Mba spoke at the unveiling of the STAR mentorship initiative and the second edition of the association’s yearly award held at their alma mater in Owerri.
Stressing the need for collaboration among government, corporate organisations and civil society in bridging the skills gap, he noted that this is in line with the vision and mission of the STAR mentorship initiative of the OGSSIAN 86ers alumni network.
He said: “STAR Project is designed as a learning and development initiative, which seeks to improve learning outcomes, expand school enrollment and raise a pool of students with outstanding academic performances, focused on purpose-driven career goals.
“The programme is the outcome of a detailed need assessment by the school management and the alumni network of the Class of 86.
“In an era where the dearth of human capital development remains a shared concern, the Class of 81-86 proposes its STAR Scholarship initiative as a strategic intervention to help tackle human capital development deficit in the education system.”
According to him, the target is to boost the school’s curriculum, thereby, equipping students with critical skill sets such as active listening, time management, critical thinking and tips on self-awareness, among others.
He further explained: “Some of these are soft skills that are hardly taught in class, but designed to enhance personal effectiveness to attract talent hunters and recruitment agencies in the future.”
He further explained that through the STAR Mentorship Initiative, students would choose mentors whose professional careers match their career aspirations and gain crucial skills under their mentors to enable them to succeed in the future.
He added: “To measure and track learning outcomes, a post-project cycle impact assessment has been commissioned by the alumni.”
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Patricia Nlebedum, representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, applauded the initiative by the Class of 86ers. She commended the three-pronged approach to student capacity building that combines infrastructure development, curriculum development, and reward for academic performance.
Nlebedum corroborated that the initiative would create shared benefits for students, parents, teachers, government and corporate organisations, as well as help in transforming the economy.
She said the government is committed to sustainable partnerships with critical development sectors of the economy toward building a viable educational system.
