By Guest Writer
I remember vividly my undergraduate days, and one of our classmates whom we all fondly called “Mummy J”. Despite being married with children, Mummy J never shied away from asking questions. She would often approach peers to clarify difficult concepts. One day, she explained why she was so determined to master the basics of grammar as an English Education student: “I will be a teacher, and I need to grasp these in detail so I can easily transfer the knowledge.” That statement has stayed with me ever since. Mummy J knew where she was going. She connected her learning directly with her future. And it made me wonder how many students today can see such clear relevance in what they are taught.
Education, at its core, is not the acquisition of certificates. It is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that make us functional human beings. Yet too often, our curricula stop at theory. Students memorise content without understanding how it matters in their lives or future aspirations. What if curriculum developers took a deeper dive and refined the curriculum for relevance? Imagine if teachers made it a practice to highlight, perhaps briefly, why each lesson matters in the real world. Mastery of English, for instance, could be presented not just as a course requirement but as a tool to succeed in IELTS for a dream travel opportunity, to perform better across all other subjects, since English is the medium of writing, or to communicate effectively in a multilingual nation of over 500 languages. Relevance fuels motivation and motivation is what drives real learning.
However, our current system restricts functionality. Internships and practical placements are mostly reserved for engineering, medical, technical, or education students. Why should that be so? Why shouldn’t every department give students the chance to apply their learning outside the classroom? Take English Language departments as an example. Imagine graduates who had completed internships in media houses, publishing firms, advertising and PR agencies, embassies, NGOs, corporate organisations, schools, and language institutes. They would leave with tangible skills in editing, proofreading, translation, speech writing, voice-over, script writing, online tutoring, language consulting, and communication training. These are not abstract theories, they are marketable, life-shaping skills. And the same principle applies across every field of study. Universities must design pathways where theory meets practice, so that graduates do not leave frustrated, holding degrees that cannot serve them in real life.
Our universities must not remain degree factories. They must evolve into skill incubators; places where knowledge is consistently tied to application. Relevance and functionality must be the twin pillars guiding curriculum planners and educators. But while we wait for policy reform, students themselves must take the initiative: pursue internships, volunteer, freelance, and apply classroom knowledge in real situations. Education must not be passive; it must be activated.
Just recently, I shared this advocacy with primary and secondary school educators. It was refreshing to see them already weaving relevance and functionality into their curriculum. My hope is that this vision spreads across all our institutions until relevance becomes as central to education as knowledge itself. Because in the end, as Mummy J demonstrated years ago, education is not about knowing for its own sake. It is about knowing why it matters, and using that knowledge to live and function meaningfully.
Adebola Karamah Shogbuyi, PhD.
Applied Linguist and Teacher Educator
