We’ll address challenges facing all sectors of education – Jonathan

In a bid to address the challenges facing all sectors of education in the country, the Federal Government has urged Nigerians not to focus more on a mere acquisition of certificates that would not improve their skill development.
The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, made this known on saturday at the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd convocation ceremonies of the Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger State.
Jonathan said the establishment of a School of Entrepreneurship and Management Technology will complement the policy of the National University Commission in making entrepreneurship studies a compulsory course in Nigerian universities.
The President who was represented by Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. John Mark, said: “We are also vigorously addressing unemployment through our intervention projects such as Graduates Internship scheme, Youth Enterprise with Innovation and other windows open through the National Directorate of Employment. These unique programmes are all designed to promote entrepreneurship.”
Jonathan added: “We need re-orientation of our value system, with increased emphasis on conduct, character and competence. At work places, in our reward system in politics and society as a whole, we must stop seeing people who do not have degree as second class citizens.
“It is in the light of that I set up a committee, in April this year, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to look into the disparity between HND and Bachelor’s degree in the public service.”
Earlier, the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, had emphasized that all hands must be on deck by every stakeholder in the education sector in the country to restore the integrity of the education system, especially the academic certificates universities are
awarding.
Aliyu said: “We must pay more attention to high ethical standard in teaching, life long learning and the conduct of examinations if we want our certificates to be recognize outside this country.”
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Musbau Akanji, said that the 2011, 2012 convocation could not hold due to security challenges in the university.
Akanji however reminded the graduates that acquisition of degrees is no longer a guarantee of white-collar jobs.
He said this fact is not peculiar to Nigeria or developing countries alone.
It is a phenomenon that is worldwide, according to him, adding that the purpose of their training therefore is to prepare them to go to larger society and contribute to its upliftment.