Brain- Drain Is A Challenge To National Development-Okojie
This is as he noted that a significant percentage of best brains within the region continue to drift to the developed world in search of greener pastures, adding that Nigeria of all countries make up 50 percent of Africans in the diaspora.
Okojie who was represented by Professor Peter Onwualu on Tuesday at the presentation/Launching of the book “Education and Sustainable Development in 21st Century Nigeria” by Professor Benedicta Egbo, said that brain-drain has denied Africa the benefits of these brains and their contributions to national development.
According to him “This has been identified as one of the reasons why Africa has remained under-developed over the years. In order to address the challenge, most governments in Africa have developed and implemented strategies to convert the brain- drain to brain-gain by encouraging their citizens in the diaspora to remain where they are if they so wish and to partner with their country to contribute to development in whatever way they can”.
Okojie added that for the educational system in Nigeria to contribute meaningfully, towards sustainable development in the context of the globalized 21st century world, reform of the curriculum must be ensured so as to produce graduates who can address global issues as it is imperative in ensuring sustainable development.
In her own remarks, the author of the book “Education and Sustainable Development in 21st Century Nigeria” Professor Benedicta Egbo said that within the context of the 21st century, the quality of life of any country depends on the quality of its education system, adding also that education as a force pulls together all other institutions.
She however noted that some of the challenges facing Nigeria cannot be dissociated from its quality of education, saying that when education fails, society fails, as a quality system is a necessary condition for sustainable development.
In reviewing her book, Egbo decried the persistent failure of students in national examinations, adding that it is tangible evidence of far reaching systemic decline and decay problems within the system and is symptomatic of the educational system.
While lamenting over the decline of public education in the country, She emphatically said “if we allow our public education to decline, do we know what we are saying, we are saying to them, you don’t deserve the same education that children in other parts of the world deserve, we are saying, you can sit on the floor and read, that’s what you deserve. How can they survive in this environment, how can they compete with the rest of the world?".
She further pointed out that due to decline in the schools' curriculum, the country is beginning to train lazy students, adding also that the decline in the education system has to be looked into, in order to avoid the entire system sinking.
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