The Role of Education in Human Resources Development In Nigeria

Here in this post, we are going to outline and discuss the role of education in human resources development in Nigeria. We hope you find it informative.

You cannot build a viral nation without investing in an effective and sustainable local human capacity development.

This development will be because of a practical educational system not based on paper credentials but such that it has a practical and vocational demonstration.

Read Also: How to Become a Human Resource Specialist

The Role of Education in Human Resources Development In Nigeria
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This is what will place Nigeria among the league of the developed nations. So, this topic, the role of education in human resources development in Nigeria aimed at addressing these deficiencies and proffer irrevocable plan for a better nation.

Human capacity development is a global initiative that Nigeria must not but be involved. According to creative associates international, a global human resources development group who has been involved in early youth educational programs in Nigeria, human capacity building is germane to a nation’s growth.

In their report, the result from some countries affirms the need for Nigeria to embrace education as a mean to human resources development.

In Jordan, several teachers, supervisors, the ministry of education personnel and supervisor were trained in education information management systems.

This resulted in better methodologies, e-learning, adaptation of the local solutions to achieve better results in their environment.

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In Morocco, the promise pathways project in conjunction with the civil societies provided services and help to over 1,300 youth to find a job and education opportunity.

The same human resources project was duplicated in Nicaragua along the Caribbean Coast; youths are given technical training that helped those youths secure jobs.

This reduces the youth’s joblessness in that area. And through such empowerment, they can fend for themselves and contribute to the nation’s economy.

The creative associates international in Nigeria, through its education crisis response program, is working with the community to provide education to more than 88,000 school-aged children displaced by the insurgency.

What Is Human Resources Development?

According to Wikipedia, UNISDR defines capacity development (another expression for human resources development) as the process in which people, organizations, and society systematically stimulate and develop their capability over time to achieve social and economic goals including through improvement of knowledge, skills, system, and institution.

The term human resources connote the total spectrum of recruiting, training, developing and remunerating staff of an organization.

To now bring this to a nation it means empowering the citizens so they can maximize their potentials for the wellbeing of the nation while they reap the benefits of a comfortable life.

In achieving the mentioned purpose education is the key. The role of education in human resources development in Nigeria will mean developing the latent potential in an average Nigerian through enlightenment, publicity, and orientation.

Mind you, the most important of all the factors of production is the man. Hence, the capacity development of Nigerians will guarantee resourcefulness for a better nation.

Human resources development starts with the education of the human mind to discover what he can achieve to benefit his own life and the community he lives in.

Education will also help the individual to develop the inbuilt capacity to become valuable not only to himself but to the larger society.

Apart from that, proper education will help people to develop intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to wear out the storm of life on the way to achieving the set goals.

Added to the role of education in human resources development in Nigeria is the continued improvement in knowledge, policies, and methods about doing things.

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Some agents of education for human resources development in Nigeria

Education for human resources development requires concerted efforts of various agents to make a nation self-sustaining. The following are a few of such agents that will enhance human capacity development in Nigeria.

1. The Parents

Education begins at birth and ends at death. So the first contact of education for any human being is the parents and neighbors.

They call this informal education. Therefore, parents will be the ones to discover the potentials in their children and tutor, guide and encourage them in fulfilling their purpose.

A caution here is that parents should allow the child to follow his or her instinct and not insist he or she must become what they became. It doesn’t work that way.

Robert Kiyosika in his book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” gave a picture of his poor dad who insisted his children follow the norms to achieve success.

That is, go to school, get good grades, be employed, take a mortgage and retire. The rich dad taught his own children in self-discovery and motivation which leads to human resources development.

Eventually, the children of the rich dad grew to achieve their potentials, become a success and added value to the society.

As good as formal education is, it is not the only or major prerequisite for human development. Instead, it is the reformed mind that accomplishes great things for the nation.

History has it that George Washington, the first President of America had what is equivalent to Nigeria’s Basic 6 certificate in education.

Yet, he led his nation to win several wars and became the President. Also, it is no news that the Microsoft billionaire, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard University.

Check out yourself, and you’ll find out most of the world’s best in science, politics, technology, and sports are first from behind in their school days. In fact, some of these renowned men and women were self or home taught.

So from home, the parents should educate their children on human capacity through formal and informal education. Educations play a prime role in molding a child’s destiny.

2. The Government

Because of the great resources at their disposal, the government remains the single entity driver of education anywhere in the world.

Thus, the government influences the role of education in human resources development in Nigeria through policy-making, legislation, and funding. No nation developed beyond her level of education.

Therefore, the Nigerian government could develop the human capacity of the citizen in the following areas. First, through legislation and formulation of education policies that give preference to technical education.

Unfortunately, the purpose of the 6-3-3-4 system of education if followed would have achieved the desired technological development needed for human capacity growth in Nigeria.

This is because they would have drafted students who are not academically sound but vocationally good to technical colleges, vocational and trade centers.

And these sets of students would have been groomed vocationally from ss1 to add value to the nation’s technological drive.

Second, the government should appropriate reasonable money in the annual budget for education. Third, the nation’s authority should give preference to research and development in our tertiary institution.

For the role of education in human resources development in Nigeria to achieve a meaningful result, the government should embark on mass orientation and education of the populace on the need to patronize made in Nigeria product.

And as people patronize made in Nigeria product more investors will emerge, production increases and the country’s GDP move up.

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3. School

As the major stakeholder school should be more practical in their training approach. Beginning from the primary schools, pupils should join various clubs to showcase their talents.

Such a school club will include young farmer’s club, the young engineer club, literary and debating society and so on.

Schools in Nigeria must have well-equipped laboratories with quality teachers. One major challenge to the development of our scientific and human resources in Nigeria is our schools teach more theory than practical.

It is not enough for agricultural science pupils to know plants in the books without being able to differentiate between a maize and millet stalk.

When you mention the chemicals used in the lab, the students should see them and see their usage. Science student has not learned if they cannot titrate in the lab, they can’t use the Bunsen burner, conical flask, etc.

I may sound conservative; I am one of the few Nigerians who do not believe in a holiday or summer lesson. For goodness’ sake, that period is called the holiday.

And by my understanding, it should be a period to have a break from your schedule whether as a student or a teacher. That means, break from regular reading and studying to learn new things.

Therefore, the best way education can be a tool for human capacity development in Nigeria is for schools and parents allow their kids to do something different during the holiday period.

They should use such a period for traveling to places of interest, visit family and friends, involved in various games. We always say traveling is a part of education.

Also, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Contest this if you can some forty or fifty years ago did we have such thing as summer coaching?

How many of those great minds in politics, education, science, and sports attended the holiday lesson? In fact, most of them attended public schools. In our schools today, both private and public schools how many have sports or recreation centers?

Education is all-encompassing. So, school authorities should give relaxation and recreation its prime position to develop the kids physically, mentally and emotionally because this is holistic human capacity development.

4. Religious Bodies

Nigeria is incurably religious. The religious leaders command great influence on their followers. With that, they can use the teachings from their sacred books to teach their adherents on developing their potentials.

After all, the creator created man to influence and impart his world. So, religious teachers and organizations can stir the potential of their followers towards human resources in Nigeria as a whole.

Since the essence of such education is to make the members productive, the effect will rub off on the leader as well. This they can do through their teaching and empowerment program.

5. NGO

Another agent that can make education a veritable tool to human resources in Nigeria is the nongovernmental organizations.

In recent years, various groups have come up with different empowerment programs to make people productive. This they achieve through short-term training, seminars, and workshops.

Such human capacity development includes training on mobile phone repair, fashion designing, soap making, farming, e-commerce trading, and web design, etc.

Most time, these NGO charges little or nothing for such training. And this training would otherwise have caused the trainer an arm’s length. With that, more Nigerians are gainfully employed and empowered.

Read Also: Importance Of Citizenship Education In Nigeria

6. Mass Media

The role of education in human resources development in Nigeria will be clear and visible if the media will play its statutory role as an educator.

Today, the media has several ways of educating and empowering people. Whether or not people are literate, the media can reach and orientate them.

Through the media, people will know the business opportunity, facilities and opportunity to create wealth. The mass media can caution the young and unsuspecting people on the danger of an unhealthy lifestyle and association.

Some areas of the press educating the people could be on human trafficking, child labor, drug peddling, and such vices that devalued human dignity.

Through the media, people know of areas they can channel their knowledge, strength, and potentials for a meaningful life.

Mind you, when citizen falls into vices such as prostitution, human trafficking, drug peddling they can’t develop their full potentials.

Human capacity development is a continuous process. It begins at birth and continues through the lifetime. Thus, the role of education in human resources development in Nigeria requires a collective responsibility of all Nigerians. And as we citizens play our part, we daily add value to the nation

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