SAVING NIGERIA’S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FROM A PITFALL
BY
ABISOLA AKINOLA
Prior to this era, the educational institution was momentous and teachers were much revered. In fact, education was so valuable that even a primary six graduate could secure a job. Then, parents would encourage their children to be educated in order not to end up like them. They saw education as the best patrimony they could give their children. The society's present underestimation of educational achievements in this present day is not deliberate. There are several reasons attached to this:
The educational structure and its achievement in Nigeria is deficient, it is not what it used to be. The world has moved on beyond the educational system practised here. It has come to the point that a graduate might not get a good job because what he/she is being taught in schools now is different from what is being practised in both the corporate and business world alike.
Another instance worthy of consideration is this; a student who graduates after four years only to find out that the labour market cannot offer him anything and he still cannot get a good job even after one more additional year of compulsory National youth service to the Fatherland; with this, some members of the society might be discouraged from going to school, talk more of attaining educational achievements due to the fact that most graduate they see could not secure good jobs after leaving high schools.
On the part of the government who are the driving force of the society but has, on the contrary, failed to properly prepare and provide the adequate educational facilities and employment opportunities necessary to motivate students to learn. This has led to an overemphasis on entrepreneurial skills. In this present time, the society is not concerned about the level at which one can use the vocabulary It is concerned about how lucrative an individual’s entrepreneurial skill is. This will in many ways affect the validity of educational achievements in some young members of the society. Some will hold the assertion that; "why stress yourself through the university and at the end you get no job, why not venture into business and start earning money instead of waiting for peanuts called salary". Now students are advised to learn vocational skill even by their teachers. Though learning a vocational skill is good but I believe that educational achievements are best, and then one can complement it with entrepreneurial ambitions.
With all these, our society has not done enough to encourage students to take part in self-advancing educational activities such as competitions, quiz, debates and so on. This is because they do not place much importance on it and the effort of the participants are not recognized. Instead, they focus more on social engagements and achievements because they know how these contestants are widely recognized and are encouraged with huge prizes considering the fact that most of such social activities only bring out the vices rather than the virtues in the society.
The government on their part should proffer solutions to the situation at hand and the society should see educational institution/ achievements as what brings about immense development into the society.
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