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Experts see growth potential in education hub establishment in Nigeria

education hub

Driven by the economic growth prospect that the establishment of an education hub holds for human capital development in Nigeria, industry watchers have identified the need for a robust public-private partnership to achieve the desired result in knowledge based economy.

Analysts are of the opinions that education hub represents a thriving move for knowledge sharing which is durable, sustainable and profitable and contributes to the process of economic growth.

They observed that Nigeria’s contemporary educational system is yet to fulfill its potential, stressing that education hub driven by an ebullient public-private partnership represent an effective and productive alternative.

The infrastructure development and the huge foreign reserve the hub would save the country is another aspect that analysts are looking at to drive this cause.

Making a case for linkages to boost education development through this hub, Adamu Rasheed Abubakar, an educationist opines that there exists a strong relationship between investment in higher education and the creation of knowledge based society specifically stressing that the strong connection between the universities and industries is a step in the right direction.

Abubakar pointed out that forward thinking countries are developed because their economy is knowledge driven while other countries are developing or under developed because they choose to maintain a resource dependent economy rather than one which is knowledge based.

According to him, “We must device all necessary strategies to make sure knowledge is available and affordable for everyone – this is the only pathway to Nigeria’s sustainable development. Only education and knowledge when acquired and applied can build bridges and erect ladders tall enough to take our collective destiny to the stars.”

The university don observes that there is a tragic gulf between universities and industries-between universities and the private sector in knowledge delivery adding that there must be an all stakeholders’ partnership in education before Nigeria’s educational industry can be salvaged from the doldrums.

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He further opines that knowledge derived from establishment of education hub benefits everyone and ensures that industries spend less on training new work force when universities produce quality graduates, which will in turn contribute immensely to the growth and profitability of their organisations.

“A robust partnership between universities and the private sector in setting up a hub will produce needed resources to keep university systems afloat. The reality which is tragic and unfortunate is that Nigeria’s industries are yet to make any significant investment in the educational sector as the funding of Nigerian industries put into the university system are not up to 10 percent of what they put into other sectors,” he said.

Peter Okebukola, former executive secretary Nigeria universities commission (NUC) pointed out that Education Hub is a new, multi-campus township containing a cluster of universities that are supported by complementary activities business parks and scientific facilities that will create great opportunities for employment and economic growth in any region it is established in.

Okebukola observe that the none development of the nations education sector especially universities has over the years accounted for the huge capital flight experience on an annual basis owing to the increase in foreign exchange loss to foreign universities.

He insists that a progressive approach towards the entrenchment of adequate and quality education at all level of education in the nation especially the tertiary institutions is for government to throw its weight behind the setting up of education hub, this he believe will nip in the bud the mass exodus of students to foreign land and save the economy of the huge foreign exchange loss.

 

KELECHI EWUZIE