The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance −Allen Watts.
If you take a close look at the world today, you would notice that it is evolving, and there is nothing anyone can do about it than to positively aligns themselves to the change. In fact, to make this clear, the world of today is evidently different from those of the 80s and 90s.
The evolvement of the world is greatly affecting all aspects of our lives, and the education sector is not left out. Hence, it is pertinent for every country, especially African countries, to recognise that education is a catalyst for development and sustainability.
However, it is sad that Nigeria has a lot of reforms to execute in its education sector for it to be at par with other developing countries.
Directly or indirectly, the youths blame the unstable and mundane education system of the country for their unpatriotic actions and social vices. For some months now, students have been out of school due to the ongoing strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary institution unions with no hope of going back soon.
Every graduate spends a minimum of three years in a tertiary institution – that is if strikes did not interfere with their studies. This is not to mention the academic struggle, financial problems, mental fatigue, and other challenges students experience. Yet, while in school, some of them have already made up their minds that they would not make use of the knowledge they have acquired into noble works – they prefer the easy and fast way to wealth.
Some days ago, I conducted a little survey around my town and I discovered that many young people and youths perceive education as a ‘scam’ or a venture that has little or no value. It could be estimated that 60 per cent of graduates in the country – who are usually underemployed − earn from sources that has no relationship with the courses they studied.
According to a Nigerian police statistics, thousands of undergraduates dabble into money and internet frauds. This unfortunate category of students makes a mockery of those who take their academics seriously. To these fraudsters, the other students would end up begging them for help or attention.
Every day I log into my social media apps, there is always trending news on ritual killings and ‘Yahoo’ (internet fraudsters) boys. These are bad indices and records for a country known to be the Giant of Africa.
In our society today, where morality and hard work have been tossed into the wind, a ‘Yahoo’ boy is seen as a role model by many young people. They fancy his lifestyle and want to make quick money like him − after all, there are hardly any jobs for them in the country.
How can we curb this menace before it spreads like wildfire? What would be the future of the country if this menace prevails? Is the current state of the education sector good enough for the next generation?
We need to understand that education is the engine room and strength of every nation.
This is not only about the current youths, but also for the young children and those yet to be born. While the government is devising means to curb the current menace, they also think about the future − the future which lies in the hands of the youths and the children.
Unfortunately, our government once said that there are no jobs for the teeming unemployed youths. That is to show you the level of unemployment in the country. Should we continue to fold our arms and watch our youths dabble into diabolic ritualism and frauds?
The alarming rate of unemployment has become a constant source of discouragement to most undergraduates and graduates, hence the rapid increase in all forms of crimes.
However, I believe that some reforms could help to manage or to put an end to these restiveness and vices. There are three aspects that need to be looked into in order to create a better future for Nigerian youths and for the education sector.
One of them is the policy of inclusion. Nigeria is rated one of the top African countries with the highest out-of-school children. A good number of children, who are not in schools, end up as menace in the society. The government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) need to devise a means to ensure that every child is included into the education system and framework. This way, we could win over children who might want to end up as hoodlums in the future.
The second aspect is the re-evaluation of the school/education curricula: There is need for the curricula to be re-evaluated and upgraded. We need curricula that could prepare the students and youths for the global realities and workforce. This re-evaluation must entail the inclusion of technology and digital literacy at all levels of our education.
The curricula should also include models on how the talents of children and youths could be harnessed and transformed into productive ventures. Another factor to look at is the inclusion of new courses in line with the current world trends. China has been able to implement this recently by introducing Social Media Marketing and other related soft courses in its tertiary institutions.
The last aspect is the re-evaluation of the allocation and genuine usage of funds. The funds allocated to the education sector need to be accounted for. Unfortunately, however, Nigeria allocates meagre funds as education budget below the percentage approved by UNESCO.
Furthermore, in this regard of funding, proper funding should be earmarked for the training and retraining of lecturers and teachers. Also, funding should be made available for resources and general infrastructures of the school system.
To truly be the giant of Africa, Nigeria needs to wake up. We need to address, without delay, the challenges facing our young people and youths. For us to have a peaceful and productive country, our human resources need to be maximised to drastically reduce the vices we are currently witnessing in our society.
We also need to address some of the underlining issues hampering the growth of the education system and indeed other systems in the country.
Dialogues, planning, and collaborations with other organisations and countries would help in bringing a breakthrough in this regard.
Stephen writes from Lagos
