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‘Our schooling/knowledge system must be tailored to meet national, development goals’

By Iyabo Lawal
12 April 2018   |   4:25 am
Chairman, Governing Council, Lagos City Polytechnic (LCP), Babatunde Odufuwa has tasked the government and education stakeholders to prioritise research to enhance the nation’s growth and development.

Acting Rector, Lagos City Polytechnic, Mr. Oluseye Adebiyi; Representative of guest speaker, Mr. Nicholas Enyika; and Chairman, Governing Council, Mr. Babatunde Odufuwa, at the 12th convocation of the polytechnic in Lagos.

Chairman, Governing Council, Lagos City Polytechnic (LCP), Babatunde Odufuwa has tasked the government and education stakeholders to prioritise research to enhance the nation’s growth and development.

Odufuwa who spoke at the 12th convocation ceremony of Lagos City Polytechnic held at the LTV House, Agidingbi, Ikeja also posited that our educational system must be tailored to reflect the needs of our environment to aid our development as a nation.

“There is a need to focus more on research and development, manufacturing and industrial growth set for exports as opposed to projects which are not employment generating. These challenges affect our educational standard and inhibit our efforts to achieve our goals of being amongst the 20 developing nations by the year 2020. 
 It is important to ensure that the bedrock of our education must produce the basic skills of teachers and artisans who must be well educated in the use of their skills to serve and support the graduates in engineering, medicine, art, science and humanities. The reopening of trade centres where all our artisans are trained will assist us in enhancing the delivery of skills in the educational system.”

Odufuwa also used the occasion to restate call for improved funding of the sector by government at all levels: – primary, secondary, polytechnics and universities, while also making a case for private institutions.

According to him, government must give incentives to the operators of private tertiary institutions for ‘assisting in training its citizens.’

“Government pays the bill for students in public institutions and as such must encourage those in private institutions by augmenting the cost of their training. A strong, viable, articulate and well harmonised structure will lead to a very high standard, disciplined and quality educationa1 system. I have also highlighted the imperatives of ethical behaviors in all aspects of our national life. 
I stressed the need to continue to promote entrepreneurship development in schools as a ‘major component of academic curriculum.

While addressing the 541 graduating students, comprising 267 and 274 Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) respectively
from the school of Engineering and Applied Sciences 
as well as the Business and Management Studies, the council chairman tasked the graduands to brace up for the challenges ahead.

He said, “Your journey has just started, LCP has built the necessary foundation; you have been empowered with qualitative education to achieve the best possible. It is now up to you to face challenges. It is up to you to see roadblocks as stepping-stones, to see problems as opportunities, to be stronger and see the sky not as your limit but as your starting point into the entire universe.” ­

In his convocation lecture, Chief Executive Officer of Sidmach Technology, Chief A.P.S AROGUNDADE said the country needs further entrenchment of technology in educational development, while reminding that science and technology have revolutionised learning around the world.
“The lack of adequate technological infrastructure to drive learning is of great concern and a major setback to enhancing 
education in Nigeria. Most of the schools are not linked to the internet and as such do not benefit effectively from the educational resources online. Also inadequate number of skilled technological resources is another factor. Until these factors are well addressed, our yearning to be at par with our global partners may not come easily.

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