Still on the Skills Rather than Just Degree Debate

By Kabiru Danladi, Ph.D
Department of Mass Communication, ABU Zaria

Jelani Aliyu is one of the most talented Nigerians that the country has ever produced and one of the best in the world. He is a model that every young Nigerian should aspire to be. He has accomplished a lot.

Recently, I saw some people sharing a video of him where he was quoted talking about skills and certificate. I know the people quoting that portion were doing so to promote the idea “Skills rather than just degree” akida. He was quoted saying when he was employed at GM motors, they did not ask for his certificates, but what he could offer in terms of skills.

What? Maybe what he did not mention was; it was the certificate that earned him the invitation to GM motors in the first place.

Knowledge and education are designed to offer you the needed skills that can open doors for you to work in elites companies. Statements quoted from Jelani, Pantami and Bugaje in recent times have also renewed the debate about the functionality of the Nigeria’s educational system.

We found ourselves discussing and debating issues that confuse our younger population at a critical point of their lives. Education, throughout history is given to prepare and inculcate in us adequate skills, competence, values, and attitude needed for our survival. If you look at our system of education, it is designed to cover everything an individual need to survive in this world. From the kindergarten, primary school, secondary schools and tertiary institutions, the system is designed to give us the necessary skills needed for our survival.

If this system is wrong or faulty, we all know how to correct it. For our schools to work for us, we need to be serious about education, about knowledge – our schools should have the ability to provide “information, understanding, or skill that one gets from experience or education”. If someone feels the schools are not doing that, then let us start working to address that please.

Rather than quoting these great minds – Pantami, Jelani and Bugaje where it suit our sentiments, we rather start advocating for a system of education that can address our special needs. The vulcanisers, builders, electricians, mechanics, drivers, welders, computer/phones repairers, web designers are all skilled people. Or what skills are we talking about?

A lot of money is allocated every year to sustain this system of education we are criticising. We were also in a position to make our opinion known in the Federal Executive Council or push for a reform of the system, but we did not.

If our educational system is not working why can’t we approach it head on? But discouraging young people from obtaining a certificated education is not a solution to our problems please.

Ka je makaranta ka sami certificate dan uwa.

If that is the intention of Pantami, Jelani or Bugaje, then this is very bad, especially for a society that is battling with 22% of the global out of school children.