Every morning, Chinedu takes the same bus to work.
He arrives before 8am, opens the shop, checks the stock, and spends most of his day serving customers. He works hard and rarely misses a day. But when his employer introduced a new digital inventory system, Chinedu struggled to use it.
When his payslip changed, he could not understand the deductions. When his employer asked him to sign a new employment agreement, he signed without reading it properly. And when another company advertised a better paying role, he hesitated to apply because the job description was filled with words and requirements he did not fully understand. Chinedu can read but literacy, on its own, has not given him the tools to navigate the world of work.
This is why, on World Literacy Day, we need to talk about more than reading and writing. We need to talk about the quality of education.
Education is not simply about getting a certificate. It is about acquiring the knowledge, skills and confidence to participate meaningfully in society, earn a decent living, understand your rights and make informed decisions about your future.
For millions of young people, that connection between education and work can determine whether they enter a career with opportunities for growth or remain trapped in low paid and insecure employment.
Literacy Is More Than Reading a Sentence.
Being literate means being able to understand information and use it.
In today’s workplace, that could mean reading an employment contract and recognising what it says about your salary, working hours and notice period. It could mean understanding a bank statement, filling out a job application, writing a professional email or following instructions at work.
It could also mean knowing when something does not look right. A worker who cannot understand the terms of an agreement is at a disadvantage before their first day on the job. Someone without basic digital literacy can be locked out of jobs that increasingly require online applications, digital communication and workplace software.
Literacy therefore becomes a form of protection. It helps people understand the systems they are expected to operate within.
Are certificates enough?
For many young Nigerians today, education is still closely tied to one goal which is getting a certificate. While we can agree that certificates matter and can open doors that would otherwise remain closed, a certificate simply cannot do the work for you.
Employers increasingly need people who can communicate, analyse information, use digital tools and learn quickly. These skills determine not only whether someone gets a job, but whether they can grow once they are in one.
For instance, two graduates apply for the same role and both have degrees. One can explain their ideas clearly, analyse a problem, use basic workplace software and confidently discuss their previous experience. The other has the same qualification but struggles with professional communication, digital tools and practical problem solving.
The certificate may get both candidates through the door but the skills may determine who stays in the room. This is why improving the quality of education matters so much to the future of work.
How does education impact decent work?
It is pertinent to know that there is also a difference between having a job and having decent work. While a job provides income, decent work provides the possibility of income alongside dignity, safety, fair treatment, social protection and opportunities to develop.
Education cannot guarantee decent work. It cannot create enough jobs on its own, and it cannot force employers to respect labour laws. But it gives people a stronger position from which to pursue decent work.
A well educated worker is more likely to understand an employment contract, recognise unfair treatment, seek opportunities for professional development and make informed decisions about their career. They are also better positioned to keep learning and that matters because the workplace is changing faster than ever.
What Does This Mean for Young Nigerians?
For young people, the lesson remains that learning doesn’t stop when school ends. Your education should not be measured only by the certificates you have.
Learn how to read a contract, understand your payslip, learn how to use digital tools, improve your communication, learn how to research information and separate reliable information from misinformation, build technical skills that are relevant to the sector you want to enter and most importantly, remain teachable.
For employers, responsibility is equally important. Young workers should not be expected to arrive fully formed. Businesses have a role to play in training, mentoring and creating opportunities for continuous learning.
For government and education providers, the challenge is even bigger as quality education must become accessible, relevant and connected to the realities of the labour market.
A young person should not have to choose between education and employability. The two should reinforce each other.
From Literacy to Decent Work.
Chinedu’s story does not have to end with him struggling to understand a new system at work.
Imagine instead that his education had taught him not only how to read, but how to interpret information, use technology, solve problems and ask questions when something was unclear.
Imagine that he had access to continuous learning when the demands of his job changed. Imagine that, when a better opportunity appeared, he had the confidence and skills to apply. That is the promise of quality education. It does not guarantee everyone a perfect career but it gives people a better chance of building one.
This World Literacy Day, we should therefore think beyond the ability to read a sentence or write a name. We should demand for Quality education that offers skills to understand the world around us and impacts the availability of decent work.
