Abstract

The provision of quality education is cardinal to the attainment of a nation’s developmental aspirations. This is to say that a highly-trained stained or skilled workforce is sine qua non for national human development capital, technological and economic progress. In essence, a nation’s path to economic development is dependent on the availability of requisite skilled manpower that will contribute the requisite knowledge and skills to foster and sustain national development. To achieve the necessary impetus, the paper advocates increased funding of the education sector to not only provide necessary facilities, but also nurture talents and top-notch intellectuals and professionals leading to a drop in unemployment, social unrest, and insecurity, The findings reveal that the failure of Nigeria to leverage her educational trajectory with workplace realities is the leading cause of unfavorable developmental indices. To address the situation, the country needs to re-examine her educational policies vis-à-vis her workplace realities. The study concludes by proffering suggestions on the right curriculum and structural reforms necessary to effectively maximize her workforce potential.

Keywords

Higher Education, Challenges, Opportunities, Basic Education, Workplace.

Introduction

The quality of a nation’s higher education sector could impact the performance of her workforce. In this wise, the ability to leverage opportunities for growth as well as effectively tackling existing and emergent challenges in the sector is crucial to the generation of skilled manpower and productive workforce.

According to Fagbemi, et al., (2022), the world regards education as an index for development, especially in terms of economic, political and social ramifications as the quality of a nation's education determines development. Tertiary education, on the other hand, refers to all formal post-secondary education, including public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools and is instrumental to fostering growth, reducing poverty and enhancing shared prosperity. Taiwo (2005) states that Nigerian tertiary institutions are the third level of Nigerian educational system in Nigeria, the first two being primary and secondary educational levels.

Okoli, et al., (2016), stated that the Yaba Higher College was the first institution of higher learning to be established in Nigeria. The paper, however, noted that as of 1930, other forms of post-secondary education were introduced in some government departments such as the Railways and Agriculture. For example, in the Agricultural field, there was the Moon Plantation, Ibadan; Samaru near Zaria; Veterinary science institute at Vom, and Engineering in Lagos. Otonko (2012), on the other hand, stated that university education in Nigeria could be said to have its roots in the report of the Elliot Commission of 1943, which report led to the establishment of University College Ibadan (UCI) in 1948 and was affiliated to the University of London. The young institution was, however, saddled with a number of problems at inception ranging from poor staffing, and low enrolment to high dropout rate. To arrest the situation, the Federal Government in 1959 commissioned the Ashby Commission to advise it on the higher education needs of the country. The implementation of the Ashby Report led to the establishment of University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and University of Lagos, in 1962. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, had, however, been established earlier in 1960, even before the submission of the Ashby Report. Citing Babalola, et al., Otonko (2012) also posited that the University College, Ibadan and University of Lagos became the first two federal universities in Nigeria as the other three earlier ones remained regional. Taiwo (2005) noted that the Ashby Commission had proposed that University College, Ibadan, be upgraded to a full university status and all the universities in the country should be national in nature under the control of Nigerian University Commission (NUC). These universities are still referred to as first generation universities along with the University of Benin established in 1970. Between 1975 and 1980, the government established seven more universities, namely the Universities of Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt and Ado Bayero University, Kano, which came to be referred to known as second generation universities. The third-generation universities were established between 1980 and early 1990. They are: the Federal Universities of Technology in Owerri, Makurdi, Yola, Akure and Bauchi. While state universities were, as of then, found only in Imo, Ondo, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Oyo and Cross River States. The fourth-generation universities are those established between 1991 and the present date. They include more state universities, Nigerian open universities and many private universities.

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