SS1-SS3 Should Purely Be About Skill Acquisition – Donald Duke

Former Cross River State Governor and PRP presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has called for a major overhaul of Nigeria’s education system, advocating a stronger focus on vocational and practical skills at the secondary school level.

Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, Duke argued that students should leave secondary school with practical skills that can provide a means of livelihood, regardless of whether they later pursue university education.

“For me, SS1 to SS3 should be purely skills acquisition,” he said, suggesting that students should be allowed to identify areas they have a flair for, including “masonry, plumbing, whatever.”

Duke also proposed restricting Nigerians below the age of 18 from obtaining visas to study abroad, saying this could encourage wealthy Nigerians to invest in quality schools locally.

“I’ll ensure that no child… is given a visa for education except it’s from university level up,” he stated. According to him, children leaving Nigeria at very young ages could become disconnected from their culture and struggle to fully integrate into either society.

“When you start sending kids at the age of nine abroad, you’re deculturalizing,” Duke said. “They end up going there, they are neither citizens there, they’ll never be accepted there, and they can’t fit in here.”

He further argued that keeping students in Nigeria through secondary school would help retain educational spending within the country, create jobs and strengthen the local education industry.

Duke also stressed the need for a globally relevant curriculum, noting that areas such as “information technology, cybertronics, and all those things” should receive greater attention.