– Niyi Kolawole, lecturer,
University College Cork, Ireland
•Offers lifeline for genuine candidates
By Sam Otti
Not every Nigerian student that travels to Europe for university education comes back with success story. Scores fell by the wayside; their quest for knowledge buried in the streets of Europe where they live as the dregs of society.
During his recent visit to Lagos, a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Sociology, University College Cork, Ireland, Niyi Kolawole (Ph.D), offered plausible explanation why promising students turn into street pests. He admitted that some underage Nigerian students, without proper guidance in Europe, often forget their studies and club from dusk to dawn.
Kolawole, who will clock 17 years in Europe in November and who has been lecturing there for four years, admitted that underage children (ages 14-17), who are very desperate to go abroad and study could become, in some cases, victims of exploitation. Some of the young students have the erroneous impression that the streets of Europe are paved with gold.
“One of the problems we have identified with studying abroad is the issue of underage students. Some of these students are 17, they had never left home and the next thing is to send them abroad. They don’t even know the system at all, even to take buses or train to school. So, they need someone to help them”, he said.
He said about 15,000 Euros would be required for tuition every year in Ireland, including an additional 5000 Euros as living cost, depending on the student’s lifestyle. Despite the cost, he recalled his experience with one Nigerian student, who was willing to pay all the fees but later confessed that he only wanted to travel to Europe at all cost and not necessarily to study.
Kolawole said some Nigerian students believe that travelling to Europe was a pleasure trip. He said the the need to avoid common pitfalls by Nigerian youngsters seeking admission abroad prompted him to establish an education consultancy firm, Solid-Link Consulting, to tutor and guide them rightly to achieve their dream of studying abroad.
“We help the student to get into his desired institution abroad. If sometimes, the desired institution is not the right one, we provide background information about that particular institution. For example, I lecture in a university that was established in 1845. One of the questions I asked people when they tell me that they want to study abroad is, “Have you Googled the name of the school? Do you know anything about the school?” I tell them to find out about the college and what it has to offer”, he explained.
He warned that some agencies that help recruit students to study abroad have never visited those countries and wondered how they could offer useful advice.
“So, how would they prepare those kids for what they are going to face in Canada? I have been to all those places and I know what is happening there”, he added.
Aside using his insider position to assist in the college applications for Nigerian students, he said Solid Link Consulting also facilitates the linkage of local tertiary institutions with reputable academic institutions abroad.
When this reporter asked him to compare the Nigerian universities with those in Ireland, he said: “What is missing in Nigerian universities is that aspect of research and development. One of the experiences I have heard over time living abroad is the amount of money government and companies pump into universities to help them do research. Every successful nation thrives on a successful university system”.
Kolawole noted that most of the technological advancements recorded in developed countries were incubated in their universities.
His words: “In Nigeria, what we have is the dwindling funding of education by the government. The few monies that are there, of course, we cannot rule out corruption, have a huge impact on our education system. The population of students going into the universities cannot be adequately catered for. We have too many children going into the universities, despite the limited space. At the end of the day, it impacts on the quality of education they get. I remember when I was at the University of Ife. We had some courses where some of us had to sit on the floor. Some students had to squat. In that case, there is no qualitative learning. Those things impact on our learning process”.
Kolawole noted that in the past 10 years, he has seen the progressive decline, not only in the standard of education in Nigeria but also in the moral value of Nigerian kids. He attributed this to lack of guidance and mentoring by role models.
“My organisation is interested in helping these children achieve holistic education that would make them independent and critical thinkers, so that when they come back to Nigeria, they would contribute positively to the society”, he added.
With nearly one million students leaving secondary school in the face of limited spaces in universities, Kolawole said his organisation offers study opportunity to over 500,000 students that lose admission every year. He said Ireland remains the hub of many multinational corporations like Google, Twitter, Facebook, which offer unlimited opportunities for students. According to him, Ireland has a friendly visa regime and students’ friendly programme that allows foreign students one year stay after their graduation to look for a job, unlike the 28 days of grace offered in the United Kingdom.
“The difference between Ireland and other countries in Europe is that it is legal for students to work 20 hours a week. During holidays, they can work like 50, 60 or 70 hours. It depends on how much strength they have and also if they can get the job. That makes life easier for those that are willing to work. That is entirely a different system from the UK”.
Despite these attractions, Kolawole disclosed that scholarship for foreign students have reduced considerably in the last five years because of economic recession. To worsen the situation, Nigerian students are blacklisted from such scholarships.
“When it comes to scholarship, nobody wants to give Nigerians because they believe we are very rich and we do not need the scholarship. In the school where I lecture, I know some Kenyans who are on scholarship offered by the Irish government. We are looking at the possibility of giving a few students that are brilliant but don’t have the wherewithal the scholarship to go abroad every year”, he promised.
He urged Nigerians to take the bull by the horn and place patriotism above pecuniary considerations.
“The challenge I have for everyone is this: let us start doing things that will make Nigeria better. We have what it takes. It is painful for me to do this business because I know we have everything it takes. To take these children away and pay thousands of Euro abroad! But if that is what we have to put in the foundation to make our country great, let’s do it”.