In this brief commentary, I reflect on what seems to have been a bane of progress in post-colonial African countries: the tension between individual and national (state) aspirations. Here, national aspirations are seen as the vision of the elite, perhaps even narrower, the political elite, of a country about the expected future of the country. …
Category: Education Policy
Still on donkey years’ pedagogy
Two stories I recently learnt about strengthened my belief that while there is a need to change how we teach and learn, simply doing so would not necessarily improve educational outcomes for youth. There are deeper-seated problems that are equally bedeviling our educational system and which also need to be addressed. The first story involved …
On Donkey years’ pedagogy and innovation in higher education teaching
Several months ago, I spoke to a group of young entrepreneurs based in Port Harcourt, in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. The summary of my message was that they need to 'think beyond the box'. I deliberately used the word ‘beyond’ because I believe that the box - the status quo, as a reference point could potentially constitute a barrier to …
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Elections 2015: Putting Youth at the centre of Governance in Rivers State, Nigeria
The next election cycle in Nigeria is now full-steam. Individuals across different party lines are positioning themselves to win their party’s nomination to present themselves as candidates for various political offices. The situation is similar across the country. One trend that is however emerging about this election cycle is the use of ethnicity and religion as …
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Counselling for Youth Empowerment
The 39th Annual Conference of the Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON)[1] will be held in the ancient city of Benin from August 18-22, 2014 under the theme: Counselling for Youth Empowerment. The conference lists an array of noteworthy sub-themes such as: youth restiveness, sexual and reproductive health, employment and entrepreneurship, disabilities, ICTs, gender based violence …
Okolobi! 