 In secondary school, I was in science class because there was a notion that science students were more intelligent than arts and social science students. Don't fool us. I wanted to be a doctor, even though all the elements of my personality showed I'll do better in the arts and social sciences. As my university matriculation examination score, aka Jam score, wasn't high enough, I couldn't get a submission to study medicine, so I settled for human anatomy. I settled like thousands, I dare say millions of students settled for causes we had no business studying if only we had understood ourselves and the world a little better. Suffice it to say, I've done absolutely nothing with my anatomy degree. I've worked as a professional speaker for almost 15 years and as a social engineering practitioner for one year. So what if as parents we allow our children go through a period of self-discovery to increase self-awareness enough to determine exactly what they truly want to study and how they would like to deploy their education to the workplace? What if we let them go through the gap year? I like to define the gap year as a period of 12 to 24 months where they take time to breathe first, detox as it were, do no academic work for some time, get involved in some community service, internships, learn a life skill, travel locally or internationally depending on what we can afford of course, experience new cultures, learn a new language, local or foreign, discover hidden passions, have fun, live life to the fullest, build new lasting relationships and of course prepare for university and great work prospects. And of course prepare for university and great work prospects. I advocate for parents to consider introducing their children to the concept of gap year even when the children seem like they know exactly what they like to do in life. Gap year experiences according to Quartz magazine have been shown to equip students to approach university or college from a place of increased mental stability. Research shows that gap year promotes qualities such as resilience, tenacity and grit. A 2015 study of over 1000 students who had experienced the gap year had these results to show as to whether the experience during the year had proved fruitful, the response was almost unanimously positive. 98% said their gap year had helped them develop as a person, 96% found it increased their self-confidence and 93% agreed that it had increased their communication skills. Robots majorities also reported that their gap year helps them acquire skills to be successful in their careers and develop a greater understanding of other cultures. So here are some other amazing statistics. American universities say that students who took a gap year achieve up to 23% higher grades than students who went straight to college. 60% of gap year students said that they took the academics more seriously, not less after taking a gap year out from education. 60% of gap year students said that the year out helped them decide their courses of study and realize their future career direction. 88% of people who took a gap year said it improved their employability. To the millions of Nigerians who like me wish we knew better before we went into university, let's not allow our children make the same mistakes we made. They can make new mistakes, not no old ones. Dear parents, don't let get, dear parents, don't let schooling get in the way of the education of our children. Introduce the gap year. Wow, that is a gap year. I mean, I think, that's brilliant. But you know, that's a gap year. But you see, I just, on a lighter note, I think we're fortunate in Nigeria because we have the gap year system. By the time jam, jams you twice. You have like three or four year gap year. That's what I said on a lighter note. But you see, the idea of the gap year is brilliant because even bringing it home again and now getting serious with the jam thing, a lot of people that were rushing into school, like she said, to study medicine or to study one particular course, by the time they fail jam once or twice, they are home, they discover themselves. And suddenly they want to change their course and go for a particular course they really like. Of course, unfortunately, it doesn't happen to a lot of people like that. And that's, that's the difference between the gap year and that one. Because gap year I think is being intentional, letting you experience and discover yourself. And I think in addition to even the gap year, I'll use the experience of somebody I knew who, we struggled through school. So at the point he had to go work with a particular guy in their neighborhood. And that was I was paying his school fees. By the time he finished school, even he chose a course that could allow him, you know, practice what he was studying. So he discovered himself in the process of trying to make money and trying to. So I think in, by extension of the gap year, it's because I know it'll be difficult to introduce it just like that right now. It won't be embraced fully. But I think gradually what it means, the message to parents out there is that you need to allow your kids discover themselves. Don't push them to this particular university. Don't push them to this particular course and the like. I have a confession to make. Don't take your personal. So when it was time for me to go to university, I picked the university and I started the first term. I was studying business administration. You know, you just pick something you think your parents will want you to study. I went to one class and I never went to class again. I dropped out without telling my parents. Yeah. So it was by force gap year. By the time my dad found out, it was like eight months later. And I was working. I didn't tell him what I was doing. But I took two years off about a year and a half into that two years. I realized I wanted to I was ready to go to university and but I didn't think he would pay after just dropping out and I spent all his money for tuition. God forgive me. And but in the end, I did a presentation and I pitched and he said, okay, I was ready. So I think Joyce makes a really good point. I graduated in the top three of my class and I graduated first class with honours. Yeah. And I work in the field. I study. I think that what I like about this particular advocacy is the fact that it pushes to the heart of intentionality for society, for us, for parents. And while I liked the idea that Joyce pushed it and said parents should actually, you know, introduce the gap year, I think that there's also an arm of society that has a lot of work to do. And that is CSOs. You find that a lot of CSOs do initiatives and agenda and things that have to do with that have to do with helping society. But then I realized that why I say this is because a few years ago, I mean, many years ago, I'd only said to my dad and to people that I just wanted to work with young people. But I knew that my working with young people wasn't in line with just feeding them or giving them food or just working with less privileged people. I felt like for me, human capacity development was very key. And so when I would talk about the ideas and things I had, people looked at me like you've lost some marbles or you've got something going on in your head. And so I found that years down the line, so over the course of doing different things and doing stuff around etiquette and building, I've gone into some communities to say, what do we do with those people? And then when she brought up this issue now, I thought to myself that how many CSOs or NGOs or people or initiatives actually are able to engage, compulsory like how they rightly said, there's sort of a system that makes people have to be forced somehow to sit at home. I remember when I got admission into university, there was a compulsory access strike back then. And so we're home for a year. Oh, yes, we're home for a year. So we jumped in, jumped me because my parents were smart enough to say, you know what, we know that, yes, that was another bad thing. They wanted me to study law, I wanted to study mass communication. But they said, okay, put a particular university where we know that this is the cutoff, no matter what you do, your cutoff man will get you to that school anyway. And then somehow we're also somehow able to kind of do pull some strings. So thankfully, I got admission straight to study law, I was on the first list, they didn't need to do anything, but then jump happened. And so, I mean, sorry, I have to strike happened. But then I knew what happened in that one year was that. I was able to say, okay, what are the things I like to do? What are the things I want to put in place? And a lot of reading, which is where things around the reading culture, I'm not putting a lot of different points there together. But I feel that if there were organizations that work with young people, and that actually take the time to help them go through issues of critical thinking, the gap here may exist. But if you don't have processes and skills that allow you to process what it is that you want to do, see, when Tonya spoke about herself now and how she dropped out as she went to work and discovered herself, there were things that were already in place. Look at what, sometimes she said that when she was going to go back to school, she made a presentation to her dad. How many young Nigerians, the Timmy Nigerians? That's as a result of gap year. That's as a result of home upbringing. But that's my point. Because my dad is a legend. So I can't correct. Which is what I'm saying that, which is something that there's the need for us to actually be able to structure these things and put so... Felix, you're quiet on this. The thing is... Are you going to gap yourself? You just got me thinking. I wish I really had enough time for gap year. But anyway, Joyce, I really love your thoughts. And I'm going to say two things, to number one, to young people, two things, just two things. Don't feel pressured by the society. You know, there's something going on in Nigeria. Oh, my mate has just finished secondary school with Ken and Michelle. And my parents just start telling you, what are you doing at home now? You're a metta in school. And then when you get into university, the next thing is, oh, you're a metta. What is not too much pressure? There's no time to sit back and be yourself. But Felix, do you think that the compulsory route should be university? Because I don't believe that university must be the option for everybody. I honestly believe that for a lot of young people, university is a waste of time. It'll be better in the workplace learning their craft on the job. And on the Xemin life, it's not what you live in. It's not what works for you. Very good for it. Very good. Because it must not be the same. But I'm going to say something important to our schools. We do have good G&C's in schools. That's it, exactly. So please, Joyce, down here, how can we... Let's just join our hands together, tell our schools that come. It's not until you fail, junior or eighth. They must put you in art class. Thank you. They make us look like... You failed me, right? You passed right, you know. You passed, you don't decide right. You should stop that nonsense. It's not a dumping ground. So allow me to once again bring you back to parents. I have an 18-year-old who will be 19 this year and he's in his gap year. He was the best graduating student last year when he finished secondary school. He had an excellent school in Jam. But six months into his gap year, after some structured programs, he realized he wanted to study something completely different. I will not hold the school responsible for that. I am his parent. It is my name he bears. It was I who gave birth to him. I will hold myself responsible. So today, please allow me hold parents responsible. All right, Joyce. Study it and find the best way to introduce it to your children. Wonderful. They are yours. Any time is next after the birthday.