By: Kiyesola Ismaila
My dream was to serve in the military, medical corps to be precise, what I do for a living is quite far from my aspiration. Well, that is a discussion for another day. The mantra ‘’school na scam’’ is one of the major contending issues in our great country, but you cannot agree less having gone through series of tutorial from primary to higher institution of learning (for the privileged ones). It is important to point out at the opening that you can never have your dream job. Let me ignite your appetite, what was your dream job in senior secondary school and what are you doing now?
The relationship between school and education is like that of hen and chicken, but let lend my little understanding about education and school; we can say education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school, while school is an educational institution designed to provide learning space and learning environments for the teaching of students.
Nigeria turns out an average of 500,000 graduates on a yearly basis from various higher institutions based on statistics as at 2016, the scale of unemployment among these graduates is above 60%.The funny assertion of youth not been employable, inexperience and not loyal to mention but a few is satanic; the irony of the whole issue is that most of the employed are either underemployed or not working in their fields of study.
In recent time, the ‘’get rich quick syndrome’’ among youths and lack of policy frame work to reposition our schooling system to meet with current demand, as well as corruption among the ruling class encourage the mantra ‘’school na scam’’. While graduates toll the street looking for means of livelihood as children of the privileged live in sheer affluence.
What is the use of 16 years spent in various levels of the school system that can not transform person almost immediately, let us borrow a leaf from the Eastern Nigerian business sense, the theory of oga and boy, a business novice is introduced to a particular trade which he or she learn over that same 16 years (less or more), this person starts having economic impact almost immediately when he or she is ‘’settled’’.
On the other hand, even if you are lucky to get employed you will still have to undergo training for a period of time to conform to the organization standard; does that mean the education sojourn is a waste?
The advent of sports academy have shown that school system in Nigeria is a big scam, as a footballer in an academy you will major in your skill development and perfection while you minor in English, Arithmetics and some basic knowledge and upon graduation you have a skill to start living on almost on the go. Furthermore, you stand the chance of becoming a coach once your career is over.
If only the government can have a deliberate policy to address the current education system that places individual on a particular track from the formative age, the school system will forever be seen as a scam, I explain, if we have school of agriculture, sport, engineering, technology and social sciences in a separate building with basic curriculum in these fields, we are putting an end to microbiology graduate turning into a banker.
Our school system has failed and will continue to fail us if we keep doing things this way, non-formal sector should be formalized and incorporated into our education system so much that people will earn degree in shoe making or tailoring. Droves running for white collar job can focus on the calling like my pastor friend will say, Imagine the construction of your house will be handled by a masters holder in bricklaying and construction. This will break the chain of unemployment and even help to export skills beyond Nigeria.
Kiyesola Ismaila (Associate, Chartered Institute of Leadership and Governance USA)