The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has cautioned that Nigeria is at risk of falling behind if urgent reforms are not implemented in the country’s education system.
Echono made this remark while delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture for Nile University, Abuja, on Tuesday.
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Speaking on the topic, “Redefining the Nigerian Education System for the 21st Century Workforce”, Echono emphasised that the government and all key stakeholders need to improve funding for education to ensure that educational institutions are adequately equipped with digital tools, state-of-the-art laboratories, and qualified instructors.
He lamented that Nigeria currently allocates only 7 per cent of its national budget to education, falling short of the UNESCO recommendation of 15-20 per cent.
Echono cited examples of countries such as Rwanda and Kenya, which allocated 18 per cent and 16 per cent of their national budgets to education, respectively, in 2021, resulting in significant strides in educational development.
The TETFund boss stressed that the Nigerian education curriculum at all levels requires a significant overhaul to meet the needs of the global labour market.
“Current curricula, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels, do not reflect the job market demands of the 21st century. Aligning Nigeria’s education curriculum with global labour market demands is crucial for preparing students for the future workforce, which is increasingly shaped by technological advancements, automation, and globalisation,” he said.
Echono explained that despite Nigeria churning out thousands of graduates annually, youth unemployment continues to rise, leading to high underemployment, social unrest, and associated economic challenges.
The missing link, he said, was an education system that was grossly misaligned with the requirements of the modern labour market.
To reverse this trend, Echono advocated for the promotion of the integration of ICT in education delivery to expand digital literacy across Nigeria.
He noted that according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (2022), only 35 per cent of Nigerian students had access to Internet services in 2020, due largely to the lack of broadband infrastructure in rural areas.
Echono emphasised that for Nigeria’s education system to be rightly positioned for the 21st-century workforce, the country needs to institute a comprehensive professional development framework whereby teachers are empowered with the relevant skills and resources necessary for modern pedagogy.
To address the high unemployment rate faced by the country, the TETFund boss advised providing entrepreneurship education and training that equips students with the skills and mindset to become job creators rather than job seekers.
“By providing entrepreneurship education and training, tertiary institutions can help foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, leading to the creation of new businesses, jobs, and industries,” he said.
Echono also lamented that technical and vocational education and training were underutilised despite their great potential to address the country’s high rate of youth unemployment.
He urged the country to draw inspiration from successful models of vocational systems in countries such as Germany and South Korea, which implemented dual education systems that combine academic education with vocational training.
“Far-reaching reforms that promote vocational education and training are crucial for equipping Nigerian students with practical skills directly applicable to the job market.
“The mandatory skill qualification policy and the introduction of the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) for promoting hands-on skills acquisition, being championed by NBTE, aim to integrate vocational training into the mainstream education system. Additionally, the new technical and vocational education and training (TVET) initiative by the Federal Ministry of Education is highly commendable,” he said.
On Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, Echono stated that STEM education is regarded as a veritable platform for building essential skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving, which prepare students for a technology-driven workforce and facilitate innovation to address real-world challenges.
“Although priority attention is being increasingly accorded to STEM education in Nigeria, there is a need to further deepen our commitment and funding of STEM education to enhance the competitiveness of our graduates for the 21st-century workforce,” he concluded.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor of Nile University, Prof. Dilli Dogo, said in the next two years, 40-50 percent of executive jobs will become obsolete; therefore, “if we have to move with time, we have to be creative thinkers, we have to be innovative, and we have to make sure that graduates of universities must contribute deliberately to economic and national development.”