Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday, urged Nigerian Universities to focus on innovative, critical, interdisciplinary, and design thinking while synergising with the world to solve the nation’s problems.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Osinbajo gave the charge at the 5th Convocation Lecture of the Federal University Dutse (FUD) in Dutse.
The vice president who spoke on “Facing the New Decade”, said that: “The era of cramming teachers notes and regurgitating for high grades is over.
“The graduate of the future is a problem solver, a thinker, an entrepreneur “.
Osinbajo insisted that our education system must be changed to education for employability, not just or its own sake.
“So our curricula must be versatile. The focus must be on innovation, critical thinking; interdisciplinary thinking, design thinking , synergising and collaboration with others across the world to solve problems.”
“Our educators; policy makers, schools, universities must now adapt their curricula, policies and projects to improve the skills that enable the graduate adapt nimbly to the constantly changing world of work,” he said.
Osinbajo said that a student of humanities today must be equipped with the right skills and mindset that would be a crucial part in the collaboration required to build an application that will redefine an aspect of business.
The vice president, however, quoted the Steve Jobs, the founder of apple as saying – “a man or woman of ideas no matter your degree can become in collaboration with others the designers and owners of the next app that will make billions and create jobs for millions”.
This is the exciting future ahead of us, the opportunities are limitless Go for it.
He noted that technology in its various iterations and applications were more crucial in all and every aspect of human existence, adding that: “The greater our access to it, our adaptation and application of it to our ideas the more successful we are likely to be”.
The vice president pointed out that the abundance of natural resources, even talents means little or nothing unless we use those resources, knowledge and talents innovatively, to create wealth and opportunities.
“In other words, we must add value. Let me put it differently. The difference between poverty and wealth or mediocrity and high achievement is creativity, or the capacity and willingness to add value,” he added.
Osinbajo said also directed the minds of the audience to the new areas for job opportunities in Data Sciences, saying that vast amounts of data online and in the near future companies will need data scientists to go through it and generate answers to business questions and make recommendations based on their findings.
“Many businesses already spend time and money going through people’s data so that they can sell their products. This is a new area of opportunities for jobs.
“A big area today is Content Production- 3D/2D animation, Virtual effects and Special effects as well as augmented reality and virtual reality. The use of animation in education, entertainment and media generally is growing in leaps and bounds.
“Those who can create content with animation are being and will be much sought after in the years to come. According to a recent survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, multimedia artists and animators are among the highest-paid within the U.S. workforce.
“This has translated to more jobs for animators in emerging economies such as India, Vietnam and now Nigeria.
“The average pay of a 3D animator in Nigeria who has just started out after learning his trade could be in the region of N250, 000 to N500, 000 monthly. Also remember that content is becoming more in demand with the streaming wars that have engulfed Netflix, Apple, Disney, HBO and only recently Airtel launched its own streaming service in Nigeria.
“Then we have the whole range of Cyber Security. Today there are new opportunities for cybersecurity specialists. How?- With each technological advance comes the implied addition of more security risks.
“Therefore, cybersecurity will continue to be a growing sector. In this sense, each country will have its own specific regulations on top of international regulations, which will ensure that professionals with an advanced technological background, capable of nullifying new threats posed to both technology and people, will be in demand,” the vice president added.
