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The former vice chancellor of the
University of Lagos, Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, has suggested the
reintroduction of handiworks in schools to reduce unemployment.

The don, who is also the chairperson,
Board of Trustees for VolunteerCorps, disclosed this on Thursday,
during a courtesy call the non-governmental organisation paid to NEXT
office.

Mr. Ibidapo-Obe, who led the team on
the visit, proposed an all-round education system that would put
emphasis on problem-solving, rather certificates as the only means of
qualification.

Making school curriculum work

“When we were in school, they didn’t
just teach us arithmetic, composition; they taught us civics, history
of the world; they taught us other skills like how to weave baskets,
how to make tools like a carpenter… All these things have
disappeared; all what we do is to teach our children to pass the
entrance examination…,” he lamented.

Mr. Ibidapo-Obe said creativity must
have a place in the school curriculum, as it is integral to the
creation of jobs and the economy.

“We need to incorporate these skills
into the curriculum, so that kids are employable. We need to develop a
university that allows the kids to turn out solutions,” he said.

The don also said science courses
should be made compulsory for all students in the country, as its
products are fast becoming a necessity.

Science and Technology, he said,
“should be for everybody; it is wrong to say ‘it has to be for those
doing mathematics.’ There is nobody now who does not need science and
technology; for instance, if you are not computer literate, you are not
likely to live in this world; you should live in another planet.”

Public schools losing value

He, however, asserted that volunteer
work, as being done by VolunteerCorps, can help support public schools
provide quality education. He also said the number of accomplished
individuals who had public education has continued to thin, adding that
the disparity between public and private education has widened in
recent years.

The team also requested for a
partnership with NEXT in the support and promotion of volunteerism as a
strategy to develop in the country.

“We want to make volunteerism a
conscious effort for people; and we want to join hands with NEXT to
inspire a change in the average Nigerian by influencing the way he or
she thinks, especially in a project ‘The New Tribe of Nigeria Project’,
which will indeed make Nigeria a better place,” said ‘Tuke Kuku, the
executive director of VolunteerCorps.

On behalf of the team, Mr. Ibidapo-Obe
also presented a plaque which says, ‘Certificate of Appreciation
awarded to NEXT for a tremendous media support of our programmes for
the year 2009’, and was received by an Assistant Managing Editor of
NEXT, Kayode Ogunbunmi, on behalf of the company.