The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has said the nation’s education system must prepare Nigerian youths for competitive advantage at the global stage.
Adamu made the assertion on Thursday at the 2018 Education Convergence Summit organised by Educorp World, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.
He said: ‘‘Our education system must produce adequate middle level and high level manpower with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to play an active role in our country’s growth and development.
‘‘It must prepare our youths to give Nigeria competitive advantage in the global knowledge economy.
‘‘Knowledge economy has been defined as an economy in which the process of production and services is based on knowledge intensive activities.
‘‘It is an economy that places greater reliance on intellectual capabilities than on physical inputs or natural resources.
‘‘It is no longer about oil or solid minerals; it is an economy in which knowledge has replaced the more well-known physical factors of production.’’ The minister said that trend in Information and Communication Technologies had changed and extended the frontiers of education in its delivery to the populace.
He said this had presented the nation with new challenges and created the urgent need to rethink education within the context of the global environment.
He noted that the theme of the summit aligned with the current drive by the Federal Government to provide qualitative education for all Nigerians.
He added that the theme fitted into the Federal Ministry of Education Smart Education Project.
He said: ‘‘The smart education project is an integrated solution of application, platform and hardware, which includes network connections, digital teaching environments, online learning platforms, and automated management systems, interactive and efficient teaching methods, along with supporting ICT infrastructure.’’
The minister said that the ministry was committed to quality education for competitiveness as demonstrated in government’s policies, strategies and other initiatives.
Adamu, however, noted that more concerted efforts needed to be put in place to enable the nation catch up fast in the moving world of digital technology and global competitiveness.
He expressed the hope that the recommendations reached at the summit would be useful to the ministry to achieve set objectives.
Prof. Adeyombo Aderinto, Director, Educorp World, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria at the event, advised the Federal Government to be committed to the cause.
Aderinto, however, advised that fixing the education sector should not be left to government alone, stressing that the meeting was aimed at affording people to come together, volunteer, network and solve the problems.
He said: ‘‘Convergence means coming together of stakeholders, policy makers, parents and teachers to see that we have a collective destiny and together we need to address what to do as a nation.”
He noted that all layers of education system needed attention, pointing out the necessity of starting from the foundation level in order to catch them young.
He added: ‘‘Kids with learning difficulties should be given special priority because we see disability in this country as derogatory.’’
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