The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has identified one of the reasons many Nigerian graduates are unemployed.
He said “it is because the Nigerian educational system over the years has emphasized theory at the expense of practice.”
Speaking at the 5th Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) mini-conference for tertiary institutions, held at the University of Ilorin, the Vice-Chancellor said there is a need for improvement in the current state of education in Nigeria.
Describing the educational challenges in Nigeria, Oloyede disclosed that “2.1 million Nigerian children do not have access to primary education and 10.4 million of the 33.9 million Nigerians eligible for secondary education are actually in school. Of the 234,682 candidates that sat for the last NECO examinations, only 4,223 or roughly six per cent made five credits in five subjects including Mathematics and English, which is the minimum requirement for admission into tertiary educational level.
He, however, stated that "it is gratifying that the emphasis on theory is being shifted to practice with the introduction of entrepreneurship programmes in many universities. Through this programme many youths are being empowered to think big by starting small instead of looking for jobs that many of them are not even qualified for as they lack the necessary skills.”
Speaking about the event, the VC, who is also the President of the Association of African Universities (AAU), said the essence of the programme is to provide students with an opportunity to showcase their geo-scientific knowledge by presenting papers on petroleum and environmental issues. He said the conference also acts as a “head hunt” for oil producing and service companies.
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