I Cried For First-class Graduates Who Couldn’t Spell ‘graduate’ - Education - Nairaland
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| I Cried For First-class Graduates Who Couldn’t Spell ‘graduate’ by JJYOU: 3:10pm On May 17, 2009 |
I cried for first-class graduates who couldn’t spell ‘graduate’ By CHINYERE FRED-ADEGBULUGBE Published: Sunday, 17 May 2009 Detoun Ogwo is the Managing Director, Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, whose core task is to improve the Nigerian graduate employability. In this interview with CHINYERE FRED-ADEGBULUGBE, this mother of four reveals why she abandoned her high flying career just to reach out to people struggling with career- related challenges Skip to next paragraph click to expand image Photo file Detoun Ogwo Her voice over the phone can easily fool you and so her average physique and very regular facial structures. These might easily lead you into waving her aside as just one of the crowd. And that would be wrong because Detoun Ogwo is one woman who is quite determined to make a change in the society. Her father wanted her to study medicine. But she studied biochemistry and even at that it was a struggle for her to go through the course. ”This is because that was not who I was, I was running a script that was not my own,” the 38 year-old Ogwo explains. Finding her own script, however, wasn‘t something that happened just overnight. Just like the average person next door she had to navigate her way through several life vistas. But she was helped along the way by a strong conviction she had that she was someone who was born for a purpose. ”My mother had me seven years after my brother, so growing up I just felt there was a reason for which I was born. And I had constantly been on a search to find out what that reason is. I have always had that feeling that everyone had an assignment but sometimes it takes a certain method to find out what that thing is, otherwise, because of the way the world is, you might find yourself chasing other thing and getting distracted,” she states. And today she‘s quite convinced she has only found what she believes to be her God-given purpose which invariably is about helping others in their careers. Finding her rhythm in life, so to say, automatically gave rise to the birth of AGDC, a partnership between her and her erstwhile Fate Foundation mentor, Mrs Ibukun Awosika of the Chair Centre fame. According to her, what they do at AGDC is all about bridging gaps. She says, ”We know that the educational system really hasn‘t served us as much as we would like. So we are trying to equip the young person, who is actually the future in a way that when he gets to the economy he can be more productive and useful.” She is not by any means writing off the Nigerian graduate but she strongly believes there is an urgent need for guidance here. ”I remember the day I made the decision to do what I am doing now is when I was at Guinness in 2005 and we were shortlisting from 96,000 to 15,000 applicants. They needed 15 graduate management trainees and 96,000 applied. They all had first class and second class upper degrees which employers were looking for but some of them could not even spell the word ‘graduate‘. Those days I would just be crying,” she recalls. Having worked as human resources executive in multinationals, Ogwo is sufficiently equipped to know what a regular employer wants from a prospective employee and this she says, goes quite beyond brandishing a first class or second class upper degree. ”We have seen people who have been unemployed and still waiting to get into a big multinational because they have certificate. And then you imagine what they could have done in those 10 years for themselves. I tell my people that ‘nobody owes you a job. If it is going to be it is up to you to see what you can do for yourself from where you are in terms of vocational training and career direction as well because you don‘t need to go to the banking industry if your calling and interest are not there. ”I got a CV from someone in the Diaspora last month, she was just 25 years old and her CV was four-page long. I told myself that that economy has prepared her, that educational institution she went to has groomed her and made her ready for somebody useful in an economy. They have given her part-time vocational experience, they have given her internship experience so she is prepared to walk into any organisation and say, look, this is who I am, this is my time, this is my educational qualification and I know how to add value to you. But that‘s not the language we speak around here. Around here, it‘s my parents owe me a job, the government owes me a job; it is someone else‘s responsibility to get me fed because I have a certificate,” she insists. Her life is ruled by passion. This time, passion for her lofty ideals and that leaves her more often not almost too involved to even think about herself. ”I think I am a bit of an idealistic person; there is a way I think that the world should be and then I try to make a difference in making the world be that way. But I have also realised that I have to be a realist; that there are human conditions you just cannot change. Therefore you really need to navigate along the lines of what you can change and what you can contribute to humanity,” she offers. There is no need asking if she finds personal fulfilment, the enthusiasm she displays is enough proof. ”There is nothing like waking up in the morning and being excited to go to work. I wouldn‘t say that my bank account feels it because we all had to invest our money in the centre. But there is a satisfaction knowing that you are making a difference in some people‘s lives. You can‘t quantify the feeling you get, knowing that you have invested in someone‘s life and money cannot buy that,” she enthuses. Ogwo started working very early in life, (at a point she had to work at the Kirikiri prison) no thanks to her loving but tough parents. ”We had housemaids, but my mother would tell you that the housemaids are not for you. I used to tell my father that he couldn‘t be my father because he was just too mean to me. But now I look back and find out he was just preparing me for life. But nowadays we tend to spoil our kids by giving them those things we feel we did not have and sometimes we really have to balance it with the values of prudence, hard work and dignity because you can‘t own what you didn‘t earn,” she says. http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2009051715293170 Comments: seun gave us free spell checker. wetin be all these story about graduate? thank God say i no waste govt. money take go school 1 Like |
| Re: I Cried For First-class Graduates Who Couldn’t Spell ‘graduate’ by MrCrackles(m): 3:14pm On May 17, 2009 |
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| Re: I Cried For First-class Graduates Who Couldn’t Spell ‘graduate’ by neowelsh(m): 7:47am On May 19, 2009 |
Too lenghty, sorry i cant read it all  |
| Re: I Cried For First-class Graduates Who Couldn’t Spell ‘graduate’ by Logba: 10:15am On May 20, 2009 |
Why do we believe stories like this? Anybody who has gone through university education will know that it is not just possible for one to bride his way through the university and eventually make a first class. You will do courses in your faculty and other faculties and some general courses. Then you must score an average of 4.5 in all the courses. The lady who made that comment is out to sell her new business and she decided to start by damaging peoples reputation. I am not surprised because she was not serious in school and had to struggle through it. That statement should be questioned and investigated. I am personally looking for her e-mail address so that i can give her some information. |
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