A university don, Prof. Gabriel Umoh, has accused universities of technology of failure to fulfil their mandate since their establishment in different parts of the country.
Umoh made this allegation against the backdrop of the continuous drop in the standard of education in the country, which prompted the recent announcement by the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, that a state of emergency would be declared in the nation’s education sector in April.
But the don, who lectures at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, told our correspondent that these specialised institutions had yet to impact their immediate environment as they had not been able to deliver on their mandates.
He said, “If they had, I think, Nigeria by now would have been classified as a technologically-advanced country. This boils down to the manpower they are developing and the quality and kind of research works they are doing. This means that the quality of training the institutions give to people is low, because the training is not relevant to the current needs of the nation.
“If we want to check the records, how many inventions in terms of technology have come from these universities of technology? I think we have not really had much in that regard.”
He noted that most Nigerians who had invented things, were those either trained abroad or those who had their first degrees in Nigeria and then moved overseas, where they found means for expressing their ideas.
Umoh added that the courses these institutions offered might be good in name, but in terms of content, they were not really focusing on solving the technological problems confronting the country.
He further said that this was why expatriates were always being brought in to provide solution to most of the country’s technological needs.
The don said, “If we look at these institutions in terms of the quantity, yes, they produce a lot of graduates, but in terms of quality, especially about their impact and effect on the Nigerian economy, they are not doing much. Besides, the training is not related to the environment we operate.
“We may want to know how up-to-date teachers in these institutions are. They cannot give what they don’t have. How are these institutions funded? Do they have regular funding? If they have, what about the management of these funds? I still believe that the way we run universities in Nigeria today is not sustainable.”
He noted that universities needed to create funds, especially with support from the government in the form of grants, “but at the same time, need not be totally dependent on the government for funding as they would be getting money from their inventions and innovations, if they are doing their best, which still requires them to move beyond where they are today.”
