Enugu varsities, others will switch to experiential learning – Mbah

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has directed all state-owned tertiary institutions of learning to deliver experiential learning to change the nation’s developmental narrative.

The governor also said Nigeria’s current education model and spending cannot deliver the much-needed speedy development and economic transformation.

Experiential learning is a hands-on learning approach where individuals gain knowledge and skills through direct experience and reflection.

Speaking on Tuesday while delivering the 1st Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Distinguished Personalities Lecture Series, Mbah pushed for an urgent paradigm shift from rote or memorisation to experiential learning, which he described as the missing link between education, industrialisation, and GDP growth.

In the lecture entitled “Experiential Learning: Building the Wealth of the Nation”, Mbah queried: “Why do Nigerian universities seldom feature on the global ranking list of the world’s best universities? Why have they seemed perennially unable to become the ideas factory that universities ought to be? Why are our universities not producing inventive graduates?

“The answers to these questions lie in many inconvenient truths, amongst which is the fact that the learning in our schools, from basic to tertiary, has for years not imbued our young people with productive skills and competencies. This is a root cause of our underdevelopment.”

The governor noted that knowledge has always been the prime lever for progress throughout human history.

He said the reason nations like the US, China, Germany, and the Netherlands, invest the most in building a qualitative and experiential education ecosystem are the world’s leading economies – the United States of America.

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Mbah, who is currently building 260 Smart Green Schools to power experiential learning in the 260 wards of Enugu State, stressed that by embedding the model from the basic to tertiary levels of education, Enugu was creating a seamless pipeline where students progress from foundational learning to practical innovation.

He also directed all state-owned tertiary institutions to deliver experiential learning going forward.

“So, we hereby announce as a policy that all state-owned tertiary institutions in Enugu State must henceforth deliver Experiential Learning to our children. We want to see this change reflected in planning, budgeting, curriculum reform, assessment, and promotions, as well as research,” he said.

“Experiential learning ensures that education is deeply connected to the challenges and opportunities of the real world.

“It fosters critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. It empowers students to see themselves not as passive learners, but as active problem-solvers.”

The Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Prof. Alloysius-Michael Okolie; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of ESUT Governing Council, Sir Chinyeaka Oha and chairman of the public lecture, Prof. Obiora Ike, commended Mbah for his huge investments in the education sector and the transformational leadership cutting across all sectors.