Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for the review of Nigeria’s higher education curriculum to focus more on technology and creativity, stating that education today must be for employability, not just for its own sake.
He stated this on Friday at the fifth Convocation Lecture of the Federal University, Duste, Jigawa State.
Professor Osinbajo, in a lecture titled “Facing the New Decade,” said Nigeria’s curricula must be versatile and dynamic.
According to him, “the focus must be on innovation, critical thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, design thinking, synergizing and collaboration with others across the world to solve problems.
“The era of cramming teacher’s notes and regurgitating for high grades is over. The graduate of the future is a problem solver, a thinker, an entrepreneur.
“Our educators, policymakers, schools, universities must now adapt their curricula, policies, and projects to improve the skills that enable the graduate to nimbly and constantly respond to the ever-changing face of the economy and the workplace.”
He urged the students to see the exciting future ahead and know that the opportunities are limitless.
“There is no question that an exciting future lies ahead, there are breakthroughs in radical technologies, capable of disrupting whole industries, and perhaps even our very conception of work itself.
“For higher institutions who are getting graduates ready for the world of work, for the graduates and near graduates who are here today, what does the disruption of the workforce by emerging technologies signify for both livelihoods and employment?”
Professor Osinbajo highlighted areas that require improved skills training to increase access to opportunities.
“So today the most successful businesses are those adding value, even our culture can become a great wealth creator but only if we add value.”
“In our future, there is truly something for everyone. We should all take advantage of digital technology, especially social media and the various platforms on offer, to grow a customer base, gain traction and advance businesses.
“You can write a blog, develop a website to sell your products or even your ideas – whatever it is you know how to do best. People are running fully-fledged commercial businesses on Instagram without a single physical shop, an opportunity only made possible by the internet.”
