Mountain Top University vice-chancellor says practical skills should complement degrees
Mountain Top University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ayolabi Elijah says universities should equip students with more than academic qualifications. In an interview with Punch, he described the institution’s focus on entrepreneurship, vocational training, musical ability and digital learning as part of an effort to prepare graduates for work and self-employment.
Mountain Top University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ayolabi Elijah says higher education should prepare students to apply their knowledge in society rather than focus solely on academic qualifications. In an interview with Punch, Elijah said the university’s approach places entrepreneurship at the centre of its efforts to prepare students for life after graduation. He said education remained relevant when it helped solve problems and find practical applications in society.
He said MTU seeks to develop students’ creativity and ability to create and grow businesses, rather than preparing them only to look for employment. The university also runs an entrepreneurship centre where students are helped to think creatively and develop business plans and proposals. Elijah said every graduating student must learn to play at least one musical instrument.
According to him, students use the skill during holidays at event centres and churches, where they can earn money to support themselves. The university also has a vocational programme offering about 20 or 21 areas of study. Elijah said students are expected to master at least two, with options including design, leatherwork, farming, information and communication technology, website development and bead-making.
He said these skills give graduates alternatives if their certificates do not immediately lead to jobs. In his view, students leave with a qualification as well as an entrepreneurial mindset, musical ability and vocational training. Elijah also said the university places emphasis on moral and spiritual values, describing its graduates as adaptable and purpose-driven.
Students are taught Christian and moral values during their time on campus, he said. On digital learning, he said Gen Z students were comfortable with technology and needed to be engaged through digital platforms. MTU provides students with tablets, while lecture materials are available electronically and classrooms are equipped with smart boards.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.