IS IT FAIR?

No, it's unfair!

Yesterday, my wife reminded me that we haven't collected our TRCN certificates, which we both registered for, wrote the exams, and passed about three years ago when they promised to employ all registered teachers and set a tight deadline to remove those who didn't comply. I told my wife plainly that I'm not interested again because I'm not motivated to pursue it. I asked her the same I'm asking you dear reader: when will government institutions and parastatals cease their habit of threatening unemployed or underemployed graduates in the name of generating revenue? When will the deception end?

I recently read a memo from another institution, demanding their former students collect their school certificates before a specified deadline, or else they would face significantly higher costs. People, some of whom are not yet employed, are still borrowing money or scraping together what's insufficient to support their families just to obtain their certificates. Some of these individuals have been graduates for over five years, jobless or underemployed, surviving on less than ₦20,000. Where do they want people to find this? There are no job opportunities, and the few available positions aren't filled fairly. There are no favorable policies to support businesses, even if they want to start one. Despite this, people strive to further their education, sometimes pursuing postgrads, hoping for eventual employment! It's not fair, gaskiya!

Under normal circumstances, students receive their certificates and transcripts on their graduation day. After completing my MSc, I received my certificate and transcript on our graduation day, and I don't recall any additional fees beyond my tuition fee.

When will this end?

Daily Trust reported recently how a federal university in Nigeria demanded ₦1 million in clearance fees from students who had been studying in Sudan before the war. Some of these students were on Sudanese government scholarships before the conflict. They left the country because things were not right and unfortunately back to meet the mess they ran away from. When will these exploitations cease? When?

Despite all these exploitations, there are no job prospects for these graduates. There are no government jobs available – the few positions are not open to the public; they are shared as privileges! There are no suitable conditions and policies to help them establish their businesses if they wish. There is no encouragement. It's disheartening!

When will the parents of these graduates begin to enjoy the returns on their investments in their children? It's sad that many graduates still rely on their parents to survive when these parents should be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

It's not fair!

Gafari Lukumon