The University of Lagos (UNILAG) Insurance and Actuarial Science Department has tailored its curriculum with current developments in the sectors in a move to produce students that are fit and proper for insurance, pension, and actuarial science practices.
Professor Dallah Hamodu, Head of the Department of Actuarial Science & Insurance of the university, disclosed this at the 30th anniversary of 1994 graduates of Actuarial Science & Insurance held recently at UNILAG.
He said that the department’s curriculum was reviewed recently to ensure that all insurance-affiliated organisations, pension, and actuarial science were contacted in developing the revised curriculum to cater to the industry’s demand.
He stated that if the students are not well equipped, the pension, insurance and actuarial sectors would invest more to align them with their operations.
Hamudu expressed confidence that based on his assessment of the students and their capacities, adding that the department is producing the type of students the industries need while calling on the alumni to collaborate more with the department as such collaboration would help the department identify where there are problems, resolve them and also make commendations where necessary.
He lauded the alumni for the donations made to the department, stressing that the department has grown over the years as it now parades seven professors and about 200 students.
According to him, the department in the last convocation produced 20 first-class students from actuarial science and 10 students from insurance.
Samson Akinyemi, the president of the 1994 graduates, said that there is a knowledge gap in the industries, adding that the industries look up to universities to produce workforce for their operations.
He pledged the alumni will collaborate with the department to generate the required fields of development that are needed for the industries, stressing that the department cannot produce what the industries do not need.
Akinyemi noted that while they were in school, there were many courses they were asked to study that had no relevance to the industries they presently work for, adding that using such archaic materials to teach students would not be the best.
He said: “We would draw knowledge from outside to join forces with them to ensure that the knowledge gap is blocked. Whatever products they are turning out for the industries, the graduate level, masters’ level or the executive level must be relevant for the industries.”
He stressed that collaboration between the university and the alumni would focus on research that would enable the industries to draw products and knowledge impacts from projects executed by graduating students.
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