all knew was a dullard. He was among the bad, illiterate boys who sat in the back row and never answered questions or passed tests. But at the end of our WAEC exam. He emerged as the best-performing student, with many As (Distinctions). He couldn't even believe his own results, so that he couldn’t celebrate them. So how did he ace the exam? He paid the “Heavenly Exam Hall” fee and a special package, too. He had a mercenary who wrote the entire exam for him. So you see the negative effects of degree procurement: a lack of confidence and pride in defending it. So for those of you who have procured your PhD, MBA, Master’s, or even BSc, you should hide your faces in shame. The Dr., Prof, or any form of appellation that prefixes your name is marred with moral decadence and shamelessness. It does not matter the political position you hold, the leadership role you hold in society, or the wealth you have amassed; you are simply a degree miller who should be an outcast like the lepers in the Bible, far from hardworking academics at intellectual gatherings.
By JohnBull N Igwe
Author of “The Global Room".
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