‘Nigeria’s Level Of Education Poor’

Damilare Okunola

Engr. Olawunmi Gasper, former Rector of the Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH, has said that Nigeria’s level of education is ‘abysmally’ poor.

The current Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board, in a chat with P.MNEWS Campus Square, explained that the youths have been wobbling and fumbling with their academics because they are not given the proper training from the foundation.

He noted that the primary education is the most vital stage in human development. This, he said, would lay a solid foundation for the nation’s future.

According to him, “the level of education in Nigeria, I must confess, is abysmally poor. We’re not being fair to the youths of this country. We aren’t giving them the quality of education they need to acquire and that is worrisome.

“Quality education must be at the primary and secondary school levels. Tertiary is an option because it isn’t compulsory for all of us to go there. If we find ourselves there, fine.

“But we must be at our best at the elementary level and leave it as an option for the young man to decide where he wants to end. People go for courses in tertiary institutions that are irrelevant to themselves and the economy.

“They spend about four-five years without discovering themselves and come out frustrated, reverting to doing what they should have done before going to a tertiary institution.”

On reasons some graduates seem unemployable, Engr. Gasper gave a statistical response: “I can give you a statistics that 60% of our undergraduates, both in polytechnics and universities, are studying courses they are not supposed to pursue. This is not good for the economy.

“So, when we are talking about the high rate of unemployment, we are talking about people who are graduates but unemployable. They are basically unemployable because they do not have something to sell.

“If I say; give me a good report and I spend two nights to correct it, why would I employ such a person? If I ask you to represent me at a meeting and you go there saying his and hers, why would I recruit you? Or if I ask you to get me materials and resources from the internet and you stay the whole day there, how do you think I’d accept you? You definitely do not have what I need,” he said.