‘Education key to curbing Nigeria’s youth unemployment’

A call has gone out for a greater focus on skills acquisition in Nigerian schools to reduce the country’s burgeoning youth unemployment figures.

Industry watchers observe that figures from the International Labour Organisation puts the rate of Nigeria’s unemployed between the ages of 15 and 24 at around 13 percent, stressing that this figure disguises a much higher figure of youth unemployment amongst women and the rural poor (as well as the high rate of underemployment of Nigerian youth).

Muhtar Bakare, Pearson’s Managing Director in Nigeria, believes that improving education standards in Nigeria is fundamental to reversing the country’s rising youth unemployment,

Bakare observes that with over 11 million young people in the country out of work, youth unemployment presents one of the major challenges facing President Buhari’s incoming government and it is a problem that looks set to worsen if urgent action is not taken.

According to him, “Of the 167 million people in Nigeria, over half are between the ages of 15 and 34 years. This ‘youth bulge’ is seeing around 1.8 million young people entering the job market every year, placing increasing pressure on an already tight job market”.

“Nigeria’s unemployment challenges are vast and complex and no one solution will fix the problem. However, the research clearly shows that improving educational standards will be vital in any resolution to this crisis. Around half of those affected by unemployment in Nigeria do not have an education past primary school level”.

Even in other parts of the world where children have access to the highest standards of education, youth unemployment remains a huge issue (the global number of unemployed youth sits at 300-400 million).

So what does this mean for children in Nigeria, where the primary school enrolment rate sits at just 66 percent and educational attainment rates are low by international standards?”

However Bakare is keen to point out that the solution is not as straightforward as simply getting children into school and keeping them there.

“Young Nigerians, despite often being better educated than their parents, face diminished employment prospects. This is not just a result of structural problems in the labour market or a lack of available jobs (although these are no doubt contributing factors). What we are seeing is a chronic mismatch between skills and employment opportunities poor teaching standards and poor curricula have meant the Nigerian education system is not equipping young people with the skills and knowledge valued by employers. We need to rethink traditional education so that our schools, colleges and universities are providing learners with the attributes a modern workforce demands”.

Indeed, many employers throughout the country frequently complain that despite the size of Nigeria’s labour force, it is often difficult to recruit workers with requisite skills. Nigerian employers often lack confidence in the education and experience of those leaving school or university a problem illustrated by the 20 percent unemployment rate of Nigerian university graduates.

Bakare believes it is imperative for all Nigerians not just those experiencing unemployment or underemployment to address the rising youth unemployment challenge through improved skills education at all levels, adding that,

“International experience has shown us that high rates of youth unemployment have far-reaching social, economic and political consequences at a national level. Providing our young people with a sufficient education that adequately prepares them for the workforce is vital to keeping this vast section of our population engaged and productive. Our future prosperity as a nation requires youth unemployment to be addressed urgently, and the best way we can do this is to improve learning standards and skill-based education throughout the country”. He said.

KELECHI EWUZIE