How Nigerian government fuels youth’s education apathy

A 21-year-old young man known popularly as Femi, woke up one morning, and to the amazement of the entire family, he told his mother he was no longer interested in going to school.

Omobolanle, his mother, at first, thought it was a joke until Femi was seen at home for a week, while his peers were receiving lectures in school.

It then, got done on Omobolanle, Femi’s mother that her son was up to something serious about going back to the university.

Omobonle, a mother of three children, was so confused that her first child is developing apathy to education at this stage of his life; hence she took the issue to her husband, who summoned Femi for a talk.

In the course of their deliberation, the man got angry and slapped him threatening to cast out the evil spirit tormenting, and ministering the education apathy to him.

With the intervention of neighbours and extended family members, the youngster, who was a 200 level Computer Science student was asked to explain his reason for developing sudden cold-feet for education.

“School is a scam, and I can’t afford to continue to waste my time and life on it,” Femi said in anger.

Education apathy is a lack of interest, motivation or concern for learning and academic success.

It can manifest as indifference to schoolwork, absenteeism, a lack of effort, and a general feeling of detachment from the educational environment.

Gone are those days, when university education was seen as a golden opportunity and a ladder to a successful life. In the early 1950s and 1960s university graduates were given automatic jobs and sometimes with cars, depending on the company and position of employment.

Then, going to school was envogue, those who did not have a university education were seen as the society’s ‘nobodys’.

However, in contemporary Nigeria, the reverse seems to be the case, as students who are in school seem to have no interest in academics and labelled it as a scam being used by the government to generate income.

Experts believe that Nigerian youth’s apathy towards education is a complex issue with multiple factors, including economic hardship, perceived lack of job opportunities and a sense of hopelessness.
Hence, many are blaming the government for youth’s lack of interest in academics, especially the university students.

The Nigerian governments at various levels by their nonchalant attitude to education have invariably inculcated the idea in many people that school is of little or no importance to making a successful livelihood.

Gone are the days when first-class graduates were celebrated and held in high esteem, today, many first-class graduates are roaming about the streets seeking for employment, while touts in the motor-parks are making thousands of naira daily.

Besides, various state governments are seen celebrating Big Brother Naija (BBN) winners with huge sums of money.

The education policymakers have failed to give the country competence-based curriculum, almost at all cadres of learning in the country.

The curriculum in most public schools across the federation is tailored to only stick with theory, with little or no practicality.

Globally, education has transited from the era of theory to practical. A Computer Science student in Europe is trained to have the practical knowledge of computing, programming, tech skills while his counterpart in Nigeria is only exposed to the textbook knowledge.

Obviously, with the kind of education system in Nigeria, students who use YouTube for private tutorials on some specific skills, especially tech skills, will no doubt have reasons to lose interest in going to formal schools, and will see it as a waste of time and effort.

Moreover, the impasse between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, and the government contribute to reasons students would not want to go to school.

Why would the government allow students to spend seven years for a course of four years because of the ASUU strike? That is not acceptable at all.

Worst still, most of these students would have passed the recruitment age of 25, when they leave the four walls of the universities, hence, will find it difficult to get employed in either private companies or government parastatals.

The government should prioritise education, and introduce more practical and more extracurricular activities into their educational system.

Besides, there is a need for more vocational schools to equip youth to become self-employed, and job creators, instead of job seekers.