Encouraging Mandingoes and others in Accomplishing High Academic Achievement

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

By Ali Sylla

 

 

Education is a tool for success and knowledge.  Most Liberians including Mandingoes are now obtaining higher achievement in education, but there is still room for improvement for young Mandingoes and others to advance in academic high achievement.

 

The number of Mandingoes who are academically successful has grown remarkably over the past several decades, but even so, other ethnics are ahead of our {Mandingoes} ethnic group in terms of academic achievement.  One of the reason contributing to higher academic achievement of Americo-Liberians and other ethnic groups is that they receive a better early start on education compared to our ethnic group.

 

Another main factor is the disparity in the Liberia’s school system.  Prior to the Civil war, majority of Mandingoes and others in Liberia live in the inner city where school system lack crucial resources such as books, libraries, extra-curriculum academic programs, and quality teachers, etc.

 

Students, who get off to a good start in elementary school, are on track to be high achievers in high school and are well prepared for college. 

 

According research by the College Board from the National Task Force on Minority High Achievement that a very few low achieving elementary students become high achievers in High School.  Top High School students are more likely to do better in college than other High School students who are low achievers.  Unfortunately this is an important reason why Mandingoes and other ethnic groups are underrepresented in the area of academic achievement.

 

Most teachers agreed that a student who earned an “A” in all or most courses in a demanding high school college preparatory program is a very high academic achiever.  Ranking in the top five or ten percent of one’s class is another common way being described as a high academic achiever.  This, of course, does not mean that a person’s future career is predetermined by grades or test scores.  Many factors such as motivation, perseverance, hard work and the ability to work well with others also apply.  It is undeniable that high academic achievement helps Mandingoes and others gain access to good careers.

 

According to the College Board, in the mid 1990s underrepresented minorities received less than thirteen percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded from all U.S Colleges and Universities, up from about nine percent in the early 1980s.  Between 1980s and 1990s the increasing numbers of the percentage of underrepresented minority students who earned bachelors and advanced degrees depended heavily on the percentage that graduated from high school.  Our ethnic group has made tremendous improvement in this area, but we need more encouragement of our youth.

 

High achievement is examined for two points of views.  One is educational or academic accomplishment and the second is professional success.  Educational accomplishment is earning a bachelor’s graduate, or professional degree, and professional degree, and professional success is entering into a desirable occupation which compensate well.

 

The importance of high educational attainment plays an important role for entry into most professional careers or field of work which require a bachelor’s degree as a minimum credential.  Furthermore, advanced degrees are required for entry into many desirable jobs, such as law and medicine.  So, we the Liberian Mandingoes community leaders {Felmusa, Limany, Limap, MMA, WIMAM, and other local Liberian organization} need to put emphasis on the demand of education for our young people, and model ours’ educational attainments.

 

The importance of high educational attainment plays an important role for entry into most professional careers or field of work which require a bachelor’s degree as a minimum credential.  Furthermore, advanced degrees are required for entry into many desirable jobs, such as law and medicine.  So, we the Liberian Mandingoes community leaders {Felmusa, Limany, Limap, MMA, WIMAM, and other local Liberian organization} need to put emphasis on the demand of education for our young people, and model ours’ educational attainments.

 

Sometime Mandingoes and others educational attainment and academic achievement depends on socioeconomic status.  Students from low-income homes, who do not have parents with formal education, are much more likely to be low achievers and much less likely to be high achievers. Students from high income families or whose parents hold educational degrees have a greater chance for high academic and education attainment.

 

The cultural and religious difference between Mandingoes and other ethnic groups have contributed to variations in educational and academic achievement among these groups.  There has been concern for helping teachers change their approach and curriculum in ways that are more consistent with the cultures of their students.  According to the College Board these efforts have yield valuable findings, for example, introducing demanding books by respected Mandingoes authors into High School English classes and encourage cultural tools for success.

 

Researchers have also been examining difference in culturally related experience of students from different racial and ethnic groups, especially in family, community, and peer settings. They have looked not only at students from minority groups that are not doing well academically, but also at students from the majority group who are also not doing well.  This examination put an emphasis on the parent’s involvement in the educational and academic achievement of their child.

 

In conclusion, increasing the number of academically successful Mandingoes and other ethnic groups is essential for the development of future generations of leaders in many sectors of out society.  Let us focus on the high achievement issue, which is a powerful way to bring attention to the reality that many underrepresented minority students from across the socioeconomic spectrum encounter formidable obstacles from poverty to lack of essential resources in trying to reach their full academic potential.

 

Author {Ali Sylla} is a Mandingo with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Service and Criminal Justice from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, a Master of Science candidate at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Criminal Justice with concentration in Applied Behavioral Analysis.   Graduation Date May 2008.  If you have any comment{s}, please feel free to contact me via email solanso07@hotmail.com or asylla@sju.edu or call 484-680-3961