Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria have been tasked to review their current curricular, so as to enable them produce graduates that can compete globally in the 21st century
Right Honourable ‘Femi Gbajabiamila who is the Chief of Staff to the country's President Bola Almed Tinubu, gave the task on Tuesday while deliverying the 35th Convocation Lecture of the Yaba College of Technology, titled "Empowering Nigerian Youths in the Present Day Economy", held inside college's Yusuf Grillo Auditorium on the Yaba main campus in Lagos
The Guest Speaker challenged Nigeria Tertiary institutions to produce graduates with passion to change the world with ability to do so.
Education in the twenty-first century according to him, is not merely about skills acquisition and specialisation but disruption and reinvention
He stated that quality education in the 21st knowledge economy must empower the individual to operate effectively in multiple fields, to ask hard questions and challenge the status quo.
How do we achieve this? , he asked
"We do this by reviewing our curricula and teaching methods to situate our practices in the context of global labour needs."
"We require a programme of aggressive and sustained investment in education. Not only in the physical infrastructure of classrooms and lecture halls but in technology hardware and software to facilitate information exchange and innovation”.
Gbajabiamila noted that many skills that guaranteed employment and a healthy income for previous generations have been made redundant by technological advances.
He opined that this generation would not only be competing with one another for opportunities, but they would also be competing in a global marketplace, against students from all over the world, and against technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, blockchain and financial technology tools that are increasingly replacing the human function in the workplace, hence, the need to prepare the would-be graduates.
The Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. (Engr.) Ibraheem Abdul had in his earlier welcome address, said that the nucleus of the national manpowering development agenda towards youth empowerment should be at the tertiary institutions, saying YabaTech under his leadership remain committed to manpower development, technological advancement and youth empowerment.
"To achieve these noble goals, this administration has put in place several laudable initiatives targeted at youth empowerment, amongst which are the Quadruple Helix Collaboration Scheme for Youth Empowerment; establishment of Centre for Technology Marketing and Product Development; YCT Industry Alliance Group (YIAG) Programme and Students Work and Study Scheme", the rector expantiated.
According to him, the Quadruple Helix Collaboration Scheme provides a model for innovation and development that involves the active participation of ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND CIVIL SOCIETY.
It recognizes the importance of collaboration among these four sectors in addressing complex societal challenges.
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