The Unemployment Saga -By Tijani Abdulkabeer

Over the years Nigerian schools were practical workshops where education was not only available but actually put into practice. Pupils who finished standard six in the 50s were highly literate and well respected. Jobs were also waiting for products of both primary and secondary school students.Big companies like G.B. Ollivant and Leventis competed in the recruitment of university graduates and 200 level undergraduates were interviewed for jobs pending graduation one year later.

However, Six or seven Decades down the line the scenario changed dramatically. At this point, government was not proactive in the provision of education opportunities for those who cannot continue upto secondary school and in order not to be seen as weakening,students are cowed into entering secondary school without sound academics prowess.This to a large extent predisposes such students to unemployment after graduation since they will come out not having sound certificates or at worst end up immersed in examination malpractices.

Similarly, The matter is compounded daily as more higher institutions churn out fresh graduates to add to the already saturated labour markets without effective implementation of vocational and/or entrepreneurship studies needed to superseded in the outside world. We now have Army of job seekers roam Nigerian street in search of a white-collar job,half of them are educated illiterates because they lack basic skills and ability needed to be considered for employment.They keep flaunting their certificates around having the mindset that since they have been to school and hence must be successful,forgotten wholeheartedly that the society has gone beyond Appreciating certificates but rather cherish Intellect,skills and ability to work.

Furthermore, The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.Intelligence plus character,that is the goal of true education.-Dr.Martin Luther King.JR. in the sight of Nigerian graduates the reverse order is the case. They believe education is an end in itself, that is why they fail to engage their hands in menial jobs to make a living, as they keep expecting better Day Ahead and that is why most of them still suffer in silence.

On th other hand,Education is just a tool to determine your standard of living and not a major instrument in measuring your success.To be frank,Even if imaginative changes are made in methods of instruction and content of courses at varying levels of education,young graduates will still face the harsh realities of the labour market,unless unemployed graduates are ready to do farm work,artisan and other professional jobs,the number of unemployed graduates will continue to rise.That is why Delacroix(1978) said that education has multiple functions to perform:passing on cultural values,developing critical minds,training specialized skills but noted that the promise of education cannot be fulfilled if university graduates become dissatisfied,disillusioned and abject because thay cannot put their ability to work.

In conclusion, the type of education provided to people determine the type of labour force in a given place and time.It is obvious that the massive provision of formal education is the bane of the unemployment saga in Nigeria. Therefore,education is also capable of providing the needed change in people when we are able to identify where we have gone wrong and willing to do it right.

Tijani Abdulkabeer B. Is a student of Polytechnic, Ibadan and can be reached via Email: Kabeertijani78@gmail.com.