The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has urged designers of the country’s education curricular to replace the existing philosophy with skills acquisition.
Obaseki made the call when he received members of the Nigerian Academy of Education, led by Professor Abigail Imogie, who paid him a courtesy visit in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
According to the governor, Nigeria is in dire need of fundamental changes in all sectors, especially in the education sector.
He maintained that the debate over the restructuring of Nigeria should focus on the restructuring of the nation’s education system, as much of the problems the country is grappling with, are the outcomes of the educational system that deemphasises skills acquisition.
“We no longer teach craft making and skills-based subjects, we need to rethink our educational architecture and stop the emphasis on degree qualifications that are not backed by skills,” he said.
He lamented that the existing curriculum was not designed to produce the required manpower that will drive the industrialisation aspiration of the country as, “most people under the age of 40 grew up at a time in which nothing was produced. As a government, we believe that to create a better and more productive society, we must ensure that the people are given skills-based education.”
He added that part of the strategic plan of his administration is to renew the whole education support structures, from basic education, through secondary and tertiary levels.
Earlier, leader of the delegation Prof. Imogie informed the governor that they were in Benin City for their annual congress holding in the state, from November 6th -10, 2017, and sought the support of the state government.
