Nigerian graduates are unemployable is the popular saying in corporate world in Nigeria. I kept silent each time I heard someone saying such thing, not because I totally agree with the saying or absolutely disagree. I have my reasons for my silent, because I don’t want to excuse for the incompetence of these graduate but there are some issues that are not being address that contributed to this degradation in standard of education in Nigeria. My point is that the society is committing the error of fallacy of hasty conclusion. They based their conclusion on little or no fact. I will address the issue according without giving excuse for the failure of these graduates but will also point out the other side of the coin that is causing this menace which the society had refused to address.
My father told about the luxuries they enjoyed during their own time, ranging from free tuition, free books, free food, and free accommodation. Competence teachers/lecturers are at their disposal, they do their jobs with sincerity and highest level of responsibility. The classrooms are adequate and conducive for learning and accommodation is super and inhabitable for human being. Equipments are readily available and there was student loan/grant to help the under privilege and intelligent ones. Course curriculums and school calendar were followed to the later. Students were not forced to sleep with them. To crown it all, there is motivation to finish and finish well. Cars were given to graduates and best brains were sent abroad for postgraduate studies. Government did not rennet in their own duty too, they paid salary as when due and there was good intervention funds released to these institution on a regularly basis.
Coming down to present day situation, which is not palatable at all. The institutions and education in Nigeria had lost their glorious days and society based their judgement on these former glories which had eluded these institutions. Our institutions had turned to a ground where prostitutes and politicians are breed. Competency and sincerity of lecturers had highly reduced. If you listen to some lecturers, you wonder what will become of the students that pass through them at the end of the day. Majority of these lecturers are so busy because they engaged themselves with many jobs in different institutions, as a result them can’t perform the job they are paid for to do and in a way to cover for their inadequacy, they give out notes or handouts not minding if students understand it. They threaten students who refused to buy their handouts or sleep with them. Majority of them refused to finish the curriculum and they missed classes anyhow. Many of them are better called businessman or politician rather than lecturer because of what they engaged into. They called some non-academic lecturers. They go on strike with any useless excuse. I wonder is this how they were taught.
If you visit any lecture theatre, you will be sorry for the students. A lecture theatre with capacity of one thousand will be used for a class of two thousand students, you wonder where the remaining one thousand will sit, many will stand outside and some standing inside taking notes. At time, there will not be power and the lecturer will not raise his voice. The accommodation is like prison and not conducive for students. The books in the library are obsolete and don’t address the present knowledge. Many exams are based on 100%, no test or assignment, how will the students master those courses and someone said that exam is not the best test of knowledge. No equipment for learning, things are so bad, that I believed the system can’t produce a better graduate than what they are producing now. Practical in some courses are ignored because of inadequate equipment.
Like I said I will not give excuse for the incompetency of these graduates because things are so bad that many can’t construct a correct English sentence talk less of speak correct English. When you relate with them you feel ashamed to belong to this generation, it is so annoying. Computer usage which had turned to something even dog is proud to have the skill, many graduate can’t use it. The most annoying thing is when you go to bank, you see them asking what the spelling of forty is or other words but if you look at how they paint their face, they resemble monsters. Many act and talk like slowpoke, things are so difficult for them to understand. When they see you reading books, they ask you why you are disturbing yourselves. Many can’t finish a 100 pages book in a year and are happy when they call them leader of tomorrow. They argued on things that can’t help or change their life. They know who earned the most in Europe and the new release of different musicians. Their mindset is so bad, that I cry for the future of Nigeria.
I believed something dramatic need to be done, to re build the falling standard of education in Nigeria, to meet the world standard. Am happy by what some private institutions are doing, our government needs to emulate them for a change of story in our education sector.
Faleye Olatayo
Can be reached on
faleyeolatayo@gmail.com
07030468554

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The face painting wasn't cool..you were referring to a particular gender..you shouldn't be bias in your examples okay..thanks..no offence though