VC, Kalilu Advocate Entrepreneurial Education In School Curricular
A call has gone to education policymakers and curriculum planners in the country to integrate entrepreneurial training in educational curricular to help combat the menace of unemployment in Nigerian society.
The Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede and Professor Rasaq Olatunde Kalilu made the call while speaking as chief host and guest lecturer respectively at the 50 + 1 Solo Art Exhibition and Lecture tagged, “My Attempt” at OAU, Ile-Ife.
Speaking at the exhibition hosted by Dr. Lanre Idowu of the Department of Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, Ogunbodede affirmed that the University was in the process of a complete overhaul of the curricular of its various programmes to include entrepreneurial training with special focus on reduction of the rate of unemployment among university graduates in the country.
He further maintained that his administration is planning to reposition the university as a 21st Century compliant by integrating entrepreneurial skill acquisition training in the school’s curricular such that no graduate of the university will not have one skill or the other by the end of their stay on campus.
The OAU helmsman disclosed that the authorities have concluded arrangement to open an art gallery for the Department of Fine Art effective from next academic session so that revenue accruing to the Department from the gallery can be used to maintain the department.
Speaking, Professor Rasaq Kalilu a former DVC (LAUTECH) explored the connection between fine art and entrepreneurship in his lecture, submitting that there is no discipline or human endeavour that does not make use of the tenets and principles of fine art, even as he maintained further that there is no limit to what visual art can do, or what it can be applied to.
Kalilu, while admonishing his audience to embrace visual art because of the numerous entrepreneurial training inherent in it, emphasised that it can be used to empower many people, noting that security issues will abate when people are engaged gainfully.
Earlier, the exhibitor, Dr. Lanre Idowu of the Department of Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, appreciated participants for their attendance and tasked them on the need to embrace the move for sensitization on the importance of fine art in tackling unemployment.
He encouraged secondary school pupils present to pick interest in fine art as a subject, lamenting the abysmal enrolment in fine art at post-primary level.
