Nigeria's Education System Deficient, Dogara Laments *Alakija: how I conquered my challenges
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon.
Yakubu Dogara, on Sunday said the prevailing education system in Nigeria has not
enabled the youths to discover their talents and effectively deploy such to
their advantage.
He stated that overhauling curriculum would be key
to combating the present scourge of unemployment in the country.
According to Dogara, education must be practical
and goal-driven if the youths are to benefit from the technology age.
While addressing teenagers at the 2018 Teens Career
Conference organised by The Redeemed Christian Church of God in Abuja, Dogara
said in order to effectively combat unemployment in Nigeria, a different
approach, which focuses on self-discovery, must be taken in educating young
Nigerians.
He stressed the importance of self-discovery to
attaining success and fulfillment in their chosen career paths, saying:
“Education fundamentally is very good, but education and success are not
synonymous; if that was the case, every educated person would be successful,
but that's not the case."
The Speaker stated that there are a lot of educated
people out there who are hooked unto careers that are not giving them much in
terms of success and happiness.
According to him, "Now, unfortunately for us
our educational system in this country, the one we inherited from our colonial
masters is not tailored towards self-discovery, it cannot tell us who we are.
‘’It is tailored to enable you fit in the context
of finding out what you want to do, go to work, close from work, earn salaries,
raise a family, then you become a pensioner till you die. That is the tragedy
of our educational system."
Dogara also spoke on the need to modify the
education system in such a way that young people are trained with emphasis on
providing jobs, adding that the Church also has a role to play in bringing
about the required change.
In her remark, billionaire business woman and
Africa's richest woman, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, who was also a guest speaker
at the event, advised Nigerian youths to be ambitious and to always strive to
actualise their dreams no matter the challenges on their way.
She noted that dreams, determination, hard work and
industry are some of the factors that propelled her to the present status.
Alakija trilled her audience when she told a story of
her journey to opulence, particularly her legal battle to recover a lucrative
oil block from being taken by the federal government.
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