Stakeholders in Nigeria’s schooling and employment sectors have known as for complete reforms to the nation’s schooling system, improved lecturers’ welfare, community-based profession steerage centres and stronger partnerships between academic establishments and trade to deal with unemployment and speed up industrialisation.
The stakeholders made the decision at Symposium 5.0, organised by For the Love of Country, an initiative convened by Atinuke Odjenima.
The occasion had the theme, “Building a Prosperous Future: Re-engineering Education and Driving Industrialisation for Innovation, Productivity and Jobs.”
The symposium centered on bridging the hole between schooling and employment by equipping younger individuals with sensible expertise, enhancing work readiness and aligning educational programmes with trade calls for.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Adetoun Adewolu-Ogwo advocated the institution of community-based profession steerage centres to assist younger individuals and different job seekers determine employment alternatives, develop related expertise and navigate the transition from schooling to work.
She noticed that Nigeria confronted the paradox of widespread unemployment alongside persistent complaints by employers concerning the problem of discovering employees with the suitable expertise.
According to her, the state of affairs underscores the pressing want to rethink the connection between schooling, expertise acquisition and the labour market.
Adewolu-Ogwo proposed establishing what she described as “career lighthouses” on the group and native authorities ranges to present profession steerage, job data, mentorship and personalised assist for unemployed individuals.
She mentioned the centres would assist younger individuals determine profession paths suited to their pursuits and talents whereas connecting them with related coaching and employment alternatives.
“Education should not be seen as a destination or a stopping point. Instead, we should see it as a journey, an ecosystem, and a transition system that contributes to national development,” she mentioned.
She careworn that possessing a college diploma was not, in itself, enough preparation for the labour market. Education, she argued, have to be complemented by sensible expertise, crucial pondering, vocational coaching and problem-solving expertise.
She additionally known as for inclusive studying alternatives for individuals with out formal academic {qualifications}, noting that they, too, wanted entry to coaching and assist to develop their talents and contribute productively to society.
Also talking on the symposium, Oluwaseyi Anifowoshe, founding father of the Initiative for Let There Be Teachers Foundation, known as for complete reforms in instructor schooling, improved lecturers’ welfare and stricter implementation of current schooling insurance policies.
He argued that significant academic transformation would stay troublesome to obtain with out certified, motivated and adequately supported lecturers.
Anifowoshe distinguished between education and schooling, noting that real schooling ought to transcend the acquisition of certificates to equip people with the data and expertise wanted to determine societal issues and develop sensible options.
He expressed concern concerning the obvious lack of curiosity in instructing amongst younger individuals. Recalling an event when he requested an viewers of greater than 500 individuals what number of had been prepared to grow to be lecturers, he mentioned solely two or three indicated an curiosity.
The response, he mentioned, raised essential questions concerning the nation’s potential to appeal to dedicated and succesful people right into a occupation central to nationwide growth.
He known as for a overview of admission requirements into schools of schooling, arguing that the establishments ought to appeal to a few of Nigeria’s brightest candidates somewhat than be thought to be a final resort for these unable to safe admission into different greater establishments.
According to him, enhancing the standard of lecturers begins with strengthening the processes by way of which they’re recruited, educated and supported.
He additionally recognized poor coverage implementation as a serious impediment to academic growth, insisting that authorities insurance policies and programmes should produce tangible enhancements in instructing and studying.
He known as for better accountability amongst authorities businesses, personal organisations and different stakeholders to be sure that college students and members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) obtained related sensible publicity.
In her remarks, Atinuke Odjenima, convener of the symposium, mentioned For the Love of Country was established out of a dedication to nationwide growth, with the symposium offering a platform for analyzing the nation’s challenges and growing sensible options.
She defined that the fifth version centered on the connection between schooling and industrialisation, notably the mismatch between the abilities industries require and people produced by the prevailing schooling system.
According to her, the discussions had been designed to promote work readiness, youth employability and expertise growth by strengthening the connection between educational establishments and trade.
Odjenima known as for a elementary shift in Nigeria’s academic priorities, urging policymakers to place better emphasis on sensible competence somewhat than educational certification alone.
“If I had the opportunity to speak with Mr President, I would recommend a shift from certification to capability in our approach to education,” she mentioned.
She argued that, past the certificates people possess, better consideration have to be paid to what they will truly do with the data they’ve acquired.
According to her, schooling ought to present a basis for analysis, innovation and sensible problem-solving whereas strengthening hyperlinks between educational establishments and trade to enhance employability, create jobs and enhance productiveness.
She careworn that nearer collaboration between academic establishments and trade stakeholders was important to growing curricula that mirrored altering financial realities and office necessities.
Odjenima mentioned trade gamers ought to contribute to the event and periodic overview of educational programmes to be sure that college students acquired related data and sensible expertise earlier than getting into the labour market.
She added that academic establishments should regularly generate new data, encourage innovation and develop options to societal and industrial challenges.
The convener additionally recognized funding as a crucial think about attaining significant academic transformation, arguing that accountability for financing schooling mustn’t relaxation solely on the federal government.
She urged the personal sector and trade stakeholders to spend money on academic initiatives, analysis, innovation and tasks in colleges and universities.
Such partnerships, she mentioned, would strengthen analysis capability, enhance studying alternatives and equip younger individuals to contribute extra successfully to nationwide growth.
Odjenima additional advocated an inclusive academic system that built-in formal schooling with vocational coaching and different studying pathways to meet the varied wants of the economic system.
She maintained that sensible and vocational expertise had been important to financial progress and nation-building and may obtain better recognition alongside standard educational {qualifications}.
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