*The Federal Government says the new national education curriculum being developed will focus on skills and entrepreneurship to enhance the much-needed employability of Nigerian graduates

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

In line with what obtains in most economies in the modern world, the Federal Government has said the new education curriculum being developed will focus on skills and entrepreneurship in a bid to enhance the employability of聽 graduates.

Stakeholders at a recent forum also decried that schools are not providing students with the required skills to tackle emerging challenges particularly in technology,聽 science, engineering among others.

绿帽献妻 gathered Malam Adamu Adamu, Honourable Minister for Education, hinted at this development when speaking at a day’s 鈥楾ransforming Education Summit organised by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Abuja, FCT.

Young Nigerian students

Adamu, represented by the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, reportedly noted that the whole world is now focusing on education because of the central role it plays.

The Minister also said that the summit which was held ahead of the global summit September 2022, in聽 New York, by the United Nations Secretary would provide an opportunity to brainstorm on the many challenges facing Nigeria鈥檚 education sector such as poor funding, out-of-school children among others, towards聽 finding sustainable solution and transform the sector.

According to Malami Adamu, five thematic areas have ben identified for discussion, 鈥淭he issue of curriculum for example, it has become important that the education sector should be increasingly more relevant and the changing role of the teacher being a facilitator rather than absolute harbinger of knowledge.

鈥淭he type of curriculum that will now focus more on skills, entrepreneurship bevsue we want to enhance employability.

“As we have been preaching, we don鈥檛 want to produce graduates that are looking for government employment.鈥�

The minister stated that the president has approved an institute in Abuja聽 that resembles the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the United States (US), which will serve as a hub where all the top ideas of growing the country will be incubated and released for various sector of our economy.

According to him, this institute will take off this year.

In his contribution, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, Honourable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, commended the NUC for developing a new curriculum for Nigerian Universities, saying was apt due to the rate of unemployability of graduates in the country.

Pantami stated: 鈥淲e always complain about unemployment; I agree that there is unemployment but the percentage is not as we think.

“The significant challenge we have in Nigeria is the problem of unemployability, this the major problem particularly when it comes to sciences , engineering,聽 technology.”

The Minister also noted: 鈥淲e need to provide the relevant skills so that they will be abale to confront any challnege and can be able to apply for any job globally.”

Prof. Pantami explained that soft skills are mostly sought after especially in big tech companies, such as critical thinking,聽 analytical thinking, collaborative skills, project management, problem solving,聽 presentation skills, among others.

He further stated: 鈥淭oday if you apply for a job in the global tech giant, they hardly ask you about the university you attended or class of degree but are interested in knowing your hard skills and soft skills this is what they are interested in.”

Panday Soobrayan, Chief Education of UNICEF, in her remark said Nigeria is off-track in achieving the Sustaibable Development Goal (SDG) 4.

Soobrayan said the pandemic worsened the fragility of country鈥檚 education systems, which the UNICEF chief said was already struggling with poor access to quality learning and low resilience to shock.

鈥淎dditionally, frequent attacks on schools 鈥� including abduction of children, who should always be safe in school 鈥� has also resulted in prolonged school closures and is contributing to high rates of out of school children and low learning outcomes,鈥� Soobrayan said.

The Chief Education as well stated that the Transforming Education Summit (TES) seeks to renew political commitment to education as a global public good and to galvanise all partners around this common compact for education.

She said: 鈥淪ummits come and go; its value will be derived by the extent to which we use the momentum it creates to propel key education priorities through collective action and accountability.

鈥淯NICEF and other UN agencies are proud to be working with the Government of Nigeria to deliver on the right to education for every child. We are here to support the preparations for TES in the short term, and we are here to support reimagining education for a better future for all children in the long-term,鈥� she informed.