REVAMPING NIGERIA'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: A CALL FOR SKILLS-CENTRIC REFORM

The educational system in Nigeria needs to be restructured and given serious attention. Let me start with our higher institutions in Nigeria: skill acquisition programs should be incorporated into the system and should be compulsory from First year to the Final year. I remember back in secondary school when subjects like Home Economics and Intro Tech were made compulsory and impactful, with plenty of hands-on practice. We learnt basic tailoring skills, juice making, building amplifiers, and other projects.

However, these opportunities are nowhere to be found in our higher institutions; instead, we are busy learning endless theories, many of which are not relevant in today’s world. If skills acquisition programs/courses were made compulsory, it would lead to higher empowerment rates and reduce criminal activities in the country.

How can we expect an unemployed graduate who has been searching for a white-collar job for years to encourage young people about the importance of excelling in school?

Young people now see education as a scam, but education is never a scam; it's a gateway to development. Our government needs to invest in education. Let's build the youth to be job creators rather than job seekers through the restructuring of our educational system in Nigeria.

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Akanbi Opeyemi J.