Education and the unemployment challenge

Education remains the most important tool for behavioural reform and economic emancipation.

It is not only a leveler in the society, but the only legacy any parent or country can bequeath their children and citizens. The importance of education can never be overstretched. It covers everything. In fact, it is everything. Both the rich and the poor pursue knowledge. The world would have been nothing without knowledge. Human beings would have been nothing without education.

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Unfortunately, education is being bastardised in many African countries, particularly in Nigeria where I have a direct experience. It is important to state that going to school is not limited to securing jobs (either white, grey, green or blue collar) after graduation. It is unforgivable to reduce years of rigorous educational development to securing job somewhere.

True, the type of society we are has made us to believe that automatic employment from government or private sector should follow after graduation. This is a half-truth. In short, it is a quarter truth today. This was marketable when there was a dire need of white-collar staff at the early years of independence and when the population of graduates was growing at an arithmetic progression.

In today’s world, it is a complete waste of academic years to limit graduation from universities and other tertiary institutions to securing paid jobs.

Abbas Datti can be reahed via [email protected]