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Declare State of emergency in education sector, Dr Amoo tells FG, Govs.
Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin
A Ph.D holder, Dr. Shina Amoo (MNSE), has urged the federal government, 36 governors in Nigeria and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Abuja to declare a state of emergency on education in the country.
He stated that strategies are needed to be injected into the education system so as to improve the quality of education in the country.
Amoo, who on Wednesday bagged Ph.D in Business Administration during the convocation of the Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, also called for the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and more use of information communication technology in our educational institutions.
He, however, advised the adoption of AI in such a way that it does not make pupils and students lazy and mentally redundant.
Amoo, who is Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Mania Petroleum Marketing Company Limited, urged the government and other education administrators to enhance the acquisition of skill development and entrepreneurship in the education system.
He noted that such would reduce graduate unemployment and rather make the graduate become self-reliant, job creators and even employers of labour.
The Ph.D holder said he aspires to become an associate professor so that he would impact his knowledge on the students and help mold them to become useful citizens of the country.
Amoo said: “I am happy bagging Ph.D in Business Administration from Lead City University, Ibadan. It is a dream fulfilled. I is something that I have been targeting since childhood. I have been carrying a title from childhood of ‘oba academics’ rather than chieftaincy title. I have now achieved the feat. I made a professional achievement of becoming a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (MNSE). My major target is to become a professor. I will try to achieve it, at least to deliver to the youths the knowledge that I have acquired so that I will have an opportunity of becoming an associate professor. This is my target and my dream.
“The educational sector should be improved upon. A statement of emergency should be declared in the educational sector. If you look around, a lot of people are taking their wards and children abroad for learning either secondary or tertiary education. This is not a major contribution to national development. It is very important for us to ensure the development of the educational sector in the country.
“Federal and state government should declare state of emergency on education. They should improve on the stomach infrastructure or improved welfare for the teachers or lectures and other personnel in the learning institution. They should be allowed to see enjoy being a teacher or a lecturer but if you expect to see a situation where a politician which HND or OND is earning N15,000,000 and a teacher is earning less than N200,000. What are you expecting? Schools are no where you will be expecting PR, bribe or any of such offers. Teachers will only teach and go back home, except you go with the method of teachers selling puff puff, donough, biscuit and other wares alongside teaching.
“Many teachers do not read again to gain more knowledge. Because what will encourage them to be reading or researching when they are not well paid or well-motivated? There is a difference between ability and willingness. If somebody is willing to perform it is different from the ability of the person to perform. He may have the competence to discharge his duties by his professional training but what about the willingness to perform those duties, teach and take care of the children well.”
He added: “It is also important to improve on information and communication technology. A lot of things are going on in the area of artificial intelligence because it brings laziness in our youth. At the same , there should be a way the government will go around it that will make the students focus on their academics.
“Government should devise strategies that will ensure that AI does not lead to educational backwardness and laziness among Nigerian youth because if nothing is being done, it will lead to serious laziness and backwardness. You will see for instance, a mathematical question being solved by AI whereas we need our children to know the rudiments of Mathematics to be able to solve questions very well. But withAI children will now learn the rudiments and steps. They will see the question solved by the system without any stress on them. This will not help us. But we still need to include AI in the system of education but it should be moderated in such a way that students and pupils do not become lazy.
“When computers were introduced into the education system, there were ways that the education authorities blocked some applications from children using them but they still used computers. So they can also devise a means to do that it such that AI will work in the school system without allowing pupils or students to become corrupted or made lazy.”
