Opinion: Can Nigeria’s education system survive in the 21st century?

There is no doubt about the fact that the internet has changed our world. It has altered the way we do many things and has led to the birth of many inventions, and also the death of others.

Communication, shopping, banking, travelling, entertainment and many more things have been altered by the new media and people are forced to make room for the changes. With an internet-enabled device, there is no limit to what an individual can do.

In light of these changes and alterations, many industries and countries are already adjusting for proper understanding, utilization and surmounting of all the challenges it might bring. Sadly, Nigeria is once again taking the back seat on this.

Of the many ways a lot of countries are making changes to accommodate the new media, education sits pretty on top.

As aforementioned, the new media has brought drastic changes to a lot of industries and it is crucial that formal education also take note of these changes and prepare prospective entrants into these industries for them. Not only does it help the industry grow, it also help propel the country to a greater height.

A prime example is journalism. There is hardly any journalist these days that can effectively carry out his/her job without a relatively good knowledge of the new media. No gainsaying but the new media is gradually shaping up to replace the traditional media and that is evidenced in the number of print organizations that have closed shop and moved online.

The new media offers a wider reach at a significantly lower cost and also provides virality and a lot more engagement. Hence, journalists are now required to have good knowledge of the new media in order to be relevant and up-to-date with the skills required to carry out the job.

The salient question, however, remains that – Has this change in the industry led to any change in the way the course is being taught in our higher institutions?

The answer is pretty much obvious, and it is unfortunate. Our education sector is largely modelled around syllabuses designed before some professors in the university were born. Journalism classes in higher institutions in the country are still teaching students things that are no longer relevant or gradually losing relevance. They are preparing students for an industry that might have been phased out before they graduate and also failing to equip them with skills to function in the new one.

Revision into the country’s education syllabus only leads to the creation of more subjects with little or no specific change on how existing ones should be taught.

ICT classes have been recommended but in most public higher institutions, it only lasts couple of minutes and usage of basic software like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and all are being taught.

For many years now, Finland has been a model of a successful education system and this is as a result of constant revision and changes in line with new global innovations. Last year, the country announced that it would be embarking on a radical education reform that will see ‘subjects’ scrapped and replaced with ‘topics’.

In explaining the reform, Pasil Silander, the development manager of the capital city at the forefront of the reform programme – Helsinki said: “What we need now is a different kind of education to prepare people for working life”

“Young people use quite advanced computers. In the past, the banks had lots of bank clerks totting up figures but now, that has totally changed. We therefore have to make the changes in education that are necessary for industry and modern society”

In addition, the education manager of the capital city, Marjo Kyllonen also said: “We really need a rethinking of education and a redesigning of our system, so it prepares our children for the future with the skills that are needed for today and tomorrow”

This is clearly a country that is conversant with the new developments taking place globally and ready to prepare its youths – who are the future of the country for it.

Until Nigeria also begin to effect these changes in the education sector and model her curriculum in line with recent innovations and demands of the 21st century, she will continue to churn out graduates that will need to take up several additional courses in order to perform basic functions. Graduates that will be many years behind in knowledge, ideas and innovations.

Fresh graduates with old skills and ideas in a fast changing world will at best turn out to be ineffectual buffoons. It is not good for our industries and the country.

There has to be a change.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Adeshina Peter can be reached on Twitter via @Shina_Pitta

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