The National President of the University of Ilorin Alumni Association, Prof. Abdulrasaq Kilani, has cautioned youth against referring to education as a scam, emphasising its power to liberate and uplift individuals.
Speaking on Sunday, December 15, during the Ogun State UNILORIN Alumni Annual General Meeting and Taorid Odedele Memorial Lecture in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Kilani stressed the importance of education as the best opportunity for personal and societal growth.
Kilani expressed concern over the growing trend of dismissing education, stating, “If someone wants to be free from poverty, let him be educated, but if someone wants to go down, let him avoid going to school.”
He argued that education provides individuals with the tools to overcome ignorance and poverty, and to contribute positively to society.
In addition, Kilani addressed the rising number of first-class graduates, particularly from private universities, urging the National Universities Commission (NUC) to intervene for quality control.
He acknowledged that increased access to information via the internet and improved teaching methods in primary and secondary schools have contributed to the surge in high-achieving students.
However, he expressed concern that some private universities may be inflating their first-class graduate numbers for marketing purposes.
“Many of these private universities are running a business, and part of the PR is to attract students by boasting about the number of first-class graduates,” Kilani said, noting that public universities typically do not produce the same high numbers of first-class degrees.
He emphasised that the NUC must ensure that first-class honors are truly deserved and that quality control measures are put in place to avoid any dilution of academic standards.
Kilani also urged alumni of various institutions to become more involved in supporting their alma maters, contributing to the development of their former schools. He called for alumni to leverage their networks to give back to their institutions and help improve the quality of education.
The Chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the association, Ayobamigbe Faloye, also encouraged alumni to take an active role in nation-building, emphasising the need for collective effort in improving society and the nation’s future.
