By Mubarak Opeyemi Lawal
Nigeria’s education system is fundamentally flawed – a ticking time bomb waiting to unleash its devastating consequences. If we fail to address this issue, unemployment will continue to pose an insurmountable challenge. The dearth of relevant university courses in Nigeria will soon manifest in the labor sector, prompting an inevitable shift towards alternative education pathways.
I know of two individuals who abandoned their political science programs in their third and fourth years, respectively. Today, they are thriving in their careers. Another acquaintance of mine switched from their original degree to pursue a law degree. The reasons behind their decisions will soon become apparent to many. When that happens, Nigerian parents will begin to question the value of sending their children to university.
To clarify, I am not suggesting that these courses are inherently bad. Rather, the world is rapidly evolving in a direction that Nigerian universities are failing to keep pace with. As institutions, they continue to lag behind, producing graduates who are largely unemployable – not due to a lack of intelligence, but because the system fails to equip them with relevant, practical skills.
For instance, I recently came across a course offered by IBM that combines product management and artificial intelligence. This reflects the shift towards practical, technology-driven solutions in education, which is essential for meeting future demands. Courses like this demonstrate the need for Nigerian universities to integrate technology and practical skills into their curricula.
Without this integration, we will continue to produce graduates who are ill-prepared for the modern workforce. The problem does not start at the university level; it begins much earlier. Secondary schools in Nigeria must be more sophisticated and aligned with contemporary needs. The current system, which requires six years to earn a WAEC certificate, is excessive. Similarly, spending four years in university discussing theoretical concepts without practical application is an outdated approach.
Unemployment will persist in Nigeria as long as we continue to produce graduates who lack the skills required in the job market. If you need proof, consider why admissions into fields like law and medicine are so competitive. The answer is simple: value. These disciplines provide practical skills and clear career pathways. This same value must be integrated into other fields of study.
Universities abroad showcase their programs by highlighting alumni who have excelled in roles directly aligned with their courses. In contrast, Nigerian universities struggle to identify successful graduates thriving in their fields of study. This is not just a matter of a lack of job opportunities; it’s about the system’s inability to provide education that matches the evolving demands of the job market.
Reflecting on my own graduating class, I realize that 99% of us are not earning a living from the degrees we worked so hard to achieve. The same applies to those who graduated before and after us. While our university experience helped develop our analytical thinking and ability to process information, these benefits do not justify the time and resources spent.
With a proper secondary school system, students could acquire these competencies before ever stepping foot in a university. Most of us left university only to realize we needed additional skills to survive. If people had known they would end up running POS kiosks or selling hair extensions, they wouldn’t have bothered with university at all. Instead, they could have spent their time interning with experts or pursuing practical training that added real value to their lives.
It’s time for a holistic reform of Nigeria’s education system – one that prioritizes relevance, practicality, and technological innovation over tradition. Without this change, Nigerian universities will continue to produce graduates who are unprepared for the future, and the nation will keep paying the price.
Mubarak Opeyemi Lawal is a Political Scientist, Business Analysis Consultant, and Software Development Specialist.