Governments charged to invest more in Technical and Vocational Education to revamp Economy
(Middle) The Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Mr. Obafemi Omokungbe cutting the tape at the 2022 Research and Exhibition fair of the College.
Investing heavily in technical and vocational education in Nigeria has been identified as one of strategies capable of boosting the nation’s economy.
The Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Yabatech, Lagos, Mr. Obafemi Omokungbe made the point at the 2022 Inter School Research Fair, Exhibition And Awards of the School.
He said that by funding technical and vocational trainng institutions, more innovative researches that would bring about new technogies that the nation needed would be created thereby, saving the nation from spending so much on getting such technologies or technical experts from foreign countries.
He however, noted that despite the good brains the nation was blessed with in technology based tranning institutions across the country, lack of adequate funds for innovative researches needed to meet the nation’s technical needs had been a serious challenge.
Mr. Omokungbe also expressed disatisfaction at the low value the society placed on some individuals with vocational and technical skills.
He explained that the society to a high degree still looked down on those with technical skills like plumbers and electricians to the extent that they were not as well paid and valued as their counterparts in developed countries.
The Rector stressed that the situation had discouraged some youths from acquiring some technical and vocational skills from some institutions of learning including polytechnics.
Commenting on the 2022 Inter-School Research Fair, Exhibition And Awards being organised by Yabatech, Mr. Omokungbe said that the programme was to provide a platform where some most engaging works developed by both staff and students of the College could be showcased.
He added that the programme would also enable the college to celebrate those with distinguished works by giving them different awards and monetary gifts.
In a contribution, the Chairman, College Research Fair and Exhibition Committee, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul said the programme would create a room for healthy competition among the students that had produced something unique capable of meeting the needs of the society.
The Director, Applied Research Technological Innovation, Yabatech, Dr. Olufemi Akinsola said research based products that were meant to address problems in the health sector, the environment and the textile industry would be showcased in the two days Research fair and Exhibition.
