Unemployment: We Are Grooming Future Entrepreneurs Not Job Seekers…VC
From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
The Vice Chancellor, University of Mkar, in Benue State, Prof. Iorwuese Dickson Gernah has advised students to embrace entrepreneurship skills taught by the school in order to overcome the burden of unemployment, after graduation.
Professor Gernah gave the advice in an interview with 247ureports in his office, in Mkar, last week.
He said the school has initiated courses that will ensure that when students graduate from the institution, they become successful entrepreneurs and not job seekers.
He said the school is preparing students who would be fully and gainfully engaged after school and those whose attention would be away from social vices and harmful practices against the society.
“This idea is borne out of deep-rooted-belief that entrepreneurship is the single most critical ingredient for economic empowerment and job creation”.
To this effect, he said the University had proposed to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for degree progrmmes in entrepreneurial development in the school’s curriculum.
Gernah who is a professor of Food Science and Technology, said the programmes if approved would offer more advanced food science and technology degree courses to enable students acquire skills for wealth creation.
Displaying the communion bread and wine as well as beaded flower vases made by the institutuon, Professor Gernah enthusiastically said “We are into bakery, poultry, piggery, grasscutter farming, beads making and among others.
He added that home management, home decor and fashion designing and accessories would also be encouraged.
The food scientists noted that most of the entrepreneurial skills are ongoing in the school as Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) programmes.
He further explained that the school had commenced issuance of an International certificate course on Information and Communication Technology, ICT.
He said exposing students to ICT would help them to develop innovative and creative skills needed to make the difference in their lives and would also enable them to effectively tap from the opportunities in digital market after graduation.
Gernah who acknowledged that good training for lecturers alone can not help rebuild the country’s educational system added that, in Mkar, proper training of lecturers are matched with provision of necessary tools to bridge the digital gap in a rapidly changing world driven by innovations, ICTs and globalisation.
The University of Mkar is owned and run by the Universal Reformed Christian Church (URCC). Professor Gernah attributes the successes made by the school so far to the great contributions and cooperation of staff, students and support of the host community where according to him, the school has drilled bore holes, graded roads and given scholarships to many indigent students as part of their social corporate responsibility.
He, however, lamented inadequate physical infrastructures and called on more international agencies to assist the university with funds to provide the school with beffitting academic structures for accomodation, office spaces as well as lecture halls.
