By: Friday Omosola & Trust Akharaiyi
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Scholars have attributed the inability of university graduates to write letters to faulty basic and secondary education backgrounds. Other factors identified are sub-standard schools, unqualified basic teachers and distractions, among others.
Recall that The Hope reported that the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, (SAN), said many graduates cannot write application letters for employment, calling for urgent total overhaul of the education sector in the country.
Reacting to Egbewole’s submission, a Professor of Linguistics and Languages at Adekunle Ajasin University, Prof. Busuyi Mekusi, said the inability of graduates to write an application letter was as a result of the structure of language or conversation their formation schools used to teach them.
Mekusi submitted that many students struggled with the use of English language, and priority of many of them had shifted from quality education to certification.
While saying the current generation of students are faced with several distractions, he highlighted inefficient government policies, bad curriculum, proliferation of sub-standard schools and incompetent teachers as predicting factors.
Suggesting solutions, Mekusi stressed the need to encourage good learning attitude among students, recruitment and retention of competent teachers in the classrooms, consistent an overhauled curriculum and government being intentional about education development.
Similarly, an Associate Professor at AAUA, Dr. Bayo Fasuwon, emphasised that bad secondary school curriculum, faults in the Nigerian educational system and governments nonchalant attitude towards education sector as contributors to graduates inability write letters.
Fasuwon highlighted increase in budgetary allocation for education,reintroduction of essay, comprehension, and composition writing competitions; motivation of teachers, recruitment of more qualified teachers and provision of infrastructures in public schools as panaceas.
Also speaking, the Dean Faculty of Arts Management and Social Sciences, Edo State University Uzairue, Dr. Andrew Ate emphasised faulty background, lack of mentorship, unwillingness of the youth to learn as causes and the influence of the social media as contributors.
“One way to resolve this issue is to go back to the foundation of education, which is the primary schools and recruitment of good teachers that will lay good foundations at that level and teach students about the formal and informal writing of letters”, he said.
A lecturer in the same university, Dr Fred Akharaiyi stated that most schools have deviated from the rudiments of letter writing and the use of mobile phones and shorthand in communication have greatly affected many students.
“The solution to this issue at hand is that, primary and secondary letter writing textbooks should be consulted and updated in letter writing. Also, schools should inculcate into their students the habit of reading English textbooks in order to improve their vocabulary.
“Finally, students should reduce the constant use of phones and the use of shorthand and slangs in sending texts online in order to reduce their risk of making use of these shorthand in formal or even in some cases informal letter writing”, he suggested.
