The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof Idris Mohammed Bugaje has called on the federal government to establish National Skills Funds for Polytechnics unlike TETFund saying what Polytechnics are getting from TETFUND is inadequate.
Prof Bugaje made the call while delivery the 61st anniversary 26th to 29th combined Auchi Polytechnic convocation lecture titled Re-Engineering Education in Nigeria with Skills Mantra: The Role Of Polytechnics also said Polytechnics should be refocus on skills, curricula development.
Prof Bugaje who was represented by Dr. Mohammed Yahaya Bande said Polytechnics education started earlier than universities education in Nigeria and across Africa such as Yaba College of Technology in 1947 was ahead of the university of Ibadan of 1948 while Kaduna Polytechnic in 1956 was also ahead of Ahmadu Bello University in 1962 adding that most of the world ufamous innovations of the 18th century such as Benjamin Franklin who discovered electricity current; James Watt, Rudolf Diesel never went to any university.
He noted that the primary aims of polytechnic education in Nigeria was hands-on experience, equipping students with practical skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the modern professional world.
He stated further that at the moment, Nigeria has 88 public and 71 private Polytechnics as against about 270 public and private universities yet only less than 20% are offered admission into Polytechnics levels.
The NBTE Sec emphasized the role of Polytechnic education in skills development as it provides practical, real-world training that directly addresses the skills needed for technological emancipation.
He said Polytechnic education fosters close ties with industries, facilitates internships and collaborative projects that enhance skills development and technological knowledge and also encourage an entrepreneurial mindset while preparing students to initiate and lead technological advancement in various sectors.
The NBTE boss however revealed that the NBTE has recently introduced Mandatory Skills Qualifications (MSQ) in line with the global trend for requirements for graduation for ND and HND programs from the current season.
Prof Bugaje said despite some of the challenges being faced by the Polytechnics education in Nigeria such as insufficient resources, innovations, recognition, impact and curricular, Polytechnics education had also made significant impact on technological developments in Nigeria.
He noted that Polytechnics education has cultivated skills directly contributed to enhancing the skills and capabilities of the Nigeria workforce.
According to him, “Polytechnics graduates have played a pivotal role in driving Technology and innovations across various Nigeria industries”.
Prof Bugaje however suggested that in improving Polytechnics education in Nigeria, there should be more resources for infrastructure development, equipment and skills training to ensure high-quality education; a review of TETFund allocation formula as according to him Polytechnics departments are more expensive to set up than that of the universities department.
In conclusion,he said, there should be constantly adapting and updating the curricula to align with technological advancement to accommodate evolving industry needs and quality assurance must also be maintained to ensure a high standard of polytechnic education in Nigeria.
