Minister calls for responsive education system

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, on Monday advocated responsive education system for the country to attain technological advancement.

Anwukah made the call in a lecture he delivered at the Annual University Distinguished Lecture at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo.

“We must and should fashion a new responsive education system that prepares us to do what robots cannot do well by learning to become more human.

“Humans, no matter the advancement of technology, still have an edge in high level reasoning in social and emotional skills.

“That is why we must spread the dynamic education approaches discussed in this paper.

“Experts in academics and industry must leverage together for human high brain power and IT to work together in solving world problems and not create a disconnect between man and machine”, he said.

The lecture was entitled: Nigeria and the Dynamics of Global Education/

He stressed the need for institutions to ensure entrepreneurship and skill development in order to bring out the country from its current woes.

“Our universities must come to terms with this and begin to stress entrepreneurship, self employment and skills development.

“The rise of automation, which we all cherish, poses challenges not just to world economies, but to the development of human capital.

“Forty per cent of jobs in Nigeria for instance are vulnerable to automation. The implication is that skilled graduates with technological expertise may be better placed to prosper in the work place in future.

“Turning the clock back on technological progress seems not to be the option. This certainly should be of enormous cencern in determining the focus of the educational enterprise in Nigeria and should better inform the discretion of career choices of our students”, he said.

The minister said that technological innovation drives productivity and growth which generates higher incomes and demands for new products and services that in turn become the basis for new jobs.

He said that the standard of education in the country was largely a function of quality of teachers in the educational system, adding that no education system can develop above the capacity of teachers.

He called on managers of institutions to transmit knowledge and train the human mind for economic and sustainable national development.

“The concern for quality, affordable and functional education in Nigeria are, therefore, most desirable for its role in the nation’s quest for inclusion in operational and modern development”, he said.

Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo said the lecture was in line with the vision of the institution to ensure graduates were more productive and relevant to the peculiar need of the country and the comity of nations

“The lecture is the first of its kind in Ambrose Alli University and was initiated by the drive of our vision to entrench a viable academic culture in our university to reposition it among the best academic institution in Nigeria.

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