A Professor of Cellular and Molecular Parasitology, Roseangela Nwuba, has condemned the growing “school is a scam” narrative among young Nigerians, describing it as troubling and misleading.
Speaking at the 11th matriculation ceremony of Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State, Nwuba said the idea—popular on social media and increasingly echoed on campuses—is often fueled by stories of individuals who attained success without completing tertiary education.
According to her, the narrative reflects widespread frustration over unemployment, inequality and economic hardship, but dangerously oversimplifies complex realities.
While acknowledging the challenges facing graduates, Nwuba warned that dismissing formal education promotes shortcuts to success rather than hard work, discipline, intellectual growth and character formation.
“Slogans are poor substitutes for truth,” she said, urging students to subject the claim to critical scrutiny, just as they would any scientific assertion.
Delivering a lecture titled “Beyond ‘School Is a Scam’: The True Value of Tertiary Education,” the professor rejected the notion that formal education is irrelevant or fraudulent.
Drawing from her background in parasitology, she explained that education goes beyond access to information, stressing that it provides structured understanding, intellectual discipline and moral development.
Using scientific metaphors, Nwuba likened university education to biological differentiation, noting that just as cells require structure, regulation and time to become functional, the human intellect needs mentorship, assessment and progressive challenges to reach its full potential.
“Education is not a scam; it is differentiation,” she said, adding that lectures, assignments and examinations build what she described as “intellectual immunity” against shallow thinking and poor judgment.
She cautioned against shortcuts, comparing them to parasitic systems that extract value without contributing and eventually weaken their host.
In her words, societies thrive when citizens are educated to think critically, innovate responsibly and act ethically.
“Universities produce thinkers, not shortcuts; builders, not opportunists,” she said, urging students to see their years in the university as a period of formation to be tested by real-life challenges rather than ridiculed by popular slogans.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Augustine University, Prof. Anthony Akinwale, announced that 400 students were matriculated for the 2025/2026 academic session, describing the number as a record and evidence of the institution’s steady growth.
Akinwale congratulated the students and their parents, while commending those who excelled academically and morally and were placed on the Vice-Chancellor’s and Dean’s Lists.
He reminded the new students of the university’s motto, pro scientia et moribus (for knowledge and good character), stressing that education without ethics is incomplete.
“The purpose of education is to cultivate the intellect, form character and sharpen the skills needed to improve both personal and societal life,” he said.
The vice-chancellor also emphasised critical thinking as central to the university’s mission, charging students to remain focused on their goals, avoid distractions and adhere strictly to the academic calendar in order to uphold academic integrity.
The ceremony was attended by members of the Governing Council and Senate, principal officers of the university, academic and non-academic staff, religious leaders, parents, guardians and friends of the institution.
