By Ajayi Joel
Now, we have seen that the educational system cannot be solved if we point our index finger at the government alone. I have shown you that the school curriculum as well needs to be blamed and that parents also have a huge role they must play.
There are different parties of people who hurl complaints and insults when it comes to looking for the people or entities to blame for the cause of massive unemployment in Nigeria.
Most times, the blame goes to the government for not providing enough jobs for the citizens and the communities. Then next, the blame goes to the students for being lazy while in school, unready to learn, and afterwards unemployable. Simply, the graduates are unprepared for jobs.
If education is not addressed, unemployment would be on the rise. Now, the table is turned towards the guiders and counselors both in secondary schools and the universities.
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Firstly, if you ever had the privilege to sit with a counselor in school, and he or she gave you the option of what you currently study, or studied in the university, with full details of what the course entails, and what profession is out there for such course, then I count you lucky.
I would boldly say that just a few people are lucky, and if you are, kindly comment in the comment section. The truth is that the rest of us were quite unfortunate not to undergo proper guidance and counseling before we made the decision to move into the university.
We were clueless, we either wanted to be doctors or lawyers or engineers, and when jamb exam rejected us, we all looked at the long list of other courses related and boom, we were in the university. I mean you just made a shallow decision to opt in for a course you know nothing about, and you would spend 4 or 5 years there.
Is that a wise move? Well, should we blame the parents or students? Yes, we have already blamed the parents, and we will soon face the students. Yet, we need to also point this finger at the counseling department in school.
How many actually care about the job? Do they resume daily because they want to put students right or because there’s no salary if they don’t come to work? That’s still a very light issue.
The major issue is how many of those counselors understand the world of work in the 21st century. Well, fine, they might be our parents but how well do they understand the world of work in this decade: the latest jobs available, the best skills to pick, the right choices to make.
We are talking about saving the next generation so we have to face them and find a solution. The truth of the matter is that over 80 percent of youngsters go into the university without proper information about why and what they would be doing.
They would be left to figure it out on their own. If the counseling unit in a school isn’t working, why not close it down or get an updated person. This simple decision will be a game changer for any school that adopts it.
I will point out the fact that I have met many pre-degree and 100 level students who don’t know what they are in school for. The counseling department has failed them. We need to do something to fix it.
We must fix it. Else, unemployment will still be on the rise. Remember, simply addressing this aspect will affect a lot of lives, and youngsters will know what exactly they are in school for, why they are in school, and how to make the best of it.
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