By Adadainfo
The fourth investiture of the Chartered Institute of Educational Practitioners UK will among other youth-related empowerment initiatives launch The Mushroom to make Nigerian youths economically viable.
Professor Marcel Ezenwoye, president of the institute, said Wednesday in Abuja that the Mushroom would be ‘a money spinner for Nigerian youths’. He regretted the failure of Nigerian youths to realise their life’s ambitions due to institutional failures in governance.
Ezenwoye said it was against this background that the institute will, in Abuja, on August 25 this year embark on talent hunts, launch the Mushroom initiatives, organise lectures and provide platforms for Nigerian youths to see reasons to reduce the quest for certificates as against skills. He noted that the event is not against academic pursuits, but ‘such should be pragmatically oriented because of the dynamics of this century’.
According to him, “We have assembled best scholars to address Nigeria’s varying educational issues. We advocate academic syllabuses that are practical-oriented. We also call on education stakeholders in the country to learn from our partners that presently educate students to acquire relevant skills for self-sustenance. Education stakeholders will be available to address scholarship and admission demands of our people.”
He said the theme of the investiture is ‘The role of youths in nation development’, adding that ‘we are transforming from degree-carrying to skills development’.
The high point, he said, is the launch of ‘The Mushroom’, which he described as’ the next oil’. According to him, “We have the off-takers from the US. They will provide the best mushroom seedlings for cultivation. One does not need to have a big farm to partake. A small garden is enough for beginners. It could be planted in baskets within one’s compound. They are harvested within four to eight weeks after plantation. This is the latest money spinner for the youths, and this institute is out to domesticate the initiative at schools, homes and among youths.”
