Gabriel Dike
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has called for the promotion of vocational and technical education in the country and a review of the polytechnic mandate.
He said there were many yawning technical needs waiting for the polytechnic graduates to fill adding that technical education being provided by polytechnics should address the challenge of improved agricultural production.
The minister made the observation when he delivered the 27th convocation lecture of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) titled: ‘’Infrastructural Deficit and Technological Development in Nigeria: The Role of Technical Education’’ in Lagos, yesterday.
He said the challenge the nation should address is how to use modern technical education to rise to the challenge of modern life in a way that stimulates other African nations and usher in an era of unprecedented development in the country.
“No aspect of modern life can be undertaken without technical education. It will surprise many to know that a lot of the household products we use in this country are imported from China, India and Indonesia cottage industries owned and run by entrepreneurs with technical education. This is what technical education should drive here.
“It is perplexing that we continue to import wood products. We need technical know-how and widespread application on wood preservation and wood engineering. What we burn off as wood shavings, saw-dusts, and off-cuts are what others sell to us as expensive pieces of furniture, evens our woods rot for lack of treatment and preservation.’’
The former governor of Osun State suggested further that polytechnics restructure and start preparing students to take greater responsibilities in building our nation.