In commemoration of this year’s international Students Day, the African Students Education Support Initiative (ASESI) has called on African leaders to invest more in creating modern academic environment for students. ASESI’s Executive Director, Mr Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, regretted that the current learning environment found across Africa would not produce graduates who could be globally competitive.
Obasi said it was high time the people of the continent accepted the fact that environment played a major role in the processes of learning. According to him, Africans cannot be talking about appreciation of technology when majority of African students are yet to have access to a computer.
“We are yet to have classrooms that could motivate learning in Africa, very unfortunately, many of African students learn under an unimaginable atmosphere.
“This year’s international Students day celebration calls for a sober reflection as supposed academic environment are no longer habitable. “Stakeholders at all levels must see this as a great concern.
“If our academic environment must be improved, it must start by enacting a law that could prohibit public office holders from sending their children abroad to acquire education as it is obvious that those who earn a living from tax payers money invest more in another man’s land instead of same office holders to improve the learning environment in Africa.
“ Budgetary allocations on education sector must be increased with proper monitoring; opportunities must be given for private partnerships for a better development in our academic environment,’’ he said.
He said that it would be difficult for students to think out of the box if the environment was not friendly to them.
The executive director regretted that majority of students were given projects which had no impact in the society, adding that students should be given projects that could proffer solutions to African challenges.
He urged African Students to stay away from drug abuse, cultism and other social vices that were inimical to living.
Obasi also appealed to students to take their studies seriously as life was a process that had no shortcuts.
Culled: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)