Opinion: The Nigerian youth and the several leaps of blind faith

“No education is a waste” Is an aphorism popular and used in different part of the world to show the value of education. The statement is a truism in itself.

However, in Nigerian parlance it could mean a number of other things such as: “just study the course you were given. It’s just the certificate you need. Besides no education is a waste.”

This year, according to data provided by the registrar and chief executive of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Dibu Ojerinde, stated that about 1.4 million candidates registered for JAMB this year –with majority applying for the so called professional courses (whatever that means) such as medicine, law, pharmacy etc. According to the good Professor, universities around the country have less than 800,000 slots available for students seeking admission this year.

As one education website advices its readers:

Ensure to select courses with few numbers of candidates, and by so doing, you can be sure of your admission and if you so please, you can apply for change of course after (you’ve) been admitted. This is to boost your chances of admission not because you are not intelligent but slots are limited, competition is higher and you are getting older….”

Yearly the number of students applying to enter into the university keeps increasing. And as many that fail JAMB, there are as many that passed JAMB but will fail to secure admission into the university.

Others will however gain admission but to a degree program that is a far cry from what they originally applied for. A friend of mine applied for computer science a few years ago, but was admitted to study Plant Science –never mind that the young man had a disfavor for biology.

Or another who was more comfortable in biological sciences but was admitted to study mathematics (despite being in his third year now, he is still head underwater trying to figure his academic life and abundant carry-overs out).

To many –majority even- they were lucky to gain admission. I suppose they are, considering the immense difficulty in getting admitted into Nigerian schools regardless of how high your JAMB score, and its superannuated brother POST-UME, is. But at what cost?

But that is the point. Admission seekers have become so desperate that the call themselves lucky for securing admissions into courses that they have little or no aptitude for.

The system that still overemphasizes the acquisition of academic certificate over other technical and non-academic skills, implements a lopsided reward system that values the so called professional courses over other courses, also foist on this youths courses that they do not aspire for but are forced to accept out of desperation and lack of alternatives. At the end it becomes a case of “Nigerian graduates are unemployable.”

Needless to mention the harm done to the self-esteem and confidence of such students, as they are left with no choice but to question their self-worth and intelligence after taking on a degree program that in no one reflects their cognitive abilities or inspires them to be creative and assertive

At the end of their stay in the university, having bagged their respective degrees –or dropped out- and served the motherland for a year, the job application process begins.

Unable to find suitable employment –or any job at all-, they begin to send out applications randomly to any organization hiring –never mind that they have no passion for the job, money is far more important than the abstract concept of passion and pursuing dreams. Goodbye passion, rest in peace dreams.

At the end of the day the society becomes saturated with youths that are unhappy at their jobs, uncomfortable with their undergraduate degree. But are still bear the toga “leaders of tomorrow.”

It becomes a sad case of what my father calls “gawa agawa adighi mma, nawa nawa adighi mma” (coming is not easy, going is equally not easy). I once read a quote by American essayist and novelist, Ray Bradbury:

“Love what you do and do what you love. Don’t listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.”

At times I wonder how true the statement is for Nigerian youths. Whether it is not a vain pursuit against the tide for young people in our country to believe in the idea of living their dream and/or making their passion their work.

One could argue that it is possible to live your dream and pursue your passion regardless of what life or man stakes against you. But we must realize that while some are born to be leaders and entrepreneurs others are made to clear the path (much like John the Baptist and Jesus) for a greater course. And each person has a different calling and aspiration.

We must, as a country, deemphasize academic qualification and preference of some degrees and courses over others. Else we will continue being a country that churn out graduates that are not only unemployable but lack creativity, and are dispassionate to their work and society at large.

Although there are no reliable statistics to rely on when making statements about the mental and psychological wellness of Nigerian youth.

However, a sad fact is that a time will come when we will release that mental illnesses, such as depression, are prevalent amongst our generation who despite their sagacity, gutsy, browbeater attitude and obdurate nature on social media are as fragile as the rest of humanity –or perhaps even more fragile.

Hence the several blind leaps and sacrifices that young Nigerians make predisposes them to unhappiness, mental and psychological ill-health.

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

Opinion article written by Nwankwo Emeka J.

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