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‘Polytechnics must prepare students to tackle unemployment challenges’

By Abiodun Fagbemi
28 July 2016   |   4:15 am
As a person, I am always propelled by the burning desire to positively improve whatever situation I find myself. Accordingly, it is my vision to build and improve on the strong legacies laid by the former rector and an amiable leader, Dr. Mufutau Olatinwo...
Dr. Ayodele Kuburat Olaosebikan,

Dr. Ayodele Kuburat Olaosebikan,

Acting Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, Dr. Ayodele Kuburat Olaosebikan, in this interview with Abiodun Fagbemi, speaks on education at such tertiary school in the country, efforts at creating a conducive learning environment in her school as well as roles that institutions should play in curbing unemployment.

Vision for Federal Polytechnic, Offa
As a person, I am always propelled by the burning desire to positively improve whatever situation I find myself. Accordingly, it is my vision to build and improve on the strong legacies laid by the former rector and an amiable leader, Dr. Mufutau Olatinwo, who doggedly ensured the restoration and sustenance of a peaceful atmosphere in the school.    It is my vision to cherish and continually sustain the hard-earned peace, and to continually prioritise staff’s and students’ welfare like we have started. Since I took up this assignment, staff welfare has always been top on the management’s priority list; salaries have always been paid as at when due; promotion of a substantial number of both teaching and non-teaching staff was recently done; building the capacity of staff to boost their on-the-job performance has been encouraged to the level that a large number of them were recently sponsored to a workshop at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Badagry, and another set attended another workshop meant for deputy registrars. It took place in Kaduna.

For the students, since we are here because of them, it is a must that we prioritise their wellbeing in the scheme of things. The management is happy and thankful to the student leadership for the understanding and maturity they have always displayed in their approach to issues. Before we resumed this semester (second semester), the management had embarked on massive repairs and fixing of broken facilities in the students’ hostels. This was aimed at giving them a habitable and more conducive hostel accommodation. There is a mother-child-like relationship between the management and students’ representatives. We have a responsibility to provide a conducive learning environment for them to exceedingly do well in their academics. And the latest move by the students to establish a bakery is indeed an attestation of our effort to build a place for proper thinking and conceptualisation of academic ideas for the benefit of our society. I must state that the students are being carried along in the running of the polytechnic and we are happy that executives of the students’ union are really giving students’ unionism a constructive definition.

Since February 15, 2016 when I became the acting rector till date, the polytechnic has continually witnessed the very peaceful coexistence of all and sundry, and a highly resourceful academic atmosphere in particular. The focus of the management has ultimately been to drive both human and material resources towards academic excellence.

Role polytechnics can play in diversifying nation’s economy
Polytechnics have been contributing immensely to the national economy and it would be a great disservice to polytechnic education if roles are not appreciated. But what is seen these days, is that the purpose of establishing these practical-oriented citadels of learning, is getting defeated in the sense that some of these polytechnics are drifting away from their mandates. They are substituting raising IGR for sticking to the mandate and this has adversely affected almost all spheres of our national life.

In my view, I think adequate funding of polytechnic education; capacity building for staff; provision of state-of-the-art equipment/facilities in laboratories, workshops and studios; strict monitoring of students academic performance and fruitful private public partnership between polytechnics and private establishments would prompt categories of self-employment to diversify the economy.

Major challenges of polytechnic education in the country
In as much as I see this as a complex question, I think it is an interesting one too. You would agree with me that polytechnics and monotechnics were established to fulfill certain mandates of raising skilled manpower to contribute to the development of technical and vocational education in the country.

Since change is the only constant thing in life, I think it is time we reviewed laws relating to polytechnic education in the country so as to blend it with contemporary education as practiced in advanced nations. If laws, which serve as foundational and operational guides are reviewed, it becomes a fundamental point of duty for polytechnic/monotechnic administrators to adhere strictly to these operational laws. If we can exactly stay by the mandates given to us, we would realise the importance of our establishment, and how that can solve, to a very great extent, many of the challenges facing us as a nation.

Here, we are making concerted efforts to redirect the focus of our students from desperately seeking employment in blue-chip companies, to creating wealth and employment themselves. This is our organisational target, and we are already working towards turning our students into employers of labour, rather than job-seekers, at the point of graduation and all schools in the polytechnic have already keyed into this resolve.  For example, in the schools of applied science and technology, engineering technology, environmental studies, to be specific, all our students are inclined and tailored towards economic self-reliance. In fact, there is an entrepreneurship centre in the polytechnic where students are practically engaged in ventures that could guarantee them economic independence at graduation.

Aside this, in the schools of engineering technology and environmental studies, students are involved in the fabrication of various technological accessories like Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), stabilisers, computer components, clap-activated lamp, solar lamp, etc.In the School of Environmental Studies, the students know much about block-making, sculpture, architectural design, technologically-based surveying and so on and so forth.

Going through this, you would understand that there is none out of these, which cannot serve as a veritable source of livelihood and make one economically independent. It would also interest you to know that majority of our students are traders who engage in buying and selling in addition to their academic programme. That is the knowledge we are imparting in the students.

Generally, I think the directive of the Federal Government on 70:30 ratio for admission in favour of science and technology-based programmes over business-related ones, is aimed at creating a generation of self-employed graduates in the country, and it is on this note I wish to advise that polytechnic administrators must make concerted efforts to prepare their students to tackle unemployment challenges in the country. We must ensure impartation of complete education that is practical oriented, into our students and make sure that students are deeply involved in practical lessons rather than too much of theory.

Five areas of priority attention for your administration
First is the sustenance of peaceful coexistence, discipline in an academic environment. The second is capacity building while the third is staff and students’ welfare. The fourth and fifth are the institution of resourceful academic research programmes and infrastructural development in that order. We are to introduce agriculture related programmes in order to key into the Federal Government’s agriculture-friendly policies, produce graduates to support the government agriculture programme and excessively explore agricultural potentials in the main campus of the school.

Polytechnics offering courses in humanities
I don’t think polytechnics do have any business to delve into offering courses like Christian Religious Studies (CRS) and Islamic Religious Studies (IRS). You would agree with me that this attempt is glaringly at variance with the mandate setting up polytechnics. A simple definition of a polytechnic says that it is a technical school offering instruction in many industrial arts and applied sciences. Polytechnics may need history but not CRS and IRS. Faith-based institutions are already doing that. We really need to be honest with ourselves.

Relationship between the school and host community
Since inception, this school has been of immense benefit to the host and neighbouring communities in all ramifications that define development and that gesture has always been reciprocated. The immediate past administration, which I played an active role in, established a good rapport with these communities and the present management is tenaciously working to sustain the tempo so as to move the polytechnic to the next level.

Management relates and collaborate so well with the communities, especially in the areas of peaceful coexistence with our staff, students and security. Over the years, we have created a beautiful relationship with the communities to the extent that some of the prominent members in the communities are our fellows.
Aside this, we consult and collaborate with opinion shapers and leaders in the communities on policies of government as they affect them. Honestly, we are humbled by the support and encouragement that they provide.

Let me seize this avenue to profoundly appreciate His Royal Majesty, Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, Esuwoye II and other royal fathers of these communities for their continued and immense contributions towards the growth of the polytechnic. It is so much a fantastic relationship that exists between the town and the gown – happenings at the 6th year anniversary of Oba Gbadamosi, lent credence to that robust relationship.

Any Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by the school to the host community?
Recently, management allocated a befitting office in the school premises for the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to use as a registration sub-centre to easily capture staff and students in the institution into the commission’s database. Members of the host and neighbouring communities are also benefitting from this gesture.

Plans are underway to build an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) stand to serve not only the polytechnic community, but also members of the neighbouring communities.
Efforts are also in top gear to upgrade our medical centre so as to serve both the polytechnic community and immediate communities too.

On Sweet-Potato-for-Bread
I am very happy about our Sweet-Potato-for-Bread story. It is not encouraging that we are not getting the expected support and cooperation. But that definitely does not stop us from continuing our research to use the staple food for bread and other confectionaries. The Food Technology Department in collaboration with other departments are really doing the yeomen’s job as far as that is concerned. And efforts are indeed in top gear to redesign MoUs with partnered bodies within and outside the country.
It is a project that must be supported and given national prominence. We are working tirelessly to give it extra push this time around.

Ensuring cohesion among various campus groups
Well, I don’t understand what you mean by various groups. But I am pleased to tell you that there is no disunity among our staff. We cherish our peace so much. We love one another and we all work for a purpose and that is towards building an enviable system. More so, one fact that is clearly obvious is the improved dedication and commitment of staff members to work since I came on board as the acting rector. Aside this, interpersonal and work relationships among staff have no doubt witnessed unprecedented improvement.

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