The race to study abroad
Majekodunmi Segun
One Canadian dollar at the official currency market currently hovers around N145, but it is just not available. At the ‘black market’ where most Nigerians are now forced to trade, a Canadian dollar is sold at about N250. Beyond this problem of the fall of the nation’s currency is also the challenge of posting money abroad following the Central Bank’s new policy on cash transfer.The new policy, according to the Federal Government, is aimed at addressing the crime of money laundering and other corrupt practices. But despite these clogs, Nigerians have insisted that no price is too much to pay to acquire quality education, especially in a country as endowed as Canada.
This resolve was displayed last week by many students, their parents and guardians, who thronged the 12th edition of the Canada Education Fair Nigeria, which held both in Abuja and Lagos. Mrs. Kikelomo Danilola and her only child, Opeyemi, were among the participants at the fair, who had come to gain a clearer insight into the processes towards gaining admission into a university in a country they dubbed ‘promised land.’
Opeyemi had studied Accounting at a private university in Lagos, Caleb University, Imota, and was now willing to pursue a postgraduate degree programme in Canada. To her, the choice of Canada was based on so many factors, including but not limited to; job opportunities after schooling, conducive atmosphere for training, improved security of lives and property and easier access to other nations of the world.
When asked why the mother would be willing to allow her only child to go that far in search of education, especially considering the cash crunch back home, Danilola said nothing was too much to risk, towards achieving the best for one’s child. She explained that so many factors, including the desire to protect her daughter’s career and future, have been considered before arriving at such conclusion.
“She attended a private university in Nigeria here and I know what she went through to graduate. Do we talk about the infrastructural challenges? What about exposure and the after-study job opportunities? It is not easy for me to take this decision, but what better choice have we got? I hate capital flight but what are we doing here to stop it?
It is a decision difficult to take but the alternative of staying back home is not worth it,” Danilola said. Pupils of various secondary schools were also part of the fair, as they asked the representatives of the participating Canadian institutions various relevant questions. One of the them, a Senior Secondary School I pupil of Trinity International College, Ofada, Ogun State, Ololade Sowunmi, expressed her desire to study Journalism and Anthropology in any reputable higher institution in Canada.
Sowunmi, who is a member of her school’s Students’ Representatives Council (SRC), said her parents had encouraged her to opt for higher education in Canada because it that country was safer and economically buoyant. However, because Sowunmi could not find any of the 40 participating institutions combining both Journalism and Anthropology, she concluded that rather than opting to study in another country, she would choose either Journalism or Anthropology.
Sowunmi’s schoolmate and a science student, who plans to study Medicine in a Canadian university, said she was inspired by the nation’s health practitioners trooping to Canada to ply their trade. She said: “Rather than study here and travel later, I would prefer to study there so that I can easily secure my stay permit and secure a good job.”
Also, Jeffery Izuorah, an SS III student of the famous King’s College, Lagos Island, said because he hated crime, he would prefer to study in Canada “being a country not known for crime”. He said he would like to study Computer Engineering and that God’s willing, once he sat for the forthcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination to be conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), his next assignment would be to process admission to the country.
He said, cash crunch or not, his parents had assured him that they had saved for the purpose and that God Almighty would make the dream come through. Apart from the staff of the various universities and colleges, who had come to interact with the participants, some of the schools also invited some Nigerians who are their alumni to share their experiences at the forum.
Mrs. Charity Oisamoje attended the Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Colombia, Canada, for her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) after graduating from Benson Idahosa University, Benin, Edo State. The former employee of Diamond Bank, who said she resigned in 2009 to enrol for the programme, described her experience in Canada simply as awesome. According to her, so many factors have made the experience incomparable with what she went through back home in Nigeria.
“The experience back home was hellish,” she added. Speaking at the opening session of the two-day event, which held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, the High Commissioner of Canada in Nigeria, Perry Calderwood, said in 2014 alone, 8,600 Nigerians were studying in Canada, even as he boasted that his home country offered one of the world’s best education systems.
“In this age of globalisation, education, innovation and knowledge are key drivers of the global economy. Education and research are priorities in Canada. “The Canadian government is committed to continuing to attract the best and brightest students to Canada,” Calderwood said proudly.
No comments:
Post a Comment