First Class Diary: Face Academics Squarely, but not Absolutely-PB.

Face Academics Squarely, but not Absolutely!

Hello everyone! Trust you’re doing well this period. Compliments of the season to you all. How is the worldwide holiday going? What have you learnt?

Why don’t you tell me about that in the comment section? Lol! Monday is here again. Yippee! I’m excited to reveal another scholar to you.

The scholar for the week is Philip Bakare, a business educationist. He is a young champ.

Please, allow me to introduce you to Philip Bakare, who has advised students to face academics squarely but not absolutely.

In his words,

face academics squarely, but not absolutely-Philip Bakare

Enjoy!

Abigael Ibikunle of Edugist: Please share with Edugist, a little about your background.

Philip Bakare: My name is Philip Bakare. I’m from a lower-class family of 7 children.

I was born to parents that are not educated and grew up in the rural part of Lagos with a very limited level of exposure.

Truth be told, I grew up with an aspiration of becoming an Accountant. Yet, I had no information on how to go about it.

AI: Was there any motivating factor(s) that influenced your choice of discipline and institution?

PB: Well, there is no strong motivating factor that influenced my choice of discipline. My dream was sealed during my Junior Secondary School days.

My friend, “Temitope” would always come to school with a lot of money. He would often say that his dad is an accountant and that is why he has a lot of money to give him.

My choice of University was influenced by my affiliation with the University of Lagos. I obtained my National Certificate in Education programme at the Federal College of Education (T) Akoka.

At the time, I had a friend whose elder brothers were undergraduates at the University of Lagos.

So, they took turns in pitching the advantages of the school. From the amenities they enjoy, to the advantage of University of Lagos in the favour market.

I opted in for University of Lagos when I wanted to apply for my degree programme in Business Education. This is because there seems to be no close substitute based on my little research.

 

AI: There are two major skills that every student must possess: COMPETENCE and PERFORMANCE. While competence revolves around skill acquisition, performance is much more concerned about skills application. It is believed that most graduates are competent because their academic performance testifies to this, but they are performance-challenged. This poor performance ipso facto hinders them from getting lucrative jobs in the labour market. What can you say about this assertion?

PB: There is a great gap between the education that the University offers in comparison to what is required in the labour market.

The University tends to teach only academics (theory). However, this is not compensating the soft and technical skills expected to be possessed by the graduates.

Hence, performance is affected even when competence is evident. I’d say that the application of the acquired knowledge should be deliberate.

Only when this is in place, will the chances of performing on the job be attainable.

 

AI: What do you think is responsible for competence without performance? Please suggest ways of improving the performance level of university students and graduates.

 

PB: Competence without a correlating performance will always be the music of the day. Basically, a big gap exists between the norms inculcated by the school and the requirements of the labour market.

This unwanted position will remain until the curriculum of the University is adjusted to meet the job requirements.

Hence, adversely affecting the chances of landing a lucrative job.

The lifeline to this condition is to adopt personal development and a teachable spirit.

Therefore, undergraduates are expected to be involved in extra curriculum activities. Also, they should take up leadership positions for the development of their soft skills.

Similarly,

graduates should embark on professional courses and training for the development of their intellectual capacity.

 

AI: Achievement in life transcends one’s personal efforts. There were people who, during your programme, rendered some assistance that made your dreams a reality. Who are specific persons whose contribution you can’t forget in your first-class feat?

PB: I cannot undermine the influence and support of my friends and family in attaining the First-Class result.

I’m particularly grateful for the efforts of my dear friend; Victoria Kujore. She motivated me and selflessly provided a cover for me whenever I couldn’t meet with some basic requirements in school.

More so, friends like Oluwafemi Akintade, Oluwaseun Aderibigbe, Daniel Adebiyi, Toheeb Ologundudu, Opeoluwa Adekanbi, etc., kept on rooting for me to go all the way.

Similarly, my family keeps supporting me in prayers and financially when necessary.

I cannot forget to mention the moral support and advice of Dr, Falobi Oluwole and Mr. Alao Olusegun.

I am indeed grateful to have these wonderful stakeholders in my life.

 

AI: As a first-class graduate, are you currently gainfully employed?

PB: Not yet. However, I am open to opportunities.

 

AI: Do you think your grades have, or is giving you any major advantage over other graduates with lesser grades?

PB: Yes, my grade is giving me a major advantage over other graduates with lesser grades.

 

AI: For students who aspire to graduate with outstanding grade like yours, what would you advise them?

PB: I’ll advise students who aspire to graduate with an outstanding grade like mine to keep the dream alive. This is because, it is worth it.

However, they must get involved in extra curriculum activities and volunteering services. Interviewers would always ask about working experience, even if they just got out of school.

Simply put,

face academics squarely, but not absolutely.

 

AI: What would you advise the government to do to improve the standard of our education system?

PB: I would advise the Government to adequately fund institutions. They should provide more scholarship opportunities for scholars.

I must confess that the Federal Scholarship Board was helpful. I used the scholarship award to fund part of my professional examinations.

 

AI: Any other thing you would like to share?

PB: Yes, I would like to share my favourite quotes. They work.

Anything worth doing at all is worth doing well.

Only you can stop yourself.

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80 (Henry Ford).

Thanks for joining us today!
That’s it for this week’s episode. I hope you enjoyed the interview. Do you have a scholar you would love to be featured?

Or would like to sponsor any of our scholars you find their stories inspiring? Would you like to contact any of them for engagements?

Please reach out to me directly: abigail@edugist.org or +2347035835612.

I am Abigael Ibikunle, and celebrating excellence is a top priority for me.

iTeach, iSpeak, iTrain, iFacilitate, iWrite, iInterview and iLoveYou all. Smile! See you next week!