A professor of Economics of Education, Prof Chinyere Onyemaechi Agabi has expressed fears that the great youthful populations of the Nigerian nation may become a national liability if the content and quality of education are not connected to global trends.
This followed the myriads of challenges confronting the teaching and learning processes in the nation’s education system.
In her inaugural lecture titled “The Dilemma of the Sower In Growing The Desirable Labour Force,” delivered at the Auditorium, Main Campus of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, last Thursday, Prof Agabi alluded the Nigeria teacher to th e sower in the Biblical Parable of the sower regretting that the teachers were mostly blamed for the issues bedeviling the education sector particularly the turn outs of low facility of graduates.
Agabi identified the dilemma’s/challenges of teachers to include unfriendly work environment, ill-prepared learners constant blaming of teachers for the failures in the system, insufficient resources support, low income achievement prospect and working constantly with mo prospect of education.
Describing teachers as knowledge facilitators Agabi said they are the sower of knowledge and most important resource in education process and stressed the need for an upward review of the education system to create a conducive learning and teaching environment for an enhanced and vibrant national labour force.
In her words “formal education will not produce the desired quality of labour supply for Nigeria’s struggling economy even if the education policy is reviewed a million times without the establishment and maintenance of education environment that guarantees quality of learning for the Nigeria child in public and private schools.”
“The labour force that is desirable in any economy is expected to have the right level and type of education, skill development and desirable personal attributes to ensure high level of productivity”, she said.
Agabi maintained that in developing education as an economic investment, the guest for the production of the desirable labour force that will sustain a developing economy like that of Nigeria should consider the tripartite condition of classifying children who are ready for learning, making relevant institutional resources available and establishing favourable learning environment to achieve quality education.
According to the education expert, the educational provision and development practice existing in today’s Nigeria was inc apable of facilitating the school teachers’ productive engagement in the effort at growing the desirable labour force for the nation’s struggling economy.
Agabi therefore recommends a close synergy between teachers and parents in equipping the learner with basic resources required for effective participation in school activities and government’s intervention by the building of more schools to avoid overcrowding especially in public schools which would automatically crate the need for more professionally trained teachers.
She said, “an upward review of statutory fiscal allocations to education in general and to teacher training institutions in particular is strong recommended. The teaching field should be made more attractive in terms of remuneration so that the best brains can be attracted and retained to facilitate appropriate development of the desired quality continuous supply of indigenous workforce through organised education.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu