"Modern day Nigerian engineering graduates are highly incompetent"
I really would like to disagree with that, especially when I know such brilliant engineers. On the other hand, that statement contains more truth than falsehood.
But do you blame the students? Here's a bitter insight on how engineering education is conducted in Nigeria, using Uniuyo as a reference point (other Universities may differ, but not very much)
Course duration is 5 years.
The first year is unnecessarily devoted to the relearning of science courses that one already spent 6 years in secondary school learning. All engineering students in their freshman year are compulsorily required to offer Physics, Chemistry, General Mathematics, Engineering Drawing, English, Philosophy, and/or Biology. The course contents of these courses are observed to be at least 97% of O'Level science.
The second year is devoted to the study of General Engineering courses. That way, a Chemical Engineering student for instance will be forced to offer and pass Strength of Materials (CVE 211/221), etc and a Civil Engineering student Electrical Circuits (ELE 211/221), Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer (MEE 221), etc. Another wasted year, I will prove this shortly.
That leaves one with 3 more years assuming no ship rocking carry over takes place. In the remaining 3 years, the prospective engineer is exposed to the traditional courses that define his primary engineering course. If you get lucky, your head might not bust with series of deadly useless complex equations and big for nothing concepts (you ever heard anything as scary as Simulative Extrapolation Studies on the Biomechanics of Underground Scoping? Don't worry it doesn't even exist!😂)
By 4th year second semester, all engineering students go for their 6 months Industrial Training (IT). If you are lucky, you could find a good place and learn some pretty strong things about your course in ways that the classroom cannot do.
In Year five, the engineering student must conduct a research and produce a project based on that before graduation.
I am more concerned about the first two years.
Consider this:
- Engineering students are taught the pure sciences in their freshman year for 48 hours in under 28 weeks. Most times these lectures are held in a small classroom where as much as 400 students squeeze inside to be taught the very same things they learnt years ago in school. Sometimes and most times the lecturer will always be incompetent and unschooled in the art of lecturing. Before you know it, one year of your life is gone and you don't even know what or why you are here in school!
Meanwhile, your counterparts elsewhere are being exposed from the start to the core aspects of engineering. They are being given a strong head start.
- The second year is far worse. You become a student of all engineering fields and a master of none, including your own field! You are being told that knowing what other engineering fields entail is good since engineering is not practiced in isolation. And yet, all the engineering you learn at ELF do not go beyond the pages of a certain Khurmi or Rajput textbook, principles of which you will never, ever use AFTER 200L.
I have a proposal that could address this. Instead of spending two years learning trash, why don't we establish a pre-engineering school, some sort of technical school where every prospective engineering student must spend at least 1 year 6 months?
All students will be taught simple but highly useful engineering skills like computer, plumbing, electrical installations, concreting, carpentry work, workshop technology, farming, automobile repairs, basic programming, chemical works, entrepreneurial studies, Citizenship and Peace Studies, etc with as little encroachment of intimidating engineering courses/concepts. Such school must not take more than 500 students per year.
A trade certificate or diploma similar to that issued by City and Guilds will be issued to successful students upon conclusion of their training.
Upon conclusion of this school, graduates may then proceed to the University and be taught the actual engineering theories that apply to their fields. The duration of their course will range from 3 years to 4 years.
One(1) full year will be devoted for Industrial Training. Prior to this, every student will be required to spend at least 4 hours a week (or 1 day out of 5 days of lecture) working with pay in known engineering based industries and firms.
I believe this will redefine engineering in Nigeria if applied.
