Today is the International Day of Education, & an urgent qu…

1. Many universities are wasting the time of young people. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here & it is demand specific. The world needs specializations & universities aren't providing that which is why more companies like Google, IBM, Apple don't prioritize a college degree.

Why do we import foreign medicines & even vaccines produced by other countries when we have hundreds of universities? Why do over 70% of our microbiologists or biochemists never practice upon graduation but choose to become fashion designer, bankers or makeup artists ?

Why will a roadside mechanic be better at fixing a knocked engine than a mechanical engineering graduate? Why can't computer science graduates build apps or diagnose computer languages? This is because our education curriculum is outdated & irrelevant to today's world.

2. Vocational & technical workers can earn more from a non-degree education than a four-year degree.
With the fast growing economy which requires more “technicians, artisans & vocational professionals”. These professions should also be given equal respect and dignity.

3. Many students already work post secondary school & during their university. Study shows that 60% of the jobs that university graduates now perform can be done by non-graduates. So why invest so much money & years to get a university degree that will only give you the same job?

4. Universities are getting more unaffordable. Asking students to spend money they don’t have on an education they might not use is not a sustainable system.
70% of youths today can't afford a public or private universities education.
This alone should make us have a rethink.

5. Online education is on the rise, globally acceptable & more affordable.

It's terrible that over 90% of our education in Nigeria is In-person when the world is moving online. You must sit in class to learn from a lecturer sweating & shouting in a hall with 500 students.

Why would a department be limited to 100 physical admissions in a year when they can have 400 online.
Is it the lack of technical knowledge or the political unwillingness to innovate?
Anyway just as Uber disrupted the Taxi industry, universities should be on the look out.

6. Universities aren't preparing students for the jobs of the future because they are stuck teaching the methods of the past.
A study by Dell Tech. shows that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 10 years havent been discovered so why can't our universities think ahead & innovate?

About 10 Years ago 80% of the major social media apps we use today didn't exist? Like Instagram founded in 2010, Uber in 2009, Whatsapp in 2009, Zoom in 2011, Ticktock 2016, Clubhouse in 2014 & so are several jobs like Data Analysis, Cloud computing, Social Media Influencing etc

7. Universities must embrace technology and be the citadel of technological advancements.

I visited the Exams & Records office of a Federal university recently for transcripts and here is what the office looked like and this is the situation across 80% of Federal universities.

Some could say it's government's lack of funding, others say it's the universities lack of evolution.
Whatever it is, Univerisities must do better for young people!
If our universities aren't prepared for the future, how then can they prepare millions of youths for the future ?