Secondary school represents a pivotal moment in the lives of a lot of women and girls. That period goes side by side with puberty and incidents of bullying that some women encounter.
For some other women, secondary school represents good memories and the place where they encountered female friends who follow them through adulthood, marriage and sometimes even aging.
In our latest listicle, Urban Woman Magazine asked some women to share if they will want to go back to secondary school and why.
Read their responses below.
AN
Only if I’m given the chance to go back with my current memories and knowledge. A lot of what went wrong in my life started from secondary school.
I’ll like the chance to choose differently so it’s something that I would jump at.
KU
I graduated from secondary school in 2022. I’m not necessarily a veteran so I don’t know how much weight my statement would hold. But no, I wouldn’t go back. This isn’t because my secondary school experience was tragic or horrid.
It’s because I’m now in this uncomfortable in-between place where I’m half-adult, half-child. I’m trying to build towards a nice life for myself that I can curate. I wouldn’t want to relinquish that agency or backtrack.
AY
I no dey go again abeg, the one I went to is enough 😭😂😂🙂↔️
MN
I always knew I wanted nothing to do with men since secondary school.
However, if I could go back…I wouldn’t want to. But I’d stand up more; my school covered up a lot of misogynistic things like men touching us and making holes in the ceilings of our toilets.
I will literally look for every single one of them and make sure they suffer. Bastards.
EV
God forbid. I went to 3 secondary schools and I don’t talk to anyone from them.
OI
First school. I wouldn’t let anyone make me feel bad for being a young girl kissing other girls. Especially given my sexual assault history.
Second school. I wouldn’t let anyone slut shame. I got that so much, including one teacher who was always getting on me for being hit on by a prefect in ss3 when I was in js 2.
Third school. I wouldn’t let my classmates get away with trying to bully me, especially since there was no sensible reason for that. I would also stand up even more to the people who tried to dull my confidence. I wouldn’t let the mediocrity I was surrounded by influence me as much as it did.
HZ
Go back to do what? I suffered! Bullied! Forced to be in Art class! Harassed by a teacher!
Primary o! Secondary o! University o! I want nothing to do with it.
EK
First school: I’d make more friends and not listen to the Doctor (who knew best) that made me change schools.
Second school: Not be as shy as I was. Follow through with my reflex and slapped the CRS teacher. Tell off that one teacher who used to say he’ll marry me.
My skin used to crawl and I felt genuine fear whenever he said that.
GI
I’d go back to study a different arm and I would have explored building healthy female friendships better.
I did science, with plans for a career in medicine, mostly because I didn’t know so much different, and it was what the family sang since I was a kid.
But I also had arts passions that weren’t explored or encouraged due to my introvert family and science-freak dad. I remember wanting to be an OAP back then, and wanting to be the host of an entertainment show like “Scoop with Raya” talking about movies and entertainment like I love to.
I remember in my secondary school at junior and senior levels when I talked about my science plans, my teachers and guides would point me to my arts scores, top in French in JSS, scoring high in Literature, government (which I was surprised at because I thought I didn’t fancy the subject, especially the teacher), and others.
Instead, I went from wanting to be a doctor to realizing I didn’t really like the surgeon’s table as much, I evolved into a passion for medical research (oncology, neurology), and cosmetic biochemistry, both of which don’t have head and tail in Nigeria except for old dusty school labs using 2000 lecturer notes, and a curriculum that is not extended to other things.
Since graduating, I have only ever worked in people and business operations, marketing, and community. That has been my better calling.
JG
No, the worst six years of my life. It increased my tendencies for anxiety and depression and I’m still having trouble being vulnerable.
Boarding school specifically is not worth the trouble at all.
BH
I wouldn’t go back. I like my freedom as an adult and I’ve really grown confident in myself. High school had us all trying to fit in so no.
AJ
Yes! My secondary school was educative and fun. 🥹🥹
I can do with a little fun. Yeah. The people that I am in close contact with are my secondary school mates.
SP
I won’t. And not because anything particularly bad happened but I love where I am currently and the fact that I’m done with anything school (except I wanna run Masters later).
Me that I look at secondary school kids and feel genuine pity for them because there’s still uni to deal with in front. So no o.
IK
Nope.
I hated how powerless I felt, and how strongly the reverend sisters in NY school policed us and denigrated my feminism.
Angel Nduka-Nwosu is a writer, journalist and editor. She moonlights occasionally as a podcaster on As Angel Was Sayin’. Catch her on all socials @asangelwassayin.