From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Former Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo has suggested that more technology be deployed in the education to prepare the younger generation for the 21st century world of work that’s driven by technology.
Prof. Osinbajo’s suggestion was contained in a keynote address he delivered at the second matriculation ceremony of Miva Open University in Abuja, at the weekend.
He said: “There is absolutely no way that a brick-and-mortar approach to providing university education can ever work. Education policymakers, teachers, students, and employers of labour, must realized that education as we knew it is gone forever.
“Now and in the future, what we will teach, how we will teach, will never be the same again. This change is motivated by the type and quality of employee that the market wants today, and the ones that will be taken for granted tomorrow. And also how technology, especially Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, is rapidly transforming business, the professions, and the entire marketplace.
“Information gathering, memorising, and regurgitating information is dead. There is so much information and analysis of information already, and that is even made more versatile by intelligent systems, the AI tools and all that.
“So the emphasis is not on how much information you have, but how you can use that information to solve real-life problems. And real-life problems are many and varied, and not tied to the curricula in many of the old and existing disciplines.”
He stated that Miva Open University is the future of university education, adding that growth and high students is what’s at the forefront. “We believe that higher education in Africa cannot be effectively delivered to the number of those who want university degrees if we have to build physical universities to accommodate them.
“Every year, about 1.7 million applicants write the UTME conducted by JAMB, and on average, about 400,000 candidates gain admission to the universities. So, there is 1.3 million, mostly young people, who annually are eligible but do not have an opportunity for university education. Consider that Nigeria is growing at about six million people every single year.”
While he congratulated the new students, Prof Osinbajo, emphasized the importance of integrity in the life of an individual. “Real success is leaving a lasting impact through your work, your contributions to society, or the values that you are able to impart on others.
“Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be known for your consistency in applying high moral values or principles. If you borrow money, repay. Don’t make promises you can’t fulfil. Integrity pays. Sadly, it’s getting scarcer by the day. It’s getting more difficult to find people of integrity. So, it is in demand. And I can say that because people of integrity are in demand, they are much sought after by everyone.
“Even thieves are looking for men and women of integrity to keep their stolen money. If you are known to have no integrity, everyone will soon know it. And because many of the best opportunities you will get will be based on recommendations, it is easy to become unmarketable.”
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Tayo Arulogun, in his remarks, congratulated the new students, and assured them of the commitment and desire of the school to ensure they acquire best of education.
He said: “No less than 3, 000 students are matriculating into 14 undergraduate programmes distributed around four schools, namely, the Schools of Computing Science, Allied Health Sciences, Communication & Media Studies, and Management & Social Sciences.
“This is a clear indication that the university is the choice of study destination for the teeming youth population that are eager to access university education. This massive increase in gross enrolment across our degree programmes suggests that the university has made tremendous progress within one year of its existence.
“This was only possible due to the strong leadership provided by the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the university, as well as the support we received from the regulators such as the Federal Ministry of Education. National Universities Commissio (NUC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), NYSC, etc.
The Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Maiyaki, in his remarks, reassured the school of the commitment of the Commission to support the institution so it could deliver on its mandate.
