A financial expert and entrepreneur in the oil and gas industry, Shina Luwoye, has decried the continuous conversion of polytechnics in the country to universities by both the federal and state governments, describing the action as a “misplaced priority”.
Luwoye who is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants (FCA) and the President of the 83/88 Set Department of Accountancy Alumni, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, (MAPOLY) Abeokuta, stated this while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after his Alumni set paid a courtesy visit on the Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Adeoye Odedeji, in his office, at the weekend.
The visit was part of the activities lined up by the set to mark the 35th anniversary of graduation from the institution then known as the Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta. He posited that what Nigeria needs to grow and develop technologically is to produce graduates with set skills capable of finding practical solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the nation.
Luwoye argued further that 80 percent of those going to the university today don’t have to be in the university, lamenting the country are only churning out technocrats, administrators as well as people who are going to work as civil servants, instead of skilled labour that can drive the socioeconomic growth of Nigeria.
“This action of converting Polytechnics to Universities is a misplaced priority. Everybody does not need to go to the university. What we need in Nigeria’s economy is not much of university graduates. 80 percent of those going to the university today don’t have to be in the university. What we need are artisans, professionals who can provide practical solutions to the nation’s problems.
“Today in Nigeria, you can’t get many professionals and technicians. You don’t have to go to the university to become a journalist. You can go to Nigeria Institute of Journalism, which is a monotechnic. Our people have the mentality for university education. We are churning out technocrats, administrators and people who are going to work as civil servants. It is the industries that can make Nigeria great. It is by investing in technology driven education for our people in the skills that are sellable that will make the country great.
“If you have a B.A/B.SC in History, what value does the holder of such a degree have for us in the society? How can such a person compare him/herself with someone with a National Diploma in Building Technology. Degree in History is not useful in society. I’m not saying it is not good to study History.
“University education is preparation for life . You need to go and acquire a skill that is sellable in the labour market and that is what polytechnic education is supposed to provide to drive the economy technologically, that is what we need.
“Our policy makers every time are converting polytechnics to universities, every community in Nigeria wants a university, but where are we today? For almost sixty years of university education, we can’t maintain a car in Nigeria, we can’t launch satellites into space, we can’t even govern ourselves”, he submitted.
He, however, disclosed that the Alumni set was working on the construction of Accounting Building which will include a theater hall and laboratory accounting training of students, pointing out that the project was to give back to the institution that provided a platform for them to thrive in their chosen career, and to mark the 35th anniversary of their graduation from the institution.
Luwoye, who applauded the management of the Institution for a great transformation, urged them to find a lasting solution to the incessant strike in the institution. He charged students of the institution to shun any act capable of jeopardizing their future. Addressing the set earlier, the Rector of MAPOLY, Dr. Adedeji Adeoye, called on major stakeholders in the nation’s education sector for proper funding of polytechnics, so as to sustain the academic excellence and enhance technological development of the country.
The Rector, who commended the set that has the Accountant General of Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, as a member, for choosing to construct the proposed “Accountancy Building” as part of its 35th anniversary, recalled some of the outstanding performances of students from the Accountancy Department of MAPOLY. He added that the institution has continued to produce Higher National Diploma graduates who qualified as Chartered Accountants before they graduated from the polytechnic
MAPOLY according to him, has been making tremendous progress with the expansion of academic programmes being offered by the institution in the past years, despite the financial challenges confronting it. Odedeji, however, noted that the proposed Accountancy Building, will enhance the teaching and learning in the department.
Source: Sun News Online
