3rd May, 2017
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday called for the review of the Nigerian Universities’ curriculum to serve as an instrument for achieving national development.
Obasanjo made the call in Abuja at the 2nd quarterly lecture series of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The theme of the lecture series is, “On the March to Re-invent the Curricula of Nigerian Universities for Improved Relevance and Global Competitiveness “.
According to him, Nigeria is in dire need of innovation that is critical to the nation’s development.
“The Nigerian educational system must have curriculum to serve as a guide to lead to the mission and objective of the education institutions.
“This has been established from time immemorial when education was first introduced by man where you have some form of institution of learning.
“Through ages, education has consistently been education for knowledge, skills, freedom, self-reliance and self-sufficient.
“One important aspect in a dynamic situation and society is that the curriculum must be innovated, reinvigorated and re-engineered,” he said.
READ: Gov. Akeredolu calls for vocational centres for graduates
The former president said that education of the youth was necessary and as such needed attention.
“We need innovation particularly this time and at every level of life, because it is the responsibility of all of us, no matter what we are doing or not doing.”
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said that reviewing the curriculum was an instrument for achieving national development.
He noted that the NUC was fully aware of the global dynamic of curriculum, while pledging its commitment to intensity collaboration with the universities to evolve innovative strategies in the curriculum.
He said that efforts had also been made to build the curriculum of academics staff to be in tune with innovative curriculum.
Prof. Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary, NUC said the review of the curriculum would help students from the secondary level to have better and quality education, rather than the half-baked graduates that were being produced.
Okebukola said achieving the best curriculum would make Nigerian graduates relevant to the industry, public or private service and as well be globally competitive.
“The curriculum review is stakeholder’s enterprise, the industries, parents and all stakeholders in the university education will be part of it.
“At the end of the day, all the gaps that have been seen by the various stakeholders would have been taking care of.
“It is a process and between now and the end of the year, there will be all manners of interaction involving all the stakeholders including all the industries that will make their contributions.
“If we don’t get the curriculum accurately, then you are going to get the achieved curriculum that will be severely deficient.
“So, get the curriculum organised, get the quality, well-motivated teachers, functioning facilities and get the students that we bring into the universities system to be better.
“Because we have half-baked students, they should be prepared from the secondary level and at the end of the day, we are going to have better and quality graduate that is relevant to the industry,” he said.