Stakeholders in polytechnic education in the country have stressed the need for a robust curriculum reform which will incorporate practical hands-on training and exposure aimed at ensuring that graduates are not only well-educated but also job-ready.
This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the two-day sixth annual international conference of the Institute of Technology, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin with the theme, “Revitalizing Engineering, Technological and Science Education towards Nigeria’s Economic Recovery”.
The conference, which drew participants from higher educational institutions from various parts of the country, held that the nation’s educational institutions, particularly the polytechnics, have a crucial role to play in equipping our youths with the knowledge, skills and mindset necessary to thrive in the modern world.
The communique, signed by chairman and secretary of the local organizing committee, Engineer Alagbe Michael, and Dr. Olatunji John Adebisi, respectively, also said that stakeholders (higher institutions, research institutions, policy makers and the private sectors) must foster an environment that encourages innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving thereby empowering students to become active contributors to the nation’s economic recovery.
“The fields of engineering, technology and science education play critical roles in driving economic growth and sustainable development in a nation towards socio economic prosperity.
“There is the need for collaboration between higher technological institutions and research institutes to facilitate knowledge exchange, research collaboration and knowledge transfer. This kind of collaboration could be institutionalized through internship, apprenticeship and mentorship programmes
“Adequate funding should be provided to upgrade our laboratories, research centres and libraries to expose students to latest tools, technologies and resources. In addition, we must embrace digital transformation in education through on-line learning platforms and technology enabled teaching methods to reach a wider audience and enhance learning experience.
“Revitalizing engineering, technological and science education is a collective responsibility of the various stakeholders in the education industry, higher institutions, research institutions, policy makers and the private sectors.
“That Nigeria being the most populous country and the largest economy in Africa is presently faced with multifaceted problems resulting into hardship to the citizens and soaring national debts. Therefore, it’s in a dire need of ways to revive its economy and improve the standards of living of its people.
“Education remains a critical factor for speedy development of the country, thus, Science, Engineering and technology (SET) remain vital elements for achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction.
“That, if Nigeria economy would recover via SET sectors, challenges like deficient legislative framework, regulatory ambiguities, unrealistic approaches, policies and regulatory gaps that are largely dependent on political will and conducive environment requires a more comprehensive approach to deal with especially through academic institutions awareness such as this conference.
“Finally, the presenter stated that, Engineering, Technology and Science (ETS) courses are central to national development and economic empowerment thus, every Nigerian must be very conscious of what is happening globally in order to meet up with international trends and space on ETS education which ultimately would help in the quick recovery of the nation’s economy”.
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