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From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State, has urged Nigerian youth to look beyond the popular ‘school is a scam’ narrative and embrace tertiary education as a vital tool for intellectual growth, character formation, and national development.
The charge was given during the 11th matriculation of 400 fresh students into the institution for the 2025/2026 academic session.
A Professor of Cellular and Molecular Parasitology in the Department of Biological Sciences of the university, Roseangela Ifeyinwa Nwuba, gave the charge in the matriculation lecture, entitled: ‘Beyond School Is a Scam: The True Value of Tertiary Education’, which she delivered on the occasion. She described the negative narrative as a disturbing trend among young Nigerians who dismiss formal education as irrelevant or fraudulent.
Nwuba observed that the phrase ‘school is a scam’ has gained popularity in motor parks, on social media platforms and even within university spaces, which was often reinforced by stories of individuals who attained wealth or fame without completing higher education.
While acknowledging the genuine frustrations behind such sentiments, including unemployment, inequality and economic hardship, she cautioned against reducing complex societal problems to catchy slogans.
“Slogans are poor substitutes for truth,” she said, urging students to interrogate such claims critically, just as they would any scientific assertion.
Drawing analogies from her field of parasitology, Nwuba likened the university experience to biological differentiation. She explained that just as cells require structure, regulation and time to develop into functional units, the human mind needs mentorship, evaluation and progressive challenges to achieve its full potential.
“Education is not a scam; it is differentiation,” she stressed, noting that lectures, assignments and examinations help build what she described as “intellectual immunity” against shallow reasoning and poor decision-making.
The Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. (Professor) Anthony Akinwale, in his opening address titled ‘Keep Your Focus’, announced that 400 students were matriculated, describing the number as a record and a sign of the institution’s steady growth.
“The purpose of education, rightly conceived, is to cultivate the intellect, form character and sharpen the technical skills needed to improve personal and societal life,” Akinwale said.
