Repositioning Polytechnic Education in Nigeria
REPOSITIONING POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
BY
EZE, MARCELLUS MARK OKONKWO
Chief Instructor
Office Technology and Management (OTM)
Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechhic, Unwana,
P M B 1007, Afikpo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Email: mmoeze@yahoo.com markmarcel.eze6@gmail.com 08069398338, 08059844544, 08085026477
Abstract
Education is the bedrock of any development in any economy; whereas technical/technology education is the solid base for any technological development. The problem identified in this paper include: instability of educational policies, poor infrastructural development and facilities, poor and inadequate manpower and poor and inadequate machines and equipment. Others are poor funding and administrative malady; poor conditions of service; discrimination on the products of the system; poor curriculum development and quality assurance and entry requirements and behaviour. This paper attempted to discuss the Polytechnic Education sector in Nigeria vis-a-vis the education reforms with a view to suggesting ways of solving the identified problems, and presented solutions to the various identified problems. It called for granting the Polytechnics University charter or status, allowing them to run the different programme pathways – ND/HND, B.Sc., higher degrees and Short Courses. It recommended abolishment of special centers by the various ordinary level examination bodies and commended JAMB for unifying its entrance examination into the Nigerian tertiary institutions from the 2010/2011 academic session. Introduction
Polytechnic education, the third category of tertiary education in Nigeria dates back to early 1948 with the establishments of Yaba (College) Technology; Kaduna (1956), and IMT Enugu (1958). Their main functions were to centralize and improve the training of technical officers, originally done by the departmental in-service training centres, such as Nigerian Railways (1901); the Survey Department (1908); the Post and
BY
EZE, MARCELLUS MARK OKONKWO
Chief Instructor
Office Technology and Management (OTM)
Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechhic, Unwana,
P M B 1007, Afikpo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Email: mmoeze@yahoo.com markmarcel.eze6@gmail.com 08069398338, 08059844544, 08085026477
Abstract
Education is the bedrock of any development in any economy; whereas technical/technology education is the solid base for any technological development. The problem identified in this paper include: instability of educational policies, poor infrastructural development and facilities, poor and inadequate manpower and poor and inadequate machines and equipment. Others are poor funding and administrative malady; poor conditions of service; discrimination on the products of the system; poor curriculum development and quality assurance and entry requirements and behaviour. This paper attempted to discuss the Polytechnic Education sector in Nigeria vis-a-vis the education reforms with a view to suggesting ways of solving the identified problems, and presented solutions to the various identified problems. It called for granting the Polytechnics University charter or status, allowing them to run the different programme pathways – ND/HND, B.Sc., higher degrees and Short Courses. It recommended abolishment of special centers by the various ordinary level examination bodies and commended JAMB for unifying its entrance examination into the Nigerian tertiary institutions from the 2010/2011 academic session. Introduction
Polytechnic education, the third category of tertiary education in Nigeria dates back to early 1948 with the establishments of Yaba (College) Technology; Kaduna (1956), and IMT Enugu (1958). Their main functions were to centralize and improve the training of technical officers, originally done by the departmental in-service training centres, such as Nigerian Railways (1901); the Survey Department (1908); the Post and