Nigerian secondary and tertiary institutions have important roles to play in preparing students for professional life. The curriculum for secondary e… - Enase Okonedo

The primary function of education is to equip a society with the intellectual manpower to effect change and drive industries, stimulating innovation and creating opportunities for the future. Nigeria is faced with a serious challenge: a large percentage of our youth are unemployed, while employers are constantly searching for skilled employees to no avail.

Our educational system lacks robustness as it is largely geared towards a narrow focus. In the majority of schools, the emphasis is on maths and English, overlooking international languages and extracurricular activities such as music, sports and the arts.

The majority of youth who get absorbed by tertiary institutions are trained with a theoretical or academic emphasis. Therefore, they may not be equipped with relevant competencies in order to be employable, further exacerbating the problem of youth unemployment. Another major challenge we face is the passive outlook of regulators, who are slow to set higher standards so that our graduates can compete with their peers globally.