Malam Abba Tanimu Sheriff, Director, planning research and statistics, Kano state private and voluntary institutions board has urged parents to give free hand to their children to decide their future career saying it is very important for talent discovery and creativity.

He gave the advice on Thursday in a press interview during the 2017 science and art exhibition by the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) in Kano.

Sheriff who was a dignitary at the science fair attributed massive withdrawals in universities and colleges of higher education annually to parental influence in the career choices by the affected students.

He advised parents to rather guide their children to realise their potentials than imposing courses on them.

‘’One basic mistake we parents usually make is that we try to condition our children to study certain subjects while we don’t study where they lead to. What I think parents ought to do is to try and detect where child’s interest leans. If it is to practical, let him go to technical school, if it is sciences, send him to science school or if arts let him go to arts school.

‘’We should not dictate what our children should read. This is a very big mistake we have been making. We impose them to study certain courses, they go to university, within a very short time they got withdrawn or they become frustrated, you don’t allow them to do what they want to do and you do not get what you want them to do. It’s a very big mistake’’ he warned.

The Director however expressed optimism in the fate of science education in the country stressing that with the current crop of students at NTIC Kano, sciences will continue to occupy its rightful place in Nigeria’s journey to social transformation.

Speaking about the motive behind the exhibition Malam Mustapha Daudu, the vice principal boys section of the college said the event was meant to showcase the talents available among students in relations to what they are taught in class and what they can do practically.

He emphasising that ‘’any knowledge without application is baseless’’.

Some of the students who spoke to our reporter commended their teachers for equipping them with rightful education necessary for their future career.

Nafisa Mukhtar, an SS2 student who is also an aspiring medical doctor commended the management of the institution for encouraging her as she struggles to realise her dreamt profession in medical sciences.

However when asked whether her parents have any influence over her career choice she said ‘’ I want to be a medical doctor with specialisation in heart surgery because my Dad went through heart surgery. When he had the problem he had to go to Dubai for him to be operated upon that alone influences my career choice’’.

DAILYTRUST