@Kodewrita, seriously, you need to snap out of being too much of a fanboi and get your facts straight. That Linus Torvalds has a computer to play with was because of Gates contribution to I.T. industry? Seriously? Are you high on some cheap drugs or something? Next thing you gonna come out here and tell us that DOS was the first Operating System there is. Thank God you mentioned the Altair computer but let me not digress and correct your misconception, Bill Gates Windows cashed in on a situation when the industry's standard regulatory body decided that all OEM should make their hardware according to a standard, Windows wasn't the ONLY OS written for them. There was CP/M (which MS-DOS kinda imitates), GEOS and a host of others. Why MS-DOS became popular was because it was chosen by IBM, the most popular OEM in the day, to ship with their newly launched line of home PCs and hence, everyone automatically had an MS-DOS if you have an IBM machine. Windows, Apple's Mac OS and Linux was based on one of the pioneers of modern operating system, UNIX. (Apple also took code from FreeBSD too). Linus was a student when he started work on Linux with the aim of improving some things he didn't like about UNIX and not MS-DOS. Back in the days, no Computer Science student brags with MS-DOS, not when you have to deal with UNIX, BSD, Altair, Commodore 64 etc. As for the porting of Basic to the Altair, he wrote it in conjuction with Allen and it was an interpreter that he wrote for a NEWLY developed machine that the company had no OS for and had to outsource. Other existing machines could run programs. Get your facts right my man.

P.S. If Bill Gates was so damn good in writing codes, how come it has more malware written (and with ease) than anyother OS? How come that even when a new product from them is still in the beta stages of development, cracks/keygens/patches are already abound online for it? How come they need to set tuesdays aside for pushing out tons of patches to plug up holes that only end up being bypassed before the week runs out.

And for those of you thinking that Computer Science is just about programming, think again cos if it were so, why is that all you guys ever get to learn are java, vb.net and php? At best some can get to have skills in others like ruby. Why are you not well versed in programming languages or are those the only 3 or 4 available for writing codes? The answer is that, it is the ones that are popular this side of the world. APTECH and NIIT can never open their doors tomorrow and start training folks in languages like python, c++, assembly etc. It's not selling here, why? Because, our so called "8 months programmers" wont have the capacity nor even want to learn it. They just want to learn one or two little things that are popular and go and start claiming to be programmers. Ask anyone that went thru that their "8 months training" to come and write an embedded OS for a device, using java, let me see if he can even have the foggiest idea of where to begin, yet he will claim to be a java programmer (in my school, we have a course on operating systems where you are taught the basics and building blocks of an OS). Computer Science covers a lot of things and, even though the curriculum in Nigeria is outdated and leaves a lot to be desired, the fact still remains that those outdated programs lay a solid foundation to build upon if you want to learn (for instance, my knowledge in QBASIC helped me to grasp the concepts of C++ when I started learning it on my own). You just don't sit down and expect your lecturers to give you everything. Not even abroad will they do so. You've got to build yourself up man, no one's gonna do it for you. The Bill Gates that you guys are so fond of, have you ever wondered how he got to be that good? Or you think he was born with the skills? He exposed himself to computers early and started developing himself in it, with a couple of help here and there. If you ask me, go and learn Computer Science/Engineering/Technology for 4/5 years first, then specialise in that your programming if you so desire. I bet you, if you ever do the 4years first, you'll be exposed to things you never will be exposed to in that 8 months or even 2years at NIIT. Heck, you'll even get to know of other areas that are infinitely more interesting than programming.

Computing is really important. As for the way forward in Nigeria..a difficult question.

this has been interesting all through..both sides have been heard but all for the sake of improving the computer science field.

Just as many guys have said computer science is more than just a discipline , its a world on its own. when we are discussing computer science we should not make our conclusions based on "Nigerian Computer science" instead we should see the course naturally as it is in other places around the world.

the Nigeria computer science is not in order and that is why we are here deliberating on what to do.

NL1960 and other guys advocating for the superiority of university education of computer science, you are totally right. but please lets spend more time and intellectual resource in charting a way forward. If i must tell you the truth, these 8 month guyz would never listen. just as I have said in my first post that "they refused to bow for graduates". It is now our own responsibility to prove them wrong by action. the problem is this: at the first place, ssce holder should never be allowed to take programming courses or any advanced course in NIIT or any other place.
There should be per-requisites before these courses would be offered. do they have the knowledge of maths like logic, advanced matrix, series and sequences, statistical distributions.A programmer that doesn't know first-in-first-out, strongly typed and loosely typed languages, compiler construction, regular expressions, binary search, genetic algorithm and the rest

prodam: this has been interesting all through..both sides have been heard but all for the sake of improving the computer science field.

Just as many guys have said computer science is more than just a discipline , its a world on its own. when we are discussing computer science we should not make our conclusions based on "Nigerian Computer science" instead we should see the course naturally as it is in other places around the world.

the Nigeria computer science is not in order and that is why we are here deliberating on what to do.

NL1960 and other guys advocating for the superiority of university education of computer science, you are totally right. but please lets spend more time and intellectual resource in charting a way forward. If i must tell you the truth, these 8 month guyz would never listen. just as I have said in my first post that "they refused to bow for graduates". It is now our own responsibility to prove them wrong by action. the problem is this: at the first place, ssce holder should never be allowed to take programming courses or any advanced course in NIIT or any other place.
There should be per-requisites before these courses would be offered. do they have the knowledge of maths like logic, advanced matrix, series and sequences, statistical distributions.A programmer that doesn't know first-in-first-out, strongly typed and loosely typed languages, compiler construction, regular expressions, binary search, genetic algorithm and the rest

You are dead wrong! To hold back knowledge in any form is a crime. You are very very myopic in views!

Its not the issue of holding back knowledge, It's a thing of getting things right, and setting standards.
Nobody is condemning anybody or under-estimating one; what we are making clear is the fact that 'people that go to technical schools(aptech and d rest) do not study computer science and as such do not possess the qualities and knowledge of computer scientists and such they cannot be referred to as computer scientists
probably, u should have understood better if i had said the curriculum in the '8 months institutes' should be reviewed to reflect basic pre-requisite knowledge. But doing this will only amount to studying a 4 year computer science program in a university..I hope u get this.

and For your information, only graduates can be called Computer Scientists. Its quite a pity that this field has not really carved a niche for itself in our dear nation..it involves theories, research, and creativity. this is what this generation will make happen.

oOoº°˚ ˚°ºoo. ♏v̶̲̥̅ God. †ђξ Nigeria education sector has failed, not only i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ computer science but i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ general. W̶̲̥̅ђε̲̣̣̣̥Ʀε̲̣̣̣̥ ℓ̊ think D̶̲̥̅̊ε̲̣̣̣̥γ̲̣̣̥ fail †ђξ most I̶̲̥̅̊S̤̥̈̊ this computer science. I̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ ♏v̶̲̥̅ school †ђξ two prof aя̩̥̊ε̲̣̣̣̥ only GƠ̴̴̴̴͡.̮Ơ̴͡D i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ math course.ℓ̊ fear Ƒǿя this our generation not τ̅☺ βε̲̣ A̶̲̥̅ failed generation

enojie: oOoº°˚ ˚°ºoo. ♏v̶̲̥̅ God. †ђξ Nigeria education sector has failed, not only i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ computer science but i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ general. W̶̲̥̅ђε̲̣̣̣̥Ʀε̲̣̣̣̥ ℓ̊ think D̶̲̥̅̊ε̲̣̣̣̥γ̲̣̣̥ fail †ђξ most I̶̲̥̅̊S̤̥̈̊ this computer science. I̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ ♏v̶̲̥̅ school †ђξ two prof aя̩̥̊ε̲̣̣̣̥ only GƠ̴̴̴̴͡.̮Ơ̴͡D i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ math course.ℓ̊ fear Ƒǿя this our generation not τ̅☺ βε̲̣ A̶̲̥̅ failed generation

guy wat nonsense is diz how do u want some1 undastand ur above statement**smh**

prodam: Its not the issue of holding back knowledge, It's a thing of getting things right, and setting standards.
Nobody is condemning anybody or under-estimating one; what we are making clear is the fact that 'people that go to technical schools(aptech and d rest) do not study computer science and as such do not possess the qualities and knowledge of computer scientists and such they cannot be referred to as computer scientists
probably, u should have understood better if i had said the curriculum in the '8 months institutes' should be reviewed to reflect basic pre-requisite knowledge. But doing this will only amount to studying a 4 year computer science program in a university..I hope u get this.

and For your information, only graduates can be called Computer Scientists. Its quite a pity that this field has not really carved a niche for itself in our dear nation..it involves theories, research, and creativity. this is what this generation will make happen.

looks as if you are more interested in what "who" is called instead of what "who" did?. I think the calling part is irrelevant. Doesn't matter where the person learnt computer science, computer science is computer science..

Lordzouga, ok sir..pls kindly answer these questions: are you a computer scientist? If yes where did you learn yours?
My reply or reaction to your insinuations would depend on your answers to the above questions.thank you

prodam: Lordzouga, ok sir..pls kindly answer these questions: are you a computer scientist? If yes where did you learn yours?
My reply or reaction to your insinuations would depend on your answers to the above questions.thank you

please sir:
I don't see how where I studied or which field I majored in will affect "computer science" as a whole or how it should affect what it is you are about to say(unless it is something very biased) but be rest assured that if what you are about to say is rational, I will perceive it or understand it as it should be done...

Resurection.

Some of the problems hindering the teaching of computer science education in secondary schools is that most of the teachers who are supposed to teach these computer assisted instructions do not have the basic knowledge of computer.

Thatdave:
sack all your lecturers
conduct a fresh programming language based interview
and recruit younger lecturers.
Reduce the courses to 2 per year.
Remove english and maths permanently.
In 5 years, you'll see the result.
Without that, bro, computer science department is an expensive joke : D

Even you don't know anything about computer science. You think computer science is programming. Computer science has many fields if you remove mathematics then you are talking about web design. You need mathematics in computer science how do you think algorithms are developed, how do you think Google search engine ranks webpages. You want them to sack lecturer and employ young one like you that want to remove maths. Please study computer science and mathematics because you cannot do without maths. Period

Assessment of Methods of Teaching Computer Courses to Computer Science Students in Selected Nigerian Polytechnics

I am a computer scientist. It is probably fair to say that most people know what computers are, but not many are aware of what computer science is all about. This is partly due to the fact that computer science is a very young discipline. On this [age, I will attempt to explain my view of computer science...

http://www.scharticles.com/assessment-of-methods-of-teaching-computer-courses-to-computer-science-students-2/