WHEN,
some weeks ago, experts in technical and vocational education gathered
at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, for a training programme, the
need for the new government to urgently review the existing policies on
Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) formed a major part of their
deliberations. They argued that it was inexplicable that a country that
desires to develop enterprises had failed to pay adequate attention to
technical education.
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Mas’udu Adamu Kazaure, in his address at the occasion said:
“I would like to, at the outset, postulate that an important ingredient for success in the present administration’s economic agenda is the effective delivery of technical and vocational education (TVE). However, the TVE sector in the country is facing critical challenges: access is low, motivation is low, and there is low societal esteem and discrimination, inadequate resource input and consequent low output.
“Nigeria’s unemployment crisis is ironically happening at the time of acute shortage of technical and vocational skills in the country. A National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey shows an average of 1.3 million Nigerians enter the job market every year. Similarly, 53 per cent of 24 to 44-year-old Nigerians are unemployed, while National Committee on Job Creation put the total number of unemployed Nigerians at 49 million.
“The largest group are the young who are unemployed or under-employed. Consequently, the army of restive unemployed youth has resulted in increased urban violence, kidnapping and militant insurgency in the country.”
Against all odds
In spite of the inadequate attention that polytechnics have received over the years, polytechnic students have continued to show promise, particularly in entrepreneurship skills. Indeed, many of the students who spoke with Tribune Education last week at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, said they were already self-employed.
“I make clothes,” said Abiodun Seyon, a student in the Department of Polymer and Textile Technology. “What I am putting on now (shirt and trousers) were made by me. I make all kinds of clothes. My plan after school is simple: I have acquired the technical education, and I believe that from my first year to my fourth year now, my thinking has improved. We have a course we do here; it is called Entrepreneurship Development. We do it from first year to final year. It has broadened my mind, and I now know how to think outside the box. So I don’t intend to look for a job after graduation. I have learnt a lot of things. I know how to make bleach; I did a project on customised bedspread; I am currently doing paint making.”
Another student, Olakunle Abiola, of the Department of Industrial Maintenance Engineering told Tribune Education that he was part of a group of 10 students who last semester produced a microwave oven and a hotplate as their project for the course on entrepreneurship.
“The main idea was to create a means of cooking or heating food. Our initial plan was to use a coil which would heat and at the same time act as an oven. But we did a research… we went to the market, and did a survey. We found out that it would be good for us to make something from microwave and also add to it a section that would serve as hotplate. That way, you can use the device as a microwave and also as a hotplate.
“Before it was submitted, it was tested and it worked perfectly well. It has two burners on top of it. The two of them are controlled separately, which means we can switch off one and leave the other. That way, no energy is lost. After school, I wish to be on my own. I am also good with the computers. This is my third year in this school. My plan is to be self-employed, after school, no matter what.”
It was gathered that Entrepreneurship Development is a compulsory course for all the students, and was also required to be taken by every student throughout his or her stay in the school.
“False ego”
Mr Charles Oni is the Public Relations Officer of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. He told Tribune Education on Friday that even though he did not study at a polytechnic, his years as a member of staff of the college had shown him that polytechnic education possesses the ingredients required to revive Nigeria’s economy.
“Nigeria is not paying adequate attention to the technological sector, especially technological education sector, because of ignorance and ego – false ego,” Oni said. “When the 6-3-3-4 system of education was introduced by Professor Babalola Borishade, we thought that Nigeria had discovered a way out of its problems. Because it meant that with the 6-3-3-4 system which America had practised and which had yielded dividends, by the time a student has completed JSS III or Basic 9, that student would have known his or her strength. But that, sadly, hasn’t been the case.
“The government should prioritise technical education. I am a product of the university system, but from what I have seen as a polytechnic teacher, I know that the polytechnic is a great place to be. Everybody doesn’t have to go to university. Elsewhere in the world, young people are observed from childhood and encouraged to pursue whatever skills are found to be their strengths.”
Funding
A section of the main Engineering Block at the College is reserved for laboratories. Students were observed doing practical work on building and cement-making in one of the laboratories on the ground floor. Two or three doors away was the Electrical Engineering laboratory. Mr Joseph Adebayo Folorunsho, designated as “Senior Technician” sat at a desk in front of the hall. There were no students there – only equipment that appeared old and in bad condition. According to Folorunsho, even with the abundance of talents at polytechnics, little can be achieved without adequate funding.
“We are the ones who operate the machines,” Folorunsho said. “So, if anything happens to the machines we will know; if they need overhauling, we will know. With the way things are, polytechnics cannot achieve much. I know that NBTE is trying hard to improve quality.
But there are still a lot to be done. You can see our laboratory there are things that need to be refurbished. You do not need anyone to tell you that many of things you see here must have been here for many years. There is also the need to train the staff. As you acquire new technology, you have to also train people who can handle it.”
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Mas’udu Adamu Kazaure, in his address at the occasion said:
“I would like to, at the outset, postulate that an important ingredient for success in the present administration’s economic agenda is the effective delivery of technical and vocational education (TVE). However, the TVE sector in the country is facing critical challenges: access is low, motivation is low, and there is low societal esteem and discrimination, inadequate resource input and consequent low output.
“Nigeria’s unemployment crisis is ironically happening at the time of acute shortage of technical and vocational skills in the country. A National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey shows an average of 1.3 million Nigerians enter the job market every year. Similarly, 53 per cent of 24 to 44-year-old Nigerians are unemployed, while National Committee on Job Creation put the total number of unemployed Nigerians at 49 million.
“The largest group are the young who are unemployed or under-employed. Consequently, the army of restive unemployed youth has resulted in increased urban violence, kidnapping and militant insurgency in the country.”
Against all odds
In spite of the inadequate attention that polytechnics have received over the years, polytechnic students have continued to show promise, particularly in entrepreneurship skills. Indeed, many of the students who spoke with Tribune Education last week at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, said they were already self-employed.
“I make clothes,” said Abiodun Seyon, a student in the Department of Polymer and Textile Technology. “What I am putting on now (shirt and trousers) were made by me. I make all kinds of clothes. My plan after school is simple: I have acquired the technical education, and I believe that from my first year to my fourth year now, my thinking has improved. We have a course we do here; it is called Entrepreneurship Development. We do it from first year to final year. It has broadened my mind, and I now know how to think outside the box. So I don’t intend to look for a job after graduation. I have learnt a lot of things. I know how to make bleach; I did a project on customised bedspread; I am currently doing paint making.”
Another student, Olakunle Abiola, of the Department of Industrial Maintenance Engineering told Tribune Education that he was part of a group of 10 students who last semester produced a microwave oven and a hotplate as their project for the course on entrepreneurship.
“The main idea was to create a means of cooking or heating food. Our initial plan was to use a coil which would heat and at the same time act as an oven. But we did a research… we went to the market, and did a survey. We found out that it would be good for us to make something from microwave and also add to it a section that would serve as hotplate. That way, you can use the device as a microwave and also as a hotplate.
“Before it was submitted, it was tested and it worked perfectly well. It has two burners on top of it. The two of them are controlled separately, which means we can switch off one and leave the other. That way, no energy is lost. After school, I wish to be on my own. I am also good with the computers. This is my third year in this school. My plan is to be self-employed, after school, no matter what.”
It was gathered that Entrepreneurship Development is a compulsory course for all the students, and was also required to be taken by every student throughout his or her stay in the school.
“False ego”
Mr Charles Oni is the Public Relations Officer of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. He told Tribune Education on Friday that even though he did not study at a polytechnic, his years as a member of staff of the college had shown him that polytechnic education possesses the ingredients required to revive Nigeria’s economy.
“Nigeria is not paying adequate attention to the technological sector, especially technological education sector, because of ignorance and ego – false ego,” Oni said. “When the 6-3-3-4 system of education was introduced by Professor Babalola Borishade, we thought that Nigeria had discovered a way out of its problems. Because it meant that with the 6-3-3-4 system which America had practised and which had yielded dividends, by the time a student has completed JSS III or Basic 9, that student would have known his or her strength. But that, sadly, hasn’t been the case.
“The government should prioritise technical education. I am a product of the university system, but from what I have seen as a polytechnic teacher, I know that the polytechnic is a great place to be. Everybody doesn’t have to go to university. Elsewhere in the world, young people are observed from childhood and encouraged to pursue whatever skills are found to be their strengths.”
Funding
A section of the main Engineering Block at the College is reserved for laboratories. Students were observed doing practical work on building and cement-making in one of the laboratories on the ground floor. Two or three doors away was the Electrical Engineering laboratory. Mr Joseph Adebayo Folorunsho, designated as “Senior Technician” sat at a desk in front of the hall. There were no students there – only equipment that appeared old and in bad condition. According to Folorunsho, even with the abundance of talents at polytechnics, little can be achieved without adequate funding.
“We are the ones who operate the machines,” Folorunsho said. “So, if anything happens to the machines we will know; if they need overhauling, we will know. With the way things are, polytechnics cannot achieve much. I know that NBTE is trying hard to improve quality.
But there are still a lot to be done. You can see our laboratory there are things that need to be refurbished. You do not need anyone to tell you that many of things you see here must have been here for many years. There is also the need to train the staff. As you acquire new technology, you have to also train people who can handle it.”
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