VC Harps On Educational Empowerment, Moral Ethics For Youths

The Vice Chancellor, Chrisland University in Ogun State, Prof Chinedum Babalola, has stressed the need for educational empowerment coupled with moral ethics and entrepreneurship skills for youths.
Babalola, the first female pharmacist professor in University of Ibadan. stated this at the 2021 Summit for Youths organised by a nonprofit organisation, Shining Stars Initiative International (SSII) in Ibadan yesterday. 
The don noted that the major setback for the country was the set of young ones who were not into formal education hence their restiveness.
The professor noted that the closest thing these sets of youths do for survival often came with crime.
“Another set is youths that are educated but are unemployed. They too sometimes get restive because after going to school they don’t have a job. 
“And that is why the curriculum is shifting more toward entrepreneurship. And everyone can practice entrepreneurship; skills acquisition whether they go to school or not. 
“But if you go to school, you will be better prepared to play in the global space. 
“What we should do right now is to design a curriculum that will look at morals, ethics and religion which we have thrown away and that is why we are where we are.  
“So we need to begin to appeal to the conscience of the young ones from nursery and primary levels, letting them know that crime and killings are bad in addition to their entrepreneurship skills.”
She said that entrepreneurship would ensure that youths, who ventured into entrepreneurship were secured, not that they were asked to go to the farm. 
“CBN gives them a loan but they are unable to stay in their farms due to insecurity and so they are unable to repay the loans. Insecurity is also born out of bad leadership.
“Educational empowerment is very important, but empowerment should go with moral and ethics,” Babalola said.
She urged youths to dream big and have a vision they could pursue. 
“If anyone says school is a scam let them try ignorance,” Babalola said. 
Also, the Europe Sector Food Safety Leader at PepsiCo, Opeyemi Sanwo-olu, urged youths to keep improving themselves and be careful in making choices.
He enjoined them to see opportunities in every challenge they faced. 
Sanwo-olu said hard work, diligence were what it took to excel, adding that youths should strive for excellence in whatever they did.
The Convener of SSII, Mrs Omokehinde Deji-Akinpelu, urged the participants to believe in themselves and know they could excel and rise above the status-quo, no matter the odds against them. 
“They must not allow anything to stop them, not their background or even their past mistakes. 
“Youths must have dreams and take full responsibility for its actualisation. They need to be humble to keep learning and get mentored.”
Deji-Akinpelu, who is an engineer, said youths should be compassionate and passionate about meeting needs and solving problems of their immediate environment. 
That Shining Stars Initiative International is a non-profit organisation that seeks to mentor youths so that they can identify and actualise their potentials.