By Clifford Ndujihe

AN educationist, Mr. Wale Afebioye, has decried the inadequate training that students receive in many schools in the country and called for a change in curriculum that would make graduates skillful instead of being mere certificate holders.

Afebioye, the executive director and business development executive of Premier College, Ijebu-Ode, lamented that many Nigerian graduates are not employable.

“I have been in the educational  sector for 15 years  as a teacher and administrator and have discovered that many Nigerian schools train students to be holders of certificates rather than people who possess  skills. This is the major reason why many Nigerian graduates can’t find job because of their poor performance and those who have the opportunity of getting one have to undergo rigorous training by the corporate organisations that employed them.”

He said the problem with education sector is that our schools are not centres for creative expression as most times, people go to school to obtain a certificate in order to secure a job. “Rather, school should be about discovering and exploring your abilities to develop skills towards expressing  your creativity.”

Afebioye identified other problems bedeviling the education sector as inadequate infrastructure, non-qualified teachers, bad government policies and non-implementation of agreements reached with teachers and other stakeholders in the sector.

He urged government, as a matter of urgency, to improve on the low standard  of education and formulate a policy that will improve on the standard of education such that commitment and dedication would be the order of the day.

“We believe schools should not just be about teaching and learning, but a combination of practical expression of theoretical inputs and exploration of new frontiers based on individual peculiarities.” individual peculiarities.

“The aim is to bridge the gap between curriculum content being taught in schools and the technological no- how they need to be successful in life. We also have enrichment programme that is designed for  our students to discover themselves early in life as well as giving them tools in the area of software, training and project work that  will help them perfect their skills in future endeavours.”

Proffering solutions, Afebioye said that Premier College addresses this problem by providing students with the necessary tools at no extra cost to parents.

“Our requirement policy places emphasis on qualified teachers with proven success at local and international examinations. Also one of the factors that stand Premier College out is our total care system this is  a system that  deals  with  all  the ramifications of a child  development be  it academic, social, spiritual and physical development. The school does  not  have traditional  classrooms but we  have  dedicated  subject rooms such that when  a child  for instance is learning Mathematics  every thing in that room must speak mathematics.

“Our school has a programme dubbed the Young Professionals Programme, which is meant to imbue students with skills. We believe secondary education should not be about passing examinations and getting certified only. Rather, education should incorporate self-discovery, self-development and ultimately self-actualization. It is our firm belief that when children are provided with the right tools, atmosphere and appropriate motivation they can start achieving their goals from their teenage years.