Recently, I had a conversation with a man who should be in his early forties. Who told me that the only thing he could still remember from what he was taught during his secondary school days is “what is computer?” He then proceeded to define what a computer is and my God what a definition it was! I later asked him if he had any practical computer skills? “I no sabi one thing” was his reply.
That tells you a lot about the pathetic state of our formal educational system. Here's a man who could perfectly define what a computer is, but have no knowledge on how to operate one. The funny thing is, he probably got an ‘A’ on the subject. School places so much emphasis on theoretical knowledge but pay little to no attention on the application of that knowledge.
In the last academic institution I worked at as a teaching staff, I had several disagreements with the proprietress of the school because I simply refused to teach computer on the board. My stand was that until the school could afford his own computer lab, they had no business offering computer as a subject. “Teach computer on the board” — that's just sad!
There's a serious disconnect between what we learn in school and what obtains in the real world. With the exception of few colleges like Convenant University and the University of Ibadan, most of the higher institutions in this country are producing graduates who are not equipped with the necessary skills to compete in the job market.
We've Electrical Engineers who can't wire a house; Accounting graduates who can't balance a check book; Computer Science majors who can't write a basic computer code; Social Science graduates who are lacking in social and emotional skills. The knowledge taught in traditional institutions like the ones we have over here, are antiquated and adds no practical value to both student and society. And the worst part of all, they cost a fortune!
Nobody will hire you in their company for knowing how to define computer or political science. The latter by the way is what I studied at the University, and with no offence to my professors, it was a wasted four years of my life! Okay, may be for the memories and relationships formed it wasn't a total waste, but as for what I learnt in class, it was a complete waste of my time. Because I've acquired more relevant knowledge and skills on YouTube alone than I ever did during my four years at the University. And I wasn't a dull student by all indication.
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