Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has advocated for form in Nigeria’s education system, urging a move from ntional rote learninexternalternal learning. He stressed that this change would help graduates develop the skills and abilities needed to drive innovation and contribute to economic growth.
Recent news reports indicate that Mbah made these comments while giving the inaugural lecture in the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Distinguished Personalities Lecture Series. The lecture, titled “Experiential Learning: Building the Wealth of the Nation,” took place in Enugu on Tuesday.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s education system, which focuses primarily on memorisation, has failed to provide students with the practical skills needed to inspire new ideas and innovations.
Educational System Fails To Provide Required Skills
During his lecture, Mbah expressed concerns about Nigeria’s education system, highlighting its inability to equip students with practical skills essential for industrialisation and economic progress. He observed that the country’s universities seldom appear in global rankings and have not fulfilled their role as “ideas factories,” which is vital for any developing nation.
Mbah stressed the importance of adopting a new educational model that prioritises experiential learning over rote memorisation. He referenced nations like the United States, China, Germany, and the Netherlands, which have invested heavily in experiential education and now lead the global economy. To support this vision, Mbah announced that his administration is building 260 Smart Green Schools across Enugu State, one in each of the state’s 260 wards. These schools aim to foster experiential learning by exposing students to real-world challenges and opportunities at all educational levels, from basic to tertiary.
Prioritising Experiential Learning In Tertiary Education
To reform education in Enugu, Mbah instructed all state-owned tertiary institutions to make experiential learning a key element of their curriculum. He announced this as an official policy, requiring state universities and colleges to adopt the model in their programs. Mbah also emphasised his administration’s commitment by allocating 33% of the state’s annual budget to education, underscoring the focus on practical, skills-based learning and comprehensive educational reform.
The Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Prof. Alloysius-Michael Okolie, alongside the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the ESUT Governing Council, Sir Chinyeaka Oha, and Prof. Obiora Ike, who chaired a public lecture, have lauded Governor Peter Mbah for his transformative efforts in the education sector.
They highlighted the governor’s exemplary leadership and significant investments in education and infrastructure as key to advancing the state’s developmental goals. Governor Mbah’s focus on experiential learning was particularly praised as an innovative approach to bridging the skills gap, aligning the education system with workforce demands, and driving economic growth.
