The increasing influx of Nigerian students yearning for quality higher education to countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, Egypt and the neighbouring Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo, has continued to be a source of concern to stakeholders. Lamenting the development, the Managing Director of Ladder Steps College, Omole Estate, Lagos, Mr. Akinwale Akinola, said many of the students said to be studying abroad are either in fake institutions pursuing wrong programmes or are not in school at all. Faced with this challenge, Akinola, a former teacher in the United States, however, blamed most parents for their children’s education predicament, saying many of them are only interested in sending their children abroad without making necessary enquiry about the institutions and the relevance of the courses their children are pursuing to the needs of the society.
The graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) respectively, who said he is passionate about reversing the trend of poor career guidance in the country, told New Telegraph that the college was established primarily to offer quality service to Nigerian students seeking admission to either Nigerian or foreign higher institutions. The college, located at the highbrow Omole Estate, on Ojodu-Berger axis of Lagos, offered training in University Foundation Programme (UFP), Cambridge ‘A’ Level, Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and English Language tests including IELTS and PTE, among others. The Ladder Steps College, Akinola stated “was borne out of the need to provide quality and standard education for students who are willing to pursue higher education abroad and in private universities in the country.” Akinola noted: “It is a long time vision I have nursed for about three years now, and the primary intention, of course, is to be a proprietor, to be an educationist and to do something that will not only contribute to the society, but also that I know will be beneficial to myself and my family. “I have had the opportunity to teach at various levels of education both at home and abroad, and having visited several institutions in many countries including the UK and Canada, I believe most of our students abroad do not have good orientation and there is need for us to begin the enlightenment revolution as part of efforts to protect the future of this country.”
While insisting that the country does not have the capacity to stop the capital flight through admission in foreign institutions, especially with more than 1.5 million candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the entrance examination into the nation’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education annually, Akinola bemoaned a situation in which only about 500,000 candidates have the opportunity of securing admission. According to him, researches have shown that the nations that will make wave in the future are not countries with oil or other natural resources only, but those that have invested heavily in education. Describing education as the bedrock of national development, he said considering the stage the country found itself presently; it could not continue to rely on oil as the major source of revenue, this was as he insisted that the best global economy today such as Chinese economy is run on knowledge-based. Akinola further explained: “The reality has shown that oil cannot save us as the fall in the prices has almost ruined our economy. Yet, at a time we are crying of economic crunch global financial institutions that are founded basically on knowledge including Google, Apple and Facebook, among others, are recording huge turnover. It is, therefore, the responsibility of those of us, who have been out there to guide our parents on best standard and courses to choose and the best institutions to study.
I have told a parent that considering the course his child had chosen to study, the child did not need to travel abroad but should enroll at a private university in the country, at least, because of incessant strike actions in public institutions., but he thought I was not being sincere or giving him the best advice.” He added: “Naturally, if not because of my vision and the objective for setting up this college, that I have, it sounds crazy for anyone to believe that I returned home to invest huge resources into setting up this place. It is saddening when you find out that parents just want their children to read Law because they are lawyers without bothering to know what the children really want and what they have capacity to do. That is why it is called Ladder Steps College, that is, a ladder to your success. We want to advise parents essentially on why they send their children to school in the first instance. If it is because of strike, there are good schools here that take A’ Level.
“There is a particular parent who came here two or three days ago, that she did not want her child to go to a private university in Nigeria any longer, simply because of rise in her status. Now, they do not know what course the girl will study and they have asked her to withdraw from the institution. The girl has become confused because her parents have not even concluded plans about which country to send her for study.” Worried by the development, Akinola wondered how could a parent risk so much to send a child abroad, yet come back to join millions that are already roaming the streets without gainful employments.
“The best thing for us at Ladder Steps College, according to him, will be to study courses that can guarantee the students immediate job opportunities. “We will give our sincere opinions because this college is not merely profit- oriented, but an institution that has come to serve humanity,” he argued. With the congenial learning environment, he noted that the college is conducive enough for effective learning giving the fact that it has a maximum of 15 students in a classroom, while the laboratories are wellequipped to prepare the students for all kinds of examinations. On the facilities put in place in the college to enhance qualitative education at an affordable cost, Akinola listed them to include a sickbay; with each of the classrooms installed with air conditioners and other instructional materials for students to learn under a conducive atmosphere. He added that the computer laboratory is essentially equipped with online tests and practicals, saying the college has packaged its programmes to equip Nigerians with how to guide their kids to achieve excellence. To this end, Akinola advised parents to ensure that their children maximize the long holiday period by engaged them in meaningful activities such as summer school, so that they are not distracted by the many social factors they are contending with in the society.
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