Polytechnics Not Receiving Attention, Odeyemi Laments
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Chairman of the Governing Council of Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Diran Odeyemi, has expressed dissatisfaction over the poor attention given to polytechnic education in Nigeria.
According to him, the solution to the problem of unemployment is already in the polytechnic but the government is not tapping the potentials embedded in the polytechnic.
Speaking at a ‘News Point’ of the Osun Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Wednesday, Odeyemi posited that if Nigerian governments give adequate attention to polytechnic as given to university education, Nigeria would not be where it is today.
He said, “The world is moving away from where we are focusing. Every day you give licenses to 10 universities, now we have more than 200 and what are they doing? Literary arts, Economics, among others. But the technology area, for me, if they want to change the tragedy of our progress in terms of development, if everybody wants a certificate, then let us convert polytechnic to polytechnic-university and let us erase all management courses from polytechnic, let’s concentrate on science and technology, then this country will know where it is going.
“The truth is that nobody is looking at Polytechnic education in Nigeria. If will give attention we give to the University to Polytechnic, we won’t be where we are.
“In as much as we continue to pay little service to technology, we will be moving around the circle, and no matter how you travel on the wrong route, there is no other solution than you have to turn back.
“We must know when to turn back and refocus our education priority. We made enough of writing. What can people do with their hands? skills are the global things now.
Corroborating the view, the Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Samson Adegoke, said the problem is that the polytechnic is not receiving the required attention.
He said, “For instance in our school, these are the current renovations that we have. Under Mechatronics, we have
Electric Jack, Bluetooth Control Fan, Weight Control Wheel Barrow. Under Electrical, we have Smart Home Automation, Biometric Attendance, Rfid Smart Security Gate, Programmable Load Shedding System With Remote Unit, Android Fan Control System, Access Restricted Integrated Power Monitoring And Control System, and Smart Traffic Light.
“We have Bluetooth Control Fan, a fan that can be controlled by Bluetooth or by GSM. We have a generator that is GSM-controlled so if you are not even in the country and you to give people the impression that you are around from there you can send a message to the generator and your company can be on light for some before you are off it, this has a dual purpose, particularly in the era of security threat, we noticed that some people in an attempt to go down and off their generator, they kidnap them, you don’t need to leave your room to put on and put off your generator, you send text message,” Adegoke said.
