A Proposal for Education reform for Nigerian Youth
In a recent World Bank report, Nigeria was said to have an unemployed population of 40million, about a third of its entire population. The legions of the unemployed continue to increase as many with no options for employment settle for jobs for which they are over-qualified or become small-scale traders. Others resort to menial jobs to eke a living. A rising number choose crime.
Who are Nigeria’s unemployed? This demographic group has different subsets. There those who have little or no education, who for one reason or the other had only a few years of formal education at a primary or a secondary school or none at all. Many others are unable to continue their education due to paucity of funds, or poor scores on the entrance examination. With only about 29 Federal Universities, a slightly higher number of state institutions and a few private universities, a handful of technical colleges the spaces are too few for over 100,000 applicants seeking a tertiary education every year.
For those who are ‘lucky’ to enter the Nigerian public education system, a new form of uncertainty sets in. The uncertainty of when they will graduate, as a five-year course may end up extending into seven or eight years. This uncertainty has nothing to do with the undergraduate’s academic abilities. It has all to do with the many plagues that bedevil the Nigerian education system; political instability, teacher’s strikes, student demonstrations, host-community hostility, unstable calendars. Then there those who reach the tertiary level and graduate but cannot get a job for a myriad of reasons. This is either because too many people are chasing too few jobs. In a recent example, over 6000 graduates appeared at an interview for 400 marketing jobs at a local bank. In another case, 27000 young graduates in one state alone applied for 150 entry-level places at the National Immigration Service’ recruitment exercise. This fierce competition leaves only the fittest to survive; the fittest being the most qualified, the youngest and more often- the most politically connected.
Nigerian graduates often do not measure up for the many advertised jobs. Employers continually complain about the dearth of employable professionals in the labor market. They argue that there are large, obvious gaps between the training of Nigerian graduates and their ability. Hence, companies are forced to outsource or employ contract staff or wait for foreign-trained or expatriate staff who are far too few and expensive to fill all the spaces.
However, it is not entirely the fault of the graduates. The system that produces them is many years behind the rest of the world. Teaching techniques and content are archaic and irrelevant to modern realities. No serious research is going on at the ivory towers. Too little funding by government has frustrated the few willing academics. Now they are content to recycle their decades-old lectures. Students can hardly relate what they are taught to the demands of the outside world. Frustrated, they are forced to memorize large sections of lecture notes and regurgitate on examination day so they can impress the teacher and pass. Very little education is obtained. Cynicism sets in, they do just enough to graduate and get the certificate so they can quickly begin to hustle for those few jobs on the outside.
No economy will experience any serious growth with an inordinate number of the unskilled and the semi-skilled. While such may provide the valuable workforce required for industries, and may themselves become successful small, medium and large-scale entrepreneurs, a deficit of the skilled would be glaring in a knowledge–based economy that Nigeria hopes to become. Who will staff the banks, finance houses, research institutes, think tanks and various other institutions where high skilled staff is an essential for success? Nigeria’s dream of becoming one of the top twenty economies by the year 2020 (Vision 20-2020) would remain just that, a dream.
A lot more therefore must be done to produce young graduates with the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet with the requirements of today’s employers and contemporary challenges of an emerging economy such as Nigeria’s. The dynamics of school-to-work transition must be reconsidered. What does work mean in the Nigerian context? What kind of workers does the economy require? What is the connection between the school system and the job market in the context of national manpower development? These are cogent questions that serious nations ask when seeking to address unemployment challenges.
Skills employers look for in young graduates include, interpersonal skills, team working,
flexibility and adaptability, initiative/productivity, hardwork and healthy work ethics, problem solving, motivation and enthusiasm, planning and organisation, communication skills, motivation, independence, analysis, creativity and problem solving. These skills make a person employable and are vital for participation in a knowledge-based economy. Leading managers have been quoted to say that these ‘employability’ skills were more important to their organisation as an employer than the specific occupational, technical knowledge and skills associated with a graduate’s degree.
It is suggested that an ongoing forum be set up where leaders of industry; manufacturing, health, finance, services can parley with government, education/regulatory authorities, teachers’ unions. At such a parley, the industries’ needs would be highlighted. Issues as far-reaching as; the absence of employability skills in the training of lawyers, too many architects, more builders needed in construction, too many accountants, electricians being too few, inadequate practical training in the course content of pharmacists, redundant theories in different fields would be discussed. Subsequently, agreements reached at such fora should be factored diligently into education policies at all levels. Responsibilities must then be assigned to all the different parties. Who trains whom? What incentives will be paid for possessing a particular skill? What role would the private sector play? How will implementation be monitored? In other words, the industry plays a pivotal role in the outcome of educational process. This private sector role might even involve funding. Thus, the graduates produced are in touch with realities of the work environment.
So, whose responsibility would it be to confer particular employability skills on a young person? Should graduates attend courses at designated study centers after graduation? Youths typically feel they are having too much formal education, so another training institution separate from the conventional institutions is not what is required. This would incur phenomenal costs for government or the graduates before it can achieve any meaningful results. It is suggested that a compulsory subject that focuses employability skills be introduced at all the tertiary institutions of learning for all undergraduates early on in their study. Such a course would possess content, which would have the input of all stakeholders; employers, government, labor, fresh graduates, the newly employed, and teachers. It should also possess a strong practical bent and sessions of role-play. It is also proposed that the entire course curriculum in Nigerian tertiary institutions be revised to include employability skills while technical knowledge is also being made more relevant.
However noble this suggestion is, it is impossible to achieve with the present number of schools. The institutions that that train graduates in Nigeria are much too few. The burden on the existing schools, their staff and facilities is too heavy and could be worsened with the introduction of a new course. Government must continue to support the creation of new tertiary institutions while still playing a strong regulatory role. The cost of setting up institutions of higher learning is prohibitive, so government must make it easier for private concerns to set up their schools. It can achieve this by allowing tax holidays or reducing duties on import of educational items for school use. In addition, the tendency for schools to set up campuses of ‘four-walled’ classrooms is worthy of a second look. Nigerian youths seeking an education are just too many for such traditional approaches. Online programs, Distance study centers, School-School affiliations for degrees should be introduced, allowed and fine-tuned. These will help to accommodate a lot more people who wish to get an education but who cannot get a place on campus. This will also ameliorate the burden on the schools and allow for a more holistic education.
In Nigeria, having a university education is given too much emphasis at the detriment of alternatives. All the other forms of tertiary education are considered second class, a dumping ground for people who cannot make the entrance examination results cut-off mark. Polytechnics, technical schools, colleges of education are treated with disdain. Wide disparities exist between the average salaries of graduates of these institutions (when they do find jobs at all) and those of universities. Hence, there is always a mad rush for entry into universities. A general sense of frustration pervades the ranks of students of these other tertiary institutions. Students there are dejected, unmotivated and uncommitted. The quality of education at these schools has gone through as much rot if not more. Very little if any, research goes on at the nations’ polytechnics. This situation cannot continue.
The dichotomy that exists between university graduates and others must be addressed. A deep audit of the situation is required. Appropriate recognition must be given to all the kinds of tertiary institutions in the country. Nigeria as a nation must carry out deep introspection- what needs were these institutions created to fulfill in the first instance? Was it to mop the backlog of those who were not admitted to universities? If no, have these needs disappeared or do they still exist? On the other hand, have new needs shown up? These questions urgently require answers and action.
For youths who choose not to or are unable to pursue a formal course of study in a tertiary institution, it is also important that they be employable. The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) can produce and present special programs that focus on the skills required by employers. Such programs may then be offered on the mass media. Many young people, who spend many hours listening to radio or watching TV, can thus be exposed to this information. In the informal sector, apprenticeship is the main mode of learning for future artisans and workers. Such apprentices will also be requiring training on how to become more employable. It is suggested that the NDE, which has offices in all the states of the federation, plays the leading role in training youths in this sector. It can achieve this by offering training modules that focus on the required qualities. The Directorate would have to work in close association with the different unions of the artisans; carpenters, welders, plumbers, etc. The leaders of the unions must be sensitized and convinced about the importance of their members possessing these skills. The leaders can then be co-opted into the campaign. Such training modules can be offered at greatly subsidized prices to ensure sustainability. They must be comprehensible, relevant, and simple enough for all concerned to grasp.
At the end of training for both the formal and informal institutions, proper and consistent evaluation must be done. Have the necessary skills been acquired? Is this student now employable? What skills are still missing?
There are other challenges that affect the Nigerian public education system and have a consequent negative effect on the employability of her graduates. These issues have to be traced to their root causes before they can be solved. Lecturers are always going on strike due to poor working conditions. No serious research is going on due to lack of funds so new knowledge is gained. Government must commit to the development of the nation’s education sector right from the primary level. The situation requires more than mere rhetorical posturing. A political will to bring about positive change is required. Funding for the sector is too low. It must provide adequate and sustained funding through proactive budgeting. Such funding must be monitored to ensure efficient and effective use.
The crippling strikes lead to erratic and elongated calendars. Student unrests and political instability also take their toll on overall quality of the education process. Consequently, students graduate older and with a less marketable education than their counterparts in other parts of the world or private institutions. The graduating age has a ripple effect on employability as many entry-level jobs have maximum age limits. Corporate organizations must become more understanding. The peculiar challenges of the Nigerian education system might require that they raise the age-limit pegs put on many jobs. Legislation by government on these issues may be required. The input of the private sector is invaluable in drawing up objectives for the education system is crucial. Since the corporate world will also benefit if quality graduates are available, it cannot afford to sit back and watch.
Managements of tertiary institutions must do all that is within their power to ensure stable school calendars. The problem of leadership destabilizes the calm of many a school. Poor management style will lead to conflicts with workers’ unions and student unions. Thus, regulatory bodies must play a more active role in monitoring the leadership styles of managers of these institutions.
Many schools run degrees that are not very relevant to the present-day realities of Nigeria. While all knowledge is priceless, a fast-growing, emerging economy like Nigeria requires more professionals in some disciplines than others. Better funding and support should be provided for these disciplines. The Nigerian Universities Commission and National Board of Technical Education must continuously revaluate the relevance and quality of the Nigerian education apparatus through their various accreditation processes. This accreditation process must be thorough, constructive and measurable.
The planning for a young person’s future and employment must begin early. The family, as the primary social unit has a fundamental role to play. Parents should inculcate the right values in their children as early as possible. They should teach them about the dignity of labor and help them discover confidence, expression and determination. Such children are thus set to become assets to themselves, their families and their nation.
