Nigerian universities have been described as lagging behind in producing quality graduates that will compete everywhere in the world and for employment by the private sector.
A lecturer with the Department of Business Administration Bayero University Professor Ali Muhammad Garba stated this while presenting a paper titled the quality of University graduates, Imperative of Matching demand with supply organized by the center of information Technology and development CITAD in its series of Knowledge Production Dialogue.
The dialogue supported by Rosa Luxembourg foundation emphasized on quality education and enabling environment, seeks for a way out for Nigerian graduates to be accepted worldwide as qualitative workforce.
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Professor Ali Muhammad Garba who was joined by Ms.Hilda K. Kragha the Chief executive officer, Jobberman, and Professor Pam Sha of NIPSS as moderators and panelists respectively said debates on the quality of Nigerian graduates have taken center stages with several complaints about their poor communication skills among others.
Professor Garba cited an example of how Late President Umaru Musa Yaradua lamented in a National Television that Nigerian university graduates are unemployable compared to graduates produced out by Nigerian Universities in the ’70s and ’80s.
He pointed out that to improve quality education in Nigeria there is an urgent need to have committed scholars like what ASUU has been advocating for as well as monitor changes in areas such as teaching quality, curriculum performance and so on.
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He said for Nigerian universities to overcome the challenges there is a serious need for curriculum development and overcoming poor research credibility.
He added that that was the main reasons Academic staff union of universities had overrunning battle with previous administrations including the Babangida administration.
The university don further urged Nigerian Universities to institute a formal mechanism for evaluating the quality or opt for condensed measures provided by UNESCO to suit their purposes and goals.
He said education should not be put to random events or wishes of the operator.
On her part, MS Hilda .K Krgha said Jobberman is seeking to link five million youth to jobs in the next five years with a focus on Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos within the Agriculture, Digital and Creative sectors.
MS Hilda added that there should be an awareness creation amongst students to sign up on Jobberman’s platform and register for free soft skills training will be useful for them as they complete their studies in the near future.
