Experts advocate scale-up on learning method by varsities

If it is indeed appalling that graduates hardly secure paid employment, then the frequency at which the nation’s universities churn out half-baked students to add paints a bleak picture for the future of education in the country.

While statistics reveal that the population of students in tertiary institutions across the country is on the increase, there is however no corresponding surge in the creation of economically viable opportunities, a situation which is triggering an alarming rise in Nigeria’s unemployment and crime rates.

It is against this background that experts in the field recently urged undergraduates to gain on-the-job experience which will stand them in good stead in the ever competitive world of employment. They noted that it is quite evident that in today’s fiercely competitive market, only those who can back their academic grades with some work experience usually discover the best breaks.

Martins Sagbama, an education psychologist, declared that gone are the days when students relied solely on the merits of their academics to assist in the acquisition of jobs upon leaving university. “Most employers have begun to look for more than just academic brilliance in their prospective employees, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a candidate with job experience is more likely to be employed than one with no experience,” he averred.

Sagbama however added that this is not to say academic achievements are unimportant, because the first duty of a student always has links with his education. Instead, he added, it is only a matter of ensuring optimum use of free time available by going for part-time jobs and internships that relate to their field.

Despite the difficulties some students face in the course of acquiring a degree in Nigeria, their degrees would more or less pale into insignificance without collaborative efforts between the lecturers and government, said Akachukwu Eze, a lecturer “University lecturers in Nigeria focus only on theoretical aspects of education. They have failed to make their teaching interactive because of overpopulation and poor incentive,” he added.

Eze however observed that while teaching methods in tertiary institutions may be essential in equipping graduates, it is the duty of the students to strive at making a success of their lives.

To him, undergraduates that have the opportunity to undergo any form of industrial attachment programme that ties in with their field should acquire the skills needed to succeed after graduation. He is however optimistic that with the ongoing reforms in the education system, the issue of ill-equipped graduates will soon be a thing of the past.

Adedayo Ekundayo, an education psychologist and consultant, argued that while education may facilitate the acquisition of skills and mastery of techniques, it can be made deeper if entrepreneurial curricular are included; as there are other specific activities which can be carried out with a view to creating an entrepreneurship culture in Nigeria universities.

Ekundayo further noted that generally, if a graduate must lead a fulfilled life, the type of experience he garners in the course of his study remains crucial.

He added that there is a need to employ career guidance counsellors for students involved in industrial attachment activities, especially in a situation that demands matching students with the demands of their prospective workplaces.

As far as Amadi Chijioke, an employment consultant is concerned, employers are wary of the graduates that universities turn out today because companies are in need of competent graduates and not those with little or no skills. 

 

KELECHI EWWUZIE