BBNAIJA Star Saskay Reveals ‘Struggle’ in European Schooling, Highlighting the Gap Between Nigerian Rote Learning and Critical Thinking

Reality TV star and entrepreneur Tsakute Jonah, widely known as Saskay, has offered a candid look into the significant differences between the Nigerian and European education systems, admitting that adapting to the European model has been a considerable “struggle.”

Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Global Security and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance, the BBNaija Season 6 alumna used her social media platform to contrast the academic philosophies she has encountered.

Saskay precisely articulated the distinction, exposing the divide between memory-based learning and critical, application-focused instruction: “Schooling in Nigeria made me learn exactly what I was taught and spitting it out in tests and exams,” she shared.

The fundamental shift came with her European experience, which “says I need to learn what I am taught, read more outside of school work and apply that knowledge to real life situations in texts/exams.”

She confessed that this transition has been challenging: “It’s a bit of a struggle tbh especially since I’ve never learnt how to do the latter.”

Saskay’s commentary spotlights a core debate in education: the difference between rote learning, which prioritises content recall and reproduction, and application-based learning, which mandates independent research, synthesis of information, and the ability to solve complex, real world problems.

For a student who has excelled in a system focused on the memorisation of facts, the sudden demand for extensive outside reading and critical application represents a massive mental and academic reorientation. The “struggle” she describes is a common hurdle when transitioning from being taught what to think, to being challenged on how to think independently.

Her experience offers an important talking point for students planning to study abroad and for policymakers considering reforms that prioritise critical thinking and practical application in the local education system.