The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has called on government, schools, employers, technology companies and development partners to work together to build an education system that gives young Nigerians the skills the country’s economy needs.
The call was made through the NESG’s Community of Practice on Youth (CoPYouth), Human Capital Development Thematic Group, at a pre-summit dialogue titled ‘Future-proofing Nigerian Education.’
The hybrid session was held at the NESG Abuja office as part of preparations for the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#32). It looked at the quality of education, access to schooling, skills training, job readiness and the role of the private sector.
Ms Ozofu Ogiemudia, Chair of the NES#32 Central Organising Committee, said a good education system must be built from the bottom to the top.
This covers early learning, access to university and other higher education, what is taught and how, skills training, and the move from school into work.
She urged participants to stop listing the same problems over and over and to focus on ‘practical, scalable and financeable solutions,’ with clear responsibilities and targets that can be measured.
Mr Oluwatobi Oseni, who leads the Human Capital Development Thematic Group, described the situation as a ‘broken education pipeline.’
He said a weakness at one stage makes the next stage harder.
He pointed to the large number of children who are out of school, poor basic reading and number skills, falling exam results, and the difficulty young people face in finding productive work.
In his view, the success of the system should not be judged by how many certificates are handed out, but by whether learners gain the abilities needed to add to national productivity.
Speaking on the panel, Dr Moses Sichei, Chief Social Policy at UNICEF, said research done in universities should be useful to industry. He said postgraduate research, especially at MBA level, should tackle real problems faced by businesses and sectors, and should lead to policies, new ideas and practical answers instead of gathering dust in libraries.
He also called for entrepreneurship, innovation and digital skills to be taught in universities, and for more mentorship, internships and contact with working professionals. Students with promising business ideas, he said, should get support to grow them into real businesses that create jobs.
Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, said universities should do more than teach, research and serve their communities. They should also become centres of innovation and enterprise.
He said research should produce evidence for policy makers and ideas that help industry, and he called for closer ties between universities and industry, including more professionals taking part in mentoring, internships and teaching.
He added that students who show a talent for business should be helped to develop their ideas, so that graduates can create opportunities for others instead of relying only on paid employment. Digital skills, he said, should be part of this preparation for students in every field of study.
Ms Chikaodi Onyemerela, Director of Programmes and Partnerships at the British Council, also called for university research, particularly at postgraduate level, to focus on the real challenges of businesses and industries and to produce solutions that can be put to use.
She said Enterprise Development Centres in universities should work well, and she encouraged institutions to prove the value of their research through innovations, inventions and patents.
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) was represented by Hajiya Maryam Sani Rangaji, its Director of Teachers Professional Development, who spoke for the Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba.
She said the Commission remains committed to improving access to basic education and its quality.
She called for better school buildings and more welcoming classrooms, and for continued effort to cut the number of out-of-school children, adding that mapping and strategies to bring more children back to school are already being carried out.
Hajiya Rangaji also said more children must be enrolled, kept in school, moved to the next level and helped to finish. She said schools need qualified teachers who are professionally licensed. These efforts, she said, should lead to better basic learning results and stronger funding for basic education.
The session ended with a focus on turning talk into action. Participants agreed on the need to write down priority interventions, identify private-sector partners and make clear where each group can help improve education results.
The Human Capital Development Thematic Group will use the outcome of the meeting to guide its advocacy and follow-up work.