The Vice-Chancellor of Trinity University, Professor Clement Kolawole, has called for the integration of indigenous languages into Nigeria’s formal education system and compulsory skills training for young people before they proceed to higher institutions.
Kolawole made the call at a press conference in Lagos ahead of the university’s fifth convocation ceremony.
He said indigenous languages should be preserved and developed as recognised languages of instruction, noting that teaching children in languages they understand would improve learning and promote national development.
According to him, any proposal capable of diminishing the place of indigenous languages in the education system should be reviewed.
“It is a disservice for a nation to outlaw its indigenous languages. It will be an advantage to the country to develop formal education through the medium of indigenous languages,” he said.
On the skills gap in the education sector, the vice-chancellor proposed a compulsory one-year skills acquisition programme for young Nigerians after secondary school and before admission into tertiary institutions.
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He explained that children between the ages of 15 and 16 should be enrolled in skills acquisition academies to receive practical and vocational training before proceeding to universities.
“Let them go through the programme mandatorily before entering the university because universities are established to deepen knowledge. Knowledge without skills is a disaster waiting to happen. It is knowledge that drives the acquisition and deployment of skills,” Professor Kolawole stated.
He also urged the government to strengthen collaborations among universities, polytechnics, research institutions and industries to promote innovation and ensure that research findings are converted into practical solutions.
He commended the Nigerian government for interventions in tertiary education through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Trinity University, Samuel Olatunji, said the institution had produced graduates who were making notable contributions in scholarship, industry and professional practice within and outside Nigeria.
Olatunji also commended members of the Governing Council of the university for their commitment to providing quality facilities and supporting the institution’s mandate to produce graduates with sound character and intellectual competence.
The fifth convocation ceremony with a theme, “Convoking a Galaxy of Trinity Stars: Shining the Trinity Light to the World” reflects on producing graduates who will project its values and contribute positively to societal development.
