Sometime ago, last month, a friend of my in the Computer Science came by my place, to visit and you know, "shack garri". AFter he was done, satisfying the whims of his belly, he told me that he just doesn't get. They had been given an assignment in PASCAL programming. This is a guy that started learning programming privately, with C#.

But if I should throw this to the Nigerian community here on Nairaland, what do our universities have to offer us in the study and research of computer science. PASCAL? Can they favourably compete with the foreign counterparts in the other universities. Naija guys and girls abroad, your unprejudiced judgements will go a long way,

Nigeria University is rubbish but in nigeria and abroad you have to learn pascal

the nigerian educational system needs a serious review by experts not some fat bellied professors. computer science especially, what can a computer scientist in naija do? wat skill does he/she have? Nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of the graduates that i have met that do programming learnt on their own (i admire dem alot, cos its not easy to do that).

@All
Computer Science is not all about Programming. Hence, B Sc. is not a WASTE of time. They teach u the fundamentals of Computer Science. True the Education system is deteriorating, everything in Nigeria is except probably Banking System.

Then also, most schools like my school For instance (FUTA) gives you an Introduction to most on these programming languages such as Visual Basic, Fortran, C, C++, Java, and PHP (in that Order) and am not bragging. Also, we also get to learn courses such as Data Structures and Algorithms, Networking, Database management, System ana,ysis and Design, etc. Tell me, a Chap that just goes to learn Java, does he get to learn all the above.

Hence, software companies always prefer a computer science graduate with skills of programming.

i don't particularly have a side to take on the issue but i just feel sorry for the average student in Nigeria. Look at the people who affect their world positively, they probably started out early in their life and they enjoyed the fruit of their labour early too.

Graduates who acquire the skills afterwards just do it to survive but to b productive. i mean most of the projects we see are not creative. look at facebook, google and a lot of others, they just lay their hands on the information they need but their we are starved of the right information. i am wondering when nigeria will get to produce legends that will make her proud.Even the so-called professor that make discoveries in nigeria get it right late in their lives where there are 20 and 30-year olds changing the course of history abroad.

l'll just stop here so as not to sound critical but it's rather pitiful.

I think some schools are upgrading their syllabuses and making changes but they are not there yet they could use with some more facilities and books i mean yall need to see some of the books int heir libraries its pitiful

its easy for anyone to put up an argument on this issue but the facts remains th fact. Computer scientists in naija end up graduating without any skill at all to contribute productively to the growth and development of this country. i don't stand to be corrected !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unless the sylabuses are thoroughly reviewed by experts and not the usual naija "noise makers", then we will be on track.

Computer Science is not all about Programming. Hence, B Sc. is not a WASTE of time. They teach u the fundamentals of Computer Science

You need to understand that in this day and age, if you are into IT, people expect you to have a skill. Be it programming, networking, Database Admin, Graphic Design and all, Graduating after 5-6yrs without any of the above is a bloody waste of time!!! Niaja is not yankee or UK where u can dabble into other stuffs like the managerial aspect he business.

Then also, most schools like my school For instance (FUTA) gives you an Introduction to most on these programming languages such as Visual Basic, Fortran, C, C++, Java, and PHP (in that Order) and am not bragging.

Lol, if ur son told u, "dad, i want to be a programmer!!!, a professional programmer like bill gates", i'm sure u will send him to a university but which one? FUTA? Those stuffs are jack ass. u need to see the books of NIIT and APTEC on those courses. Even though their teaching is annoying but i respect their books. Dont waste time in a place where u won't get the bestof IT knowledge to make development happen and compete with ur counterparts abroad. These indian guys might be fraudulent in their fees but they give u the confidnce, the tools and an enabling environment to come the programmer of ur dream.

Tell me, a Chap that just goes to learn Java, does he get to learn all the above.

Who told you its only java u learn when u attend these skools. except u learnt java on ur own. Personally, my course contents entailed,

Programming Logic and Techiques or PLT for short. Here u are trained to think like a programmer. How its done? Well ask ur lecturer

Information Search Analysis Skills or ISAS for short. Here u are given a several projects to work. These helps you to learn to use the net to make searches. Which engine to use depending on ur criteria and so on. The project will then be presented to the class and on a chosen date,

LINUX The Linux enviroment, using the vi editor as a c++ editor and C++ programming

Then the love of my life, JAVA, , , pls dont let me start describing all i learnt here, abeg cos na cafe i dey and my time fit finish for dis side, J2SE, J2EE, JMS, Beans, abegi dem plenty. dey taught us fundamentals too but i beg compare the naija university fundamentals to dis indian guys fundamentals . . u go bow!!!!

Hence, software companies always prefer a computer science graduate with skills of programming.

Well if i were to be an employer, which i wud eventually be (Insha Allah), its the person that can deliver i am after. Who has a better experience, someone who has been programming java all his life or someone who joins it with other things. If i'm to employ a java programmer, who do u think i wud choose?


i'm the love of java. u r the prince remember !!!!!

@javalove

I'll get back to you, but I'll like you to note that a University EDUCATION is very VERY VERY , VERY important. Everything in this life is not all about programming and who says you can't have a Chap who has a degree in Computer Science and still has "MAD" IT skills? I think I'll have to write an essay on this matter. Although, I hate to contradict ur Opinions since I really do value them.

Promise you, I'll deliver that essay to you.

---

JAND for Java Nigeria Developers

lol

wud be expecting the eassy. I agree with u a uni education is vry very very important and if i have my way i wud go. But not, never in this country called naija. Its wack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The orientation i have about life is to do what please Allah, my family, those around me and myself alone. I don't do what everyone is doing for the sake of it. I do what makes sense to me. I do what will give me honor in this life. What will take me to places and mingle amongst the creme de la creme of d society. Some pple need degrees to do that. some dont need it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have confidence in myself and my work seaks for me anywhere i go.

See, i dont follow public opinios ooooo. I live in a world of my own. I set my rules. I abide by my rules. A degree is not the only thing that brings honor. There is no one way to success. See reasons with me plsssss!!!!

People tell me, its good to get the degree, i ask dem for wat? All dey will say is, its just good at least to be secured? i ask dem, to be secured about wat?, Look

I'm educated enuf to raise a family
I'm educated anuf to make a living for myself
I'm educated enuf to speak and be respected
I'm educated anuf to run for a political office
I'm educated enuf to differentiate b/w wat is right and wat is wrong
I'm a programmer and i'm still learning

Rather than enter a uni in dis country and waste 5 yrs, i can spend millions in anoda skool in d same country to enhance my programming skills. Having in mind dat, i m not just going in for a pali, i want to acquire a skill!!!!!

well said,

in naija environment, people dont really regard you as being an achiever if you dont have a degree,

its true that your degree might not determine how successful you become,

come to think of it , why do you think Bill Gates or the other guy from oracle made an attempt at getting a college degree only to drop out because they were learning nothing new ?

hmmmm


interesting

I've always thought of it.

How come their syllabuses are abundant online as 'tutorials'?

@mustay

abi oooo . . , . . my broda. tutorials full internet like say tommorow no day. yet nigerians want to be pretend to be blind to dat fact. unless there is a review, we r no where

computer science courses :
complexity analysis,
finite state machines and theory of computation
machine learning
artificial intelligence
principles of programming languages
graph theory
data structures and analyis of algorithms
principles of operating systems
computer networking
calculus
predicate calculus
linear algebra
database systems - relational algebra
physics
and lots more.
very little about programming except to describe concepts.

it schools:
technically oriented.
latest programming fad.
java,c sharp,c blunt, php mysql database
,frame works,
lil maths [ they want students to get askance and demand their money back]
if u graduate u can become a teacher the next day in the same school.
ha, recycle the material and pay em less.
[the boss smiles to the bank]
any way.
u'll learn how to light the blow torch the engineer[computer scientist] made .

lol

kambo:

computer science courses :
complexity analysis,
finite state machines and theory of computation
machine learning
artificial intelligence
principles of programming languages
graph theory
data structures and analyis of algorithms
principles of operating systems
computer networking
calculus
predicate calculus
linear algebra
database systems - relational algebra
physics
and lots more.
very little about programming except to describe concepts.

meeennn why pple no go run mad. kirakita ko dola ke!!!! Its not how much or how hard. I cant stand all these abeg.

Another thing is that if u tell nigerians u r attending an IT skool or u attended one, wat u will hear is [b]so u mean u won't go to skool/b].? the one wey i dey attend now, she na ile kewu abi na "makaranta ilo" abi na wetin.

The point is we all dont have to do the same things to succeed!!!

There is nothing wrong with learning Pascal. As a computer scientist/programmer, if you know one language, you can easily learn others that use similar semantics.
Here in US, in the past two semesters, I have been given assignments in Prolog, Lisp, Java and C. And have been shown code in several other "obscure" languages(Pascal included). The knowledge is not lost.
Also, there are lots of other things taught as part of a CS course that are definitely useful. not just programming languages.

We cannot blame our system 100% sometimes our students.

Some are too lazy.

There is nothing wrong in learning Pascal. It is a procedural language and to me, the best in the group

I very much doubt our graduates, i mean those that graduated in the last 7 years. Not that Abroad one is "very much" better.

No matter what, computer science graduates must be able to do simple programming. Haba!

@ Akolalawole

I am guessing you are trying to defend Nigerian Educational system but you just messed it up yourself withyou last comment I quote"No matter what, computer science graduates must be able to do simple programming" 4 years + strike and all you can brag about is atleast they can do a simple program, your first term in University should give enough enlightment to develop a simple program(not after 4 years)

@javalove
I have to tell you the truth NIIT(dont Know of Aptech) books are not updated regularly and lack enough information to enable theire students develop complex programs moreso they have students for teachers though NIIT is a good start but is not a halfway end. I guess you went to NIIT and after finishing you must have covered the java how to program series book.

malone5923:


@javalove
I have to tell you the truth NIIT(don't Know of Aptech) books are not updated regularly and lack enough information to enable theire students develop complex programs moreso they have students for teachers though NIIT is a good start but is not a halfway end. I guess you went to NIIT and after finishing you must have covered the java how to program series book.

I agree with you but its a better starting point for an aspiring programmer. I didnt read java series book but i did lots of research, jined forums and downloaded lots of pdf's. The more i learnt, the more i want to learn. I still have all my books intact, although they seem obsolete to me, i still respect them

After all is said and done, and politely acting as the moderator who started this HOT issue, I do think it is evident and obvious, as well as worthy of note that though a degree is good general introduction to any aspect of computer science, be it Programming, Networking, Computer Graphics, etc, our syllabus is very much "OUTDATED[/i]".

Yes. Mark the qouted word here, "[i]OUTDATED[/b]", meaning "Not Up-To-Date[b]". khai Khai mentioned that over in the US, Lisp and Prolog they have been exposed to. I bet u some students in that department here in Nigeria don't know what "Lisp" means let alone "Prolog" that precedes Lisp.

The system needs revision. That's all. But where and who do we talk to about this. We can make a diff. guys, can't we? We do we approach as a group to look into this recommendation. Where do we start from?

N.B: meanwhile, I'll advise anyone seriously interested in "serious" computing to either study alone or apply to a trade school, i.e. the likes of Aptech, NIIT, Afrihub, amongst others to forge forward. Bcoz the world won't wait for us,  can't wait for us rather!

u see what baffles me most is i think some groups of people of politicians are benefiting from our backwardness. If u like write and write until tommorow no dey, nothing go happen. While i was working with an NGO (Centre for Development Action International), i wrote a paper and my ED himself took it to abuja to present to one top shot there. Come today, come tommorow, write again, call me back, we are still working on it, well, oga has travelled and all that bollocks were the responses we were getting.

Maybe we didnt do it well or maybe we didnt talk to the right pple. We could be lucky this time if we try.

As much as i dont like saying youths should leave naija, if u want to study real programming, u either get out or do it like we did it. Attend NIIT or APTECH , den be prepared to read ur life out. read, read and read, research well. Join online forums,ebooks club and be prepared to spend all ur food money browsing and overnight browsings like i did. i don get internet for house sha , thanks to God and java

kambo:

computer science courses :
complexity analysis,
finite state machines and theory of computation
machine learning
artificial intelligence
principles of programming languages
graph theory
data structures and analyis of algorithms
principles of operating systems
computer networking
calculus
predicate calculus
linear algebra
database systems - relational algebra
physics
and lots more.
very little about programming except to describe concepts.

all these are good courses too !.
These courses make you a well rounded computer scientist.

The students and teachers just need to look outside the walls of the institution and be conversant with the current trends.

There is nothing wrong with the theories taught in schools if the courses are taught WELL and with the goal of practicalising the theories.

ade2kay:

all these are good courses too !.
These courses make you a well rounded computer scientist.

The students and teachers just need to look outside the walls of the institution and be conversant with the current trends.

There is nothing wrong with the theories taught in schools if the courses are taught WELL and with the goal of practicalising the theories.

Now that they are not being well taught, the students and teachers are not looking outside the 4 walls of the institution to be conversant with the current trends, would the world continue to wait for us?

Walahi, i wish i had like 200million, i would start an IT skool, pray, fight and bribe my way trun to get govt accreditation, hire good nigerian tuors, provide facilities and a conducive enviroment for learning, and still issue a govt certified certificate, E ma rundown ni!!!!!

'tis pretty sorrowful what the future of the Nigerian youth is. Somebody was saying something about some joke of a curriculum. It is supposed to be eye-opening but i must say it is blinding. i'v been there and back as i had to opt out as i couldn't take the load of crap they were tryin' to get into my system. i was fortunate to go to NIIT before getting into the university and when both were juxtaposed, the university had nothing to offer me except to take my money, waste my time and load some shit on me.
Not getting enough stuff into your head early even dampens your creativity. It will take some time before we can produce anything of significance in the IT world from Nigeria.

where do i begin. U are all right in a way I must admit

@javaprince and all dt are for: I think I will talk to you first. I believe you, the University is a place to be. What with all the people you meet and the courses you take. There are people in my life that I wouldnt have met(and wu av affected my life so positively dt I owe them something) if not for University. Now the question is do we do irrelevant things in school or not? yes we do. Why? I'll tell you. The school is not meant to give you skills alone(like javalove's java skills), the school is also meant to build you in other ways, socially, spiritually and otherwise. I was talking to a group of young programmers in my alma mata and I told them, the reason why you do only two or three programming courses and 5 other "irrelevant courses" is so if you can successfully handle and pass 5 more courses and yet still do well @ programming, then tomoro if youo are put in charge of a company with 5 departments, you will be able to do well at ur core (programming) and still handle the 5 depts well. they all laughed but at least they get the idea. the school is meant to build you in other ways too not just your skills alone. A professor is one who knows a little about much and much about a little.

@javalove and all dat are against: Its a pity though that our educational system have now focused much on the other ways and neglected the basic(skills). Its a shame that if a medical student did not pass MTH 101, he or she is withdrawn from the college! Its a shame that a fine and applied arts students is made to go thru the rigours of BIO 101! all these things are good as addons, but when the core is now neglected and the others are focused on? its a pity.

In conclusion
Our educational system is thus not all that bad. Even if you score them less than average(although I think I score them 50%) at least "eni to gba odo gba mark" u get? what we need is a revisitation of our curriculum and things like that. Its no wonder though because every other sector suffers, not just education, we need to re-evaluate so many things. Rev. Sam Adeyemi said the way they use to prepare roasted corn is still d way they use to prepare it till now! that shiouldnt be. Let young men and young enterpreneurs invest in education, lets start schools and lets set standards for these schools, standards that eventually the public schools will emulate. Its the way forward and not the way backward.

Its true our man Bill dropped out of school, but lets not forget that he went back to complete his degree. Bill is not just a programmer, he is a business man, a graduate from Harvard Business school. That's why I believe M$ is such a successful Business

I am out for now

---

Java Nigeria Developers, meet the java dukes

javarules:



@javalove and all that are against: Its a pity though that our educational system have now focused much on the other ways and neglected the basic(skills). Its a shame that if a medical student did not pass MTH 101, he or she is withdrawn from the college! Its a shame that a fine and applied arts students is made to go through the rigours of BIO 101! all these things are good as addons, but when the core is now neglected and the others are focused on? its a pity.

These are 100 level courses

JavaRules said it all

@javaprince
There are so many things NIIT wont teach you about IT that are very relevant to your success in the IT industry.
and mind you java is not all about IT

@javalove
Students shouldnt limit themselves to the classrooms, and as a matter of fact most inventions and innovations were not born in classrooms but people thinking outside the norm of the society.

Some graduates of this universities still go back in to the university environment and maintain status quo(how things have been even if they know better they don't implement changes)

A little here a liitle there makes the difference , let's strike a balance

The truth is they are still behind you cant front on that thats why most Nigerian Universities certificates would not pass for more than shit paper in other countries round the world.Where high school students are learning .NET and Java in developed countries Universities in Nigeria are teaching Pascal that is why no school in africa is making the first 200 schools in the world

Javalove, u went 2 niit? Wow nice, spent 3 yearz der 4 d software eng (mastermind) series. Got a diploma and migrated to d british OU to complete d degree coure. Rounding up in october. R u in d OU too? Holla back.
Yeap computer science students of nigerian unis have to go d extra mile to get to terms wit new technology by demselves. Pity.

Dual Core:

Javalove, u went 2 niit? Wow nice, spent 3 yearz der 4 d software eng (mastermind) series. Got a diploma and migrated to d british OU to complete d degree coure. Rounding up in october. R u in d OU too? Holla back.
Yeap computer science students of nigerian unis have to go d extra mile to get to terms wit new technology by demselves. Pity.

yeah, i studied futurz. i knew when dey started mastermind. they even told us to migrate from futurz to mastermind but i didnt. I m still in 9ja but some of my classmates are in bolton (University of Bolton) cos most people then left for bolton.

I still have the intention to come finish up but jobs won't let me. at first it was a question of "no money for skool fees" and popsy ain't dat boyant enuf den. now that Allah has provided it, no time. I would still go do it sha. at least i can go anytime

so aw u doing? m sure u r now a bad ass gurur right? holla back at ur soilder

Yo soldier, i migrated from e-tech to mastermind. Cant leave nigeria cUz of work. D British OU is online, still expensive but cheaper than goin abroad 2 continue. Good 2 see u bro. One.

Great topic, all said nd done what is the way forward for the undergraduates of computer sc?

Personal hardwork. Dont rely only on the school's syllabus. Widen out.