Stakeholders want schools, SMEDAN to partner on entrepreneurship

Stakeholders in the education sector have stressed the need to link up schools with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to hone students’ entrepreneurial skills.

They spoke at a webinar hosted by EduTimes Africa, to discuss the way forward for Nigeria. Dahiru Sani, founder of the Kaduna Business School, speaking on the Federal Government’s new policy which prescribes 18 years as the minimum age to gain entrance into tertiary institutions, sees merit in the new admission policy but also pointed out that introducing a policy without the necessary structure is to create chaos.

He advocated that schools should link up with SMEDAN so that the affected students can hone their entrepreneurial skills.

“When the student begins tertiary education, he or she will approach the programme with an entrepreneurial mindset. Something which many Nigerian graduates currently lack,” he said.

Sani recognised the opportunity this admission policy presents for students who finish secondary school early, to discover themselves, discover what they like, what they are good at and what the world needs, so they can fill that gap while generating revenue for themselves.

Besides, he suggested that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board should be structured in such a way that its UTME results should remain valid for three or four years.

Folasade Adefisayo, the immediate past Commissioner of Education for Lagos State in her address revealed how she got admission to the University of Ibadan at the age of 15.

Though she eventually did well academically, she confessed that it was a struggle because she just was not mature enough emotionally. This experience, according to her, ensured she did not subject her children to a similar difficult experience.

“There’s something about the stars aligning and being perfectly aligned. Meaning that academic ability ought to be supported by emotional maturity throughout the educational journey,” she noted.

Akintunde Sawyerr, the managing director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, pointed out how important aspects of a student’s education process may not be properly assimilated if the student is rushed through school.

Sawyerr, however, acknowledged that some students are exceptionally gifted and could become bored or worse, even regress if not sufficiently challenged academically.

He highlighted the importance of maturity and experience that comes with age when making decisions, especially concerning certain professions, which by nature can be quite sensitive.

The webinar moderated by Emem Opashi and Ngozi Enogieru, had several speakers that proffered several practical and innovative solutions in which affected students could use these enforced gap years and turn it into a positive that will eventually better prepare them for work life.

The speakers proposed that students affected by the Federal Government’s new policy on university admission should seize the opportunity to acquire useful skills.

Babatunde Obrimah, the COO of the Fintech Association of Nigeria, who was represented by Seun Folorunso, counselled the students to use the time frame to acquire digital skills.

Nkechi Obi, chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) encouraged the students to cultivate sporting talent, for the athletically gifted ones.

Meanwhile, Samira Jibir, the president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), decried how most parents and schools focus almost entirely on a child’s academic development while ignoring and discounting his or her natural talent in other areas.

This, Jibir said is often to the detriment of the child and society itself.

Angela Ajala, the national coordinator of the Association of Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN), spoke on how parents and schools can better align age and maturity through building future skills. Olasunkanmi Opeifa, the 2018 Maltina Best Teacher of the Year spoke on the need to expose students to activities that would help them to mature.

He pointed out that there are many students in university who may be adults according to age but are not mature enough in terms of character.

EduTimes Africa, the education-focused publication has in less than two years, established itself as a strong voice for Africa’s education sector. Through interviews with experts and articles contributed by specialists from across the continent and beyond, it has continued to offer solutions to many of the sector’s challenges.

To mark this year’s Independence Day, it hosted its maiden webinar titled, 16 Vs 18 age admission criteria: The way forward.