The absence of a synergy
between tertiary institutions in the country and the end users of their
products- the labour market, and the obsolete curricula in use in the country
have given birth to innumerable unpleasant consequencies, prominent among which
is the rising tide of unemployable graduates. This formed one of the strongest
points of discussion at the 2nd Annual Blossom Career and Entrepreneurship
Summit, where stakeholders strongly canvassed curriculum reform as a panacea,
writes ENO-ABASI SUNDAY.
Day-in-day-out, news of the
soaring rate of unemployment wafts across the length and breadth of the
country. Sadly, solutions to this national malaise have largely come in terms
of rhetoric and not in concrete terms.
Evidently, not much has
been achieved when it comes to efforts geared towards driving down the figure.
That perhaps explains why the recent disclosure by the Central Bank of Nigeria
still remains a very sobering news.
The apex bank, in that
report said 80 per cent of Nigerian youths were without jobs. And according to
the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 60 per cent of the unemployed in
Nigeria are between ages 17 to 25.
The above scenario, experts
say, implies that given the figures being adduced by both the CBN and the ILO,
it is safe to accept the average of the two figures, which will be about 70 per
cent.
More worrisome in this
picture is the fact that in the midst of this swelling poll of unemployed
youths, some graduates that consider themselves ready for employment are
actually unemployable. This brings to the fore, the need to establish a nexus
between what the labour wants and what contemporary graduates lack.
One of the biggest points
that was made at the recently concluded 2nd Annual Blossom Career and
Entrepreneurship Summit in Lagos State, at the behest of Best of the World
Enterprises Limited (publishers of Blossom Magazine), was the compelling need
for an urgent curriculum review/re-examination in the country.
Governor of Lagos State,
Akinwunmi Ambode, was chief host and the Bishop of Lagos West Diocese (Anglican
Communion), the Rt. Rev. Dr. James Olusola Odedeji, co-hosted the summit.
Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede
At the summit, which had as
its theme, “Curriculum Re-Examination, Skills Opportunities and the Dilemma of
Academic Ambitions,” founding vice chancellor of the National Open University
of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede, said, “One of the current weaknesses
in our educational system is the obsolete curricula being used in training
students at the various levels of education, especially the tertiary education
level.”
The renowned scholar in his
keynote address titled, “Curriculum Misfits, Reform Perspectives and Strategic
Imperatives, stressed that, “Our review of the various curricula being used at
our institutions of higher learning has not kept pace with global development,
research outcomes and current societal needs,” adding that, “It does appear as
if we still use analogue thinking to solve current issues, which have gone
digital. The tertiary institutions are still producing graduates for the labour
market without constant reviews of what the market requires. Industry therefore
thinks that it has nothing to gain from the tertiary institutions. The
curriculum review must aim for fit-for-purpose personnel to avoid wastage in
resources and industry retraining graduates they hire from the tertiary
institutions.
“There needs to be a
symbiotic relationship between academia and industry so that teaching, learning
and research being done at the institutions match what is required by the
action-oriented industry, driven by target and return on investment,” the
immediate past Secretary-General and Chief Executive of the Association of
African Universities said.
On how to bridge the
yawning skills gap in the country, Jegede said, “More often than not, the
skills required to function effectively in industry and the society are not
taught at the tertiary level. Practical work in laboratories is not done very
well, if they ever exist. There must be industry-ready collaborative
partnership programmes with tertiary educational institutions to bridge the
skills gap. The skills needed by graduates to function in the outside world and
industry are not taught to graduates in our institutions that are increasingly
becoming too theoretical. A number of things must be done to drive skills development
and they consist of the following components: link with the labour market;
public-private partnership; creativity and critical thinking; participation to
engage stakeholders to develop strong education models; evidence-based
programmes with built-in impact evaluation component to ensure that they are
results-oriented and focused on quality and learning outcomes and, ICT-based to
produce high-quality education and tap into new learning technologies.”
Country Senior Partner,
Nigeria, and Regional Senior Partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers West Market
Area, Uyi Akpata, identified factors responsible for the high youth
unemployment rate in the country to include among others, deficient school
curricula and poor teacher training.
He said these contribute
immensely to the failure of educational institutions in the country to provide
their students with the appropriate skills to make them employable.
In a paper titled; “Why The
Private Sector Should be Interested, presented on his behalf by PWC Partner, Mrs.
Wunmi Adetokunbo-AJayi, Akpata enumerated some underlying factors for the high
rate of youth unemployment in the country to include a deficient school
curricula and poor teacher training, which contributes to the failure of
educational institutions to provide their students with the appropriate skills
to make them employable, as well as flawed and inconsistent public policies on
employment in addition to inadequate data for effective planning.
The PWC chief who said past
efforts at tackling unemployment have been poorly articulated, and equally
poorly executed with little consideration for what young people really want,
added that on the demand side, there is a lack of vibrant industries to absorb
competent graduates.
Akpata, who is of the view
that young people were not satisfied with what they are getting out of their
university experiences, in connection to their future goals, added that
university advisers would need to improve their engagement with employers and
students to boost credibility and their perceived value.
He said to “tackle
unemployment effectively therefore, we need to reform our approach to
education; universities need to transform themselves into a place where young
people can not only study and take exams, but learn from doing. To provide them
with real world experiences that are relevant.
“There is need to integrate
practical skills with theoretical knowledge, foster an entrepreneurial learning
environment; work experience or short term temporary/part time roles can be
valuable not only for skill development, but to help young people plan their
career, educators and governments need to open up spaces to involve youth
opinion, expand the relevance of a degree for young people and better support
their learning experiences with more structured learning and development paths.
This challenge does not fall only on governments and educators, but students
and employers alike will need to be more proactive in engaging with decision
makers to influence decisions,” he submitted.
Also in sync with curricula
review as a way of focusing on the development needs of the country is the
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
In a paper titled, “Nations
Are Built By Skills,” Officer in Charge (Regional Office), of the organisation,
Dr. Chuma Ezedinma, for the country to confront the current unemployment crisis
in the country, emphasis must be placed on education that support the
development of technical and entrepreneurial skills and competencies. In this
respect, there is need to re-align the schools curricula to focus on the
development needs of the country. One important area is the re-alignment of the
curricula to highlight the importance of skills training and entrepreneurship.
In this respect, there is need to involve industries and strengthen
public-private partnership in education. Improving employability requires
closing the gap between the education and work worlds.
Speaking through Mr.
Francis Ukoh, Ezedinma added, “This requires forging closer relationship
between industries and educational institutions. More economically advanced
countries like Germany, Korea, Singapore and Britain are applying the same
concept and in the process upgrading and expanding apprenticeship schemes and
technical education through various programs to close the gaps.
Ambode, in a goodwill
message delivered on his behalf by his Special Assistant of Education, Mr.
Obafela Bank-Olemoh, lauded the summit saying it was in line with the state’s
vision of engaging students to focus on acquiring quality education that will
enable them conveniently fit into the job market upon graduation.
Akpata
He said a well-articulated
curriculum plays a critical role in ensuring the success of students in the
21st Century as it would help strengthen the fabric of education in the state.
This, he added, is the reason behind the state-initiated World of Work Project,
-an entrepreneurship and employability initiative that targets final year
students of the state tertiary institutions.
Bank-Olemoh added that the
state’s Ready.Set.Work initiative was in line with objectives set out by the
Best of the World, initiators of the summit.
Summit co-host, Dr. Odedeji
(a co-proprietor of Anglican Schools), in his opening remarks, delivered by the
Dean of the Archbishop Vining Memorial Cathedral, the Ven. Abel Ajibodu, said
the church, which was in the vanguard of the quest for the return of missionary
schools to their original owners, was set to similarly tackle the unwholesome
crave for certificate acquisition without commensurate acquisition of
knowledge.
The Bishop of Lagos West,
Anglican Communion, bemoaned a situation where students and parents “in a bid
to acquire degrees at all cost, go to any length to ‘buy’ or otherwise procure
certificates.”
He called on authorities to
pan curricula to deliver skills acquisition as a way of creating jobs and
encouraging all youths to explore their potentials in all spheres, be it
academic or technical.
Chief Executive of Best of
the World, Mrs. Joy Chinwokwu, in her opening remarks gave the objectives of
the summit to include charting a focused direction towards tackling job crises
in the country by advocating curricula reviews in secondary and tertiary
institutions; inspiring students in secondary and tertiary institutions and
their guardians to focus on careers and skills with prospects for employment,
and curtailing fraudulent practices in the education sector, among others that
will help to transform the education sector and ultimately reinvent the
country’s lost academic glory.
She assured that post
summit engagements would aim at closing the wide gap between unemployable
graduates yearly churned out by tertiary institutions and the abundant but
untapped skill potentials in the country.
While Chairman, Independent
Corrupt, Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta spoke
on, “Education Fraud in Nigeria,” PTA Chairman, Atlantic Hall School, Lagos,
Mrs. Maureen Akpofure Awobokun, spoke on, “Why The PTA Should Be Interested,
and counselling psychologist, Dr. Olugbenga Bodunrin, spoke on “How to Run a
Profitable School in the 21st Century.”
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