You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream
This enduring quote was by C.S Lewis, author of the famous children’s classic, Chronicles of Narnia. Perhaps you have read the books or watched the movies; the thrust of this article though is not about the author, the books or the movie adaptations, but about the man who is living the above quote.
Meet Mr Adalabu Seribor
He is a Junior Secondary School II (JSS II) student of Izon College, Bomadi-Overside in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State.
His mother died while he was yet a little boy, and his father took him into the care of his grandmother, where he remained until he rejoined living with his father after he remarried.
Life for him was sour and hard, especially having to live without a mother. Though he had an opportunity to attend school when he was much younger, his guardian proved hard and difficult to live with; hence his return back to his father and a life of illiteracy, and an end to his only opportunity for an education, well until now.
Life as an uneducated person has been hard as he had to resort to hard labour – pushing wheelbarrow, packing dirt and sand, clearing bushes, as well as disposing septic tanks of sewage – for a fee, a thing he still does.
Hunger For Education – Why Now?
In explaining why he has chosen to get an education at what may appear a late age, he responds:
I realised that without an education, one cannot do well in this present society. I also do not want a situation where someone else would interpret or write for me should I be chosen to hold an office in my community.
After school hours, I go back home to look for work to do. I pay my school fees from there, and I am determined to complete my education because of the pains in my heart.
I am presently a JSS II student, and by the grace of God, I will finish from this school.
Upon completing his secondary education, he hopes to proceed to the Teachers’ Training College and fulfill his dream of becoming a teacher.
His Advice To Youngsters
For a man who has had experiences about the limited life opportunities for an uneducated person in the modern society, he enjoins:
I want to advise young boys and girls wasting their time and years roaming the streets to go to school. If I can go to school, then why are young people wasting themselves?
Truly, you are never too old to dream a new dream. And young people should also know that it is always best when one does the right thing at the right time in the right way.
