Is-haq Oloyede, the registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has said that a university degree is no longer a sole guarantor for jobs in a 21st-century world driven by information technology, but relevant skills.
Oloyede, a professor of Islamic Studies, asserted while delivering a convocation lecture, titled, “Learning, unlearning and relearning- prerequisites of the digital age”, at the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, on Thursday.
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According to him, the onus lies on Nigerians, therefore, to prepare for the challenges of the information age by taking lifelong learning seriously and being willing to change as circumstances unfold.
He noted that learning was useless without practice, adding that relearning was the ability to acquire new skills, knowledge and perspectives quickly and effectively.
“For all, the imperative of learning, relearning and unlearning cannot be over-emphasised as the tonic that gives vitality to successful living in today’s information age. Those who can learn, relearn and unlearn are the successful ones, and those without the mindset that accommodates the triad are bound to perpetually lament.
“The world of today is different from the world inhabited by our forebears. One of the factors responsible for this change is the totality of what makes the information age, which is still evolving as technology develops rapidly.
“The changes of the world provide new opportunities and threats. While there are new opportunities in information technology, the existing jobs as typists, receptionists, traditional printers, telephone booth operators, computer operators, factory workers, cashiers, travel agents, fuel attendants, among others, are on the verge of extinction.
“New opportunities will emerge in the high-tech sector and many skills that were not otherwise taught in traditional schools would be needed. Degrees would no longer be the sole guarantors of jobs but demonstrable skills will.
“In this regard, there won’t be any difference between those who are literate and those who are illiterate without the cutting-edge skills that are associated with learning, relearning and unlearning, the professor explained.
Oloyede advised graduates of the institution to remember that learning, unlearning, and relearning are the compass to guide them in the uncharted territories of the digital age.
“These processes are not separate but interwoven elements of a holistic approach to personal and professional development. The illiterate of the 21st century, as Alvin Toffler profoundly noted, will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
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“Your ability to embrace these principles will set you apart and empower you to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities of our rapidly changing world”.
Earlier, Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, professor and the acting vice chancellor of the KWASU, noted that people live in an era of unprecedented technological advancements. He added that the nation’s educational institutions must become the catalyst for transformation, preparing graduates not just for the challenges of today but for the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital age.
“This lecture cannot be timelier and more relevant in this period when certain knowledge is fast becoming obsolete at an ever-increasing pace. The ability to unlearn outdated concepts and practices, and relearn new ones therefore becomes a crucial skill.”
