I have written repeatedly on the urgent need to reposition our education system to address the real and pressing needs of our society.
Increasingly, I find myself compelled to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: are our governors truly exceptional, or are they merely overrated by a system that rewards rhetoric over results?
Building a modern and functional society is not rocket science. What is the big deal in constructing durable urban and rural roads?
What is so difficult about developing new cities, functional markets, and well-planned communities?
Development, in its simplest form, is the strategic assemblage of quality human resources, combined with the effective utilization of abundant mineral and natural resources, to deliver basic but critical outcomes: low-cost housing, efficient 21st-century road networks, proper urban and rural planning, a clean and attractive environment, affordable food, public pipe-borne water, and stable, affordable electricity.
Unfortunately, our obsession with certificate education has failed to deliver these essentials.
For decades, we have glorified paper qualifications with little or no practical value, while neglecting productivity, innovation, and real problem-solving capacity.
The result is a growing army of certificate holders who are unemployed, underemployed, or unemployable—graduates trained to seek jobs that do not exist rather than to create value where opportunities abound.
This model must be jettisoned.
We must deliberately transition from certificate-driven education to a skills-based, productivity-oriented system that encourages entrepreneurship, innovation, and wealth creation.
Crucially, this reform must begin from the primary school level. Our pupils should be taught how to add value to their environment—how to identify problems, apply skills, and create solutions—rather than being burdened with obsolete curricula and recycled theories that no longer reflect the realities of the modern world.
In this regard, the initiative of the Soludo administration to introduce skill-based subjects such as solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs, agriculture and agro-processing, plumbing, tiling, POP installation, event management, bakery, hairstyling, makeup artistry, interior design, CCTV and intercom installation, digital literacy, information technology, and robotics is both timely and commendable.
However, introducing skill-based subjects alone is not enough.
Government must go further by deliberately establishing industrial and agricultural villages where these skills can be harnessed, refined, and scaled into a true industrial revolution.
With proper planning, coordination, and investment, young people can begin to create value, build wealth, and earn legitimate and sustainable income.
This approach offers a powerful and practical response to social vices such as kidnapping, internet fraud, armed robbery, and other forms of criminality, which thrive largely on unemployment, frustration, and economic exclusion.
The Soludo government must , therefore be intentional in building a new educational order—one that links learning directly to production. Planning, building, and maintaining new cities, markets, roads, housing estates, and industrial clusters can engage millions of young people in dignified, well-paying jobs while simultaneously transforming the state’s infrastructure and economy.
In today’s fast-changing global economy, practical skills have become the primary driver of human capital demand. Nations that prioritize skills over certificates are the ones creating jobs, driving innovation, and sustaining long-term economic growth.
Our school children must therefore be provided with an academic environment where they learn not only how to read and write, but also how to think critically, solve problems, create wealth, and contribute meaningfully to society.
This strategic shift is aimed at nurturing entrepreneurial thinking, technical competence, and job-ready skills from an early age—ensuring that our graduates leave school prepared to create value, not merely to accumulate certificates, titles, and empty credentials.
Education must once again become a tool for development, not decoration.
Anaenugwu Ndubuisi
Ambassador General
Good Governance Ministry (GGM)
Email:ggovernanceministry@gmail.com
