Innumerable Unemployable Youths

UNEMPLOYABLE YOUTHS: AN INDICTMENT OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Barely few days ago, someone, a colleague precisely mistook my gentility for cowardice; maybe weakness. Just not unlike a bosom fellow has mistaken my kindness for foolishness lately; a freeloader indeed! Sometimes you may choose to remain an onlooker over a certain scenario owing to its trivial nature. But when things start to get out of hand, you wouldn’t need a mentor to remind you of the role you’re expected to play.

Brethren, greetings to you all! I’m so glad we’ve gathered once more on this platform for another wonderful sermon. I’m afraid, this one might be a bit cruel because I’ve found out that we’ve derailed tremendously in our various responsibilities. Of course it’s a fact; and no one can dispute it. If you have a contrary view, then don’t hesitate to set up your crusade immediately after this presentation.

Beware, many have gone. Thus don’t see yourself as the supremacy or one who controls whatever that happens here. Rather, you’re required to accept the fact that you’re one of the subjects of nature. You can never cheat it (nature), instead the reverse becomes the case. I repeat, beware trillions have gone already. And you would never be an exception whenever the need arises; get that into your thick skull.

Believe me, Nigeria as a whole is profoundly littered with uncountable number of unemployable individuals. Someone may ask, who’s unemployable?

An unemployable person is one who does not have a job and is unlikely to get a job because of the way he behaves or due to lack of relevant or required skill(s). in a concise and precise term; one who’s unemployable doesn’t have a job and has no chances of securing any simply because he’s not fit for it.

This anomaly is rampant in Nigeria, and it’s solely attributable to the rapid decay of the country’s educational sector. Honestly the sector is fast decaying, and it seems there’s nothing anyone can do about it in spite of the effort made so far to ensure that such aberration cease to exist.

If the truth must not be withheld, then it’s needless to say that, the educational downfall in Nigeria is not unconnected to the recent high level of corruption in her academic, administrative and socio-political system. Let’s ride on!

‘Sorting’ known as an academic decadence found amongst the lecturers which I’ve taken time to write on in one of my previous editions has introduced grievous harm to the Nigerian academic system. As a result of this perpetual cankerworm, most students no longer take their studies seriously thereby resulting to proliferation of half-baked graduates in the Nigeria’s labour market.

Secondly, lack of seriousness and non-carefulness of most academic and non-academic staff in our various citadel of higher learning have led to several misplacement of files and other official documents which I happened to be a victim during my university days. This nonchalant attitude of staff has been constituting series of aberrations on the affected campuses, such as dislocation of data belonging to students which often leads to misallocation of grades or scores to the said students.

Above all, inadequate or lack of teaching facilities and abuse of the existing ones have constituted the major phase of this ongoing porosity in learning curriculum. Most of our higher institutions are not unlike mere secondary schools; suffice to say that, they’re simply glorified primary schools. Lack of befitting libraries, laboratories, workshops, lecture classes, staff offices, et cetera, have introduced an environment that makes even ‘an imbecile’ to graduate at ease in our universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and so on. This poignant scenario is wholly linked to the incessant corruption rate in the nation’s political system. Recently the Nigerian government seems to be insensitive over the aforementioned ugly trend constantly and consistently witnessed in our schools. Such lackadaisical habit has almost destroyed the country’s educational system which has warranted the incidence of unquantifiable unemployable graduates in our labour market.

On the other hand, the available facilities have been greatly abused in one way or the other by both the lecturers and the students, and the schools’ authorities as well. Most of the universities/polytechnics’ teachers have often times derailed in their respective responsibilities in respect to strictly indulging the students in practical training. Severally they ignore the essence of the available practical facilities/apartments thereby engaging the students in mere theoretical coaching. The most pathetic aspect of this apathy is that, these theoretical teachings invariably take place in the so-called theatre, laboratories, workshops or what have you, as the case may be. Needless to say; in the minds of the lecturers involved, provisions of practical apartments are inconsequential or, waste of time. A loathsome and destructive conception if I’m not mistaken.

The students on their own consider the practical facilities as irrelevant section in their learning curriculum thereby from time to time dodge from practical classes as stipulated on their lecture time table. The more serious ones among them end up joining the ruthless chorus due to influence. The schools authorities have chosen to condole such disgusting acts by not implementing a strict law to ensure that the students attendance and active participation in practical sections remain non-elective or mandatory, and as well a prerequisite towards sitting for the stipulated course during the examination period.

Something drastic and urgent needs to be done concerning this fast indictment of the Nigeria’s educational system, else, we would wake-up one morning and discover that our labour market in its entirety has turned to a mere playing ground. Let’s not continue indulging in acts that would warrant the wrath of our ancestors. They’ve granted us enough benefit of doubt and we ought not to take that privilege for granted. I’m afraid, if we continue to take their kindness for foolishness, an unavoidable doom awaits our entire vicinity because I’m strongly of the view that they’re earnestly losing their patience. Think about it!

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COMR. FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com