There has been this argument mostly amongst industry players, and by extension the larger segment of today’s society about whether class of degree matches being creative as well as product at work places or not. Some are of the view that they go hand-in-hand, and others went strongly against it. It all depends on how one looks at it based on what is being obtained in the real world – where the two sides have been properly tried.
An interview granted by Professor Saminu Ibrahim, the present Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi once again resurrects and brings to the fore this argument. He was answering questions about issues ranging from promoting academic research, partnerships with foreign universities to scarcity of funds for technological and scientific research. It is interesting however, going by the VC’s accounts, that one would be quick to agree that a lot is being done to further strengthen the university in every respect. I commend him for the giant strides.
Sadly enough and truly disturbing however was reading a segment of the interview where the VC openly regretted not employing a graduate of the university who happened to build a DRONE simply because of the university’s condition of service. In his words: “We have a student who graduated with third class degree and has been able to build a drone and did his NYSC with the military. Unfortunately, we could not employ him because our condition of service does not allow us to employ graduates with third class degrees, and we regretted it because we would have held on to this guy; he would have been an asset to us.”
While I completely share the believe that higher institutions, including universities should engage only high class degree graduates, they should also make it an EXCEPTION for creative minds who, for reasons beyond my comprehension, could not have graduated with first or upper second class degree to join the system. This is because of the value these creative minds could add to the system, and to a large extent the Nigerian state in its desperate bid to evolving a new empire of creativity and productivity for national development.
It is a fact today that creative minds are what catalyse and propel development quest of most countries of the world. That is why we often wonder and marvel at China, Japan and Germany. We must give such rare creative minds in our midst the chance and unhindered support to realise their dreams; our collective dreams and aspirations as a people.
Mustapha G. Jama’a, Makarfi, Kaduna.
