Dr Nuru Yakubu, a member of the Board of Daily Trust Foundation and former Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has described enrolment figures at the polytechnics and technical colleges as abysmally low.
Yakubu submitted that the current enrolment quota into tertiary institutions gives undue advantage to universities over polytechnics.
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He spoke while delivering a lecture in delivered at the 2nd Raheem Adisa Oloyo Annual Public Lecture at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun state.
The lecture was held in honour of Dr. Raheem Adisa Oloyo, a former Rector of the institution.
Yakubu in his lecture, titled: “Re-Engineering Polytechnic Education In Nigeria To Achieve A Paradigm Shift In Nigeria’s Development Agenda”, insisted that, Nigeria cannot attain economic development with the abysmal quota of enrollment of students into polytechnics and technical colleges in the country.
He argued that, without a sound Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in place, the “economic future of Nigeria is doomed”.
Yakubu also called on National Universities Commission (NUC) and the NBTE to begin the implementation of the Chief Gray Longe Commission setup in 1990 which recommended that, “for every student enrolled in the universities, there should be 10 in the polytechnics and colleges of education”.
He said, if the commission is implemented, the enrolment of students into polytechnics and technical colleges would increase to nine million.
According to him, in 2018/2019 session only 342, 986 students were admitted into polytechnics and other technical colleges, compared to 1.8 million students admitted into universities.
He noted that, increased enrollment of students in Polytechnics and technical colleges would address the shortage of skilled workers in the country.
He said: “The enrollment figure in Polytechnics is dismal, especially when we compare it with the infrastructure, the amount of money we spend on polytechnics and manpower available.
“In fact, enrollment in technical colleges and science and technical colleges colleges accounts for less than 2.6 percent of senior secondary enrollment.
“Given the importance of TVET for the integration of youth into the labour market, as well as for the growth prospects of key value chains, there is a clear need to review the structure of the country’s TVET provision and come up with a reform strategy.”
In his remarks, the Rector, Dr Olusegun Aluko expressed concern that “polytechnic education is under siege.”
Aluko, however, said in order to solve the challenge of the polytechnics must always occupy the front burner of national discourse.
This, the Rector said informed the annual lecture series in honour of the former Rector, with the focus, on the development of polytechnic education.
