Why Nigeria’s education reform must go beyond curriculum revision to skills, character, practical learning and a new definition of success.
I read with keen interest the thought-provoking piece by Distinguished Senator Babafemi Ojudu, titled “The Curriculum, Stupid!”
I agree with the central concern: Nigeria’s education system must do much more than produce certificate holders.
However, from my perspective as an educator and someone who has spent years around the classroom, I believe the problem goes beyond the curriculum.
It is also about our definition of success.
We Have Taught Our Children to Chase Certificates
For too long, we have taught our children—directly and indirectly—that the ultimate evidence of success is to obtain a university degree, secure a white-collar job and acquire impressive titles.
In the process, some children have been made to feel that becoming an electrician, plumber, welder, mechanic, farmer, tailor, fashion designer, technician or craftsman means they have somehow failed.
That mindset is dangerous.
A society cannot survive on certificates alone.
Who will build the house?
Who will install the electricity?
Who will repair the machine?
Who will maintain the solar system?
Who will produce our food?
Who will develop the technology?
Who will transform knowledge into products and services?
These are not inferior responsibilities. They are essential components of a functioning economy and society.
Education Must Reconnect With Life
This is why I strongly believe that education must reconnect with life and practical realities.
A student should not only be able to answer, “What is Pythagoras’ theorem?” but should gradually understand where mathematical reasoning can be applied in the real world.
A student learning agriculture should experience farming.
A student studying computer science should build something.
A student studying engineering should encounter practical problems.
A student studying business should understand how to create and manage value.
A student learning communication should know how to communicate responsibly in the real world.
Education must progressively move from:
“What did you memorise?”
to:
“What can you understand, create, improve or solve?”
That shift is fundamental.
University and Vocational Education Are Not Enemies
However, we must also avoid creating a false choice between university education and vocational education.
Nigeria needs both.
We need doctors, engineers, teachers, lawyers, scientists, researchers and academics.
But we equally need competent electricians, plumbers, mechanics, builders, welders, farmers, technicians, artisans, software developers and entrepreneurs.
The real issue should not be whether a person holds a university degree or a technical certificate.
The real issue is competence.
A degree holder who cannot effectively apply his or her knowledge presents a problem.
A technician who lacks professional ethics is also a problem.
A successful education system must therefore produce people who combine knowledge, competence, character and the ability to create value.
Curriculum Reform Alone Is Not Enough
While I agree that Nigeria needs curriculum reform, I believe we must also address several other dimensions of education.
We need:
- Skills reform — so learners acquire practical and employable abilities.
- Teacher-development reform — so teachers are equipped to facilitate learning beyond examination preparation.
- Parental mindset reform — so parents stop measuring their children’s worth solely by the professions they choose.
- Institutional reform — so schools become environments for discovery, creativity and problem-solving.
- Assessment reform — so students are evaluated not only on what they can remember but also on what they can understand and apply.
- A new social attitude towards the dignity of labour — so productive work is respected regardless of whether it comes with a university degree.
Education reform must therefore be broader than rewriting textbooks or changing subjects.
This Is What We Mean by “Back-to-School”
This thinking is also one of the principles behind the Back-to-School programme, an initiative and programme I host on Mature Minds Digital Radio TV every Saturday.
Our message is simple:
“Education Matters: Educate Minds, Transform Nation.”
For us, education is not merely the pursuit of examination scores.
It is about raising smarter, safer and more purposeful learners—young people who can think critically, communicate effectively, discover their abilities, acquire useful skills, solve problems and make responsible choices.
As Students Return to School, What Should Change?
As students return to school, my message is therefore simple.
Students should not go back to school merely to collect another result.
They should go back to discover what they can become, with the guidance and support of their parents, teachers and the wider community.
Parents should not only ask their children:
“What profession do you want to study?”
They should also ask:
“What problem do you want to learn how to solve?”
Teachers should not only ask:
“Did this child pass?”
They should also ask:
“What ability have I helped this child develop?”
And policymakers should stop measuring educational progress merely by the number of schools, buildings, graduates and certificates produced.
We should increasingly ask:
How many problems are our educational institutions solving?
How many useful enterprises are graduates creating?
How many practical skills are students acquiring?
How employable and productive are our young people?
These questions take us closer to the heart of meaningful educational reform.
What Kind of Human Being Are We Trying to Produce?
Ultimately, education should not only prepare a child for an examination.
It should prepare that child for life.
Senator Ojudu’s article has therefore opened an important conversation.
Yes, the curriculum needs serious attention.
But perhaps the bigger question is:
WHAT KIND OF HUMAN BEING ARE WE TRYING TO PRODUCE THROUGH EDUCATION?
If our answer is clear, then our curriculum, teaching methods, assessment system, vocational training, parental expectations and educational policies must all point in the same direction.
We don’t just need educated Nigerians.
We need competent, ethical, creative, productive and problem-solving Nigerians.
That, to me, is the education reform conversation we should be having.
— Amb. S. Yasir Abiola
Educator | Presenter | Education & Youth Development Advocate
Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
