Challenges of polytechnic education in Nigeria

By Engr. Micheal Esho - updated: Thursday 17-07-2008
Dr. Jerry Agada, Minister of State,
Education

(Continued from last week)

The second proposal of the NPE was the establishment of many more Polytechnics in Nigeria starting with the seven (7) earlier discussed and the establishment of the National Board for Technical Education. The NPE defined technical education as “that aspect of education which leads to acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge”. The specific goals of Polytechnic Education were to include:

1.Providing full-time or part-time courses in Engineering, Applied Science, Business Management, leading to the production of trained manpower;

2. Providing technical knowledge and skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development of Nigeria;

3. Giving training and imparting the necessary skills for the production of Technicians, Technologist and other skilled personnel who shall be enterprising and self-reliant;

4. Training people who can apply scientific knowledge to solve environmental problems for convenience of man; and

5. Giving exposure on professional studies and technologies. From the foregoing, it is evident that the Nigerian Government itself appre-ciates the fact that Polytechnic Education is the key vehicle for technological and econo-mic development of the nation.

Again the purpose of Technical and Vocational Education was clearly stated in Act No 16 of 1985 (Education: National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) as follows:

a.Provision of trained manpower in Engineering, Applied Science, Technology and Commerce at all professional grades;

b. Provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development;

c. Provision of qualified and well-equipped personnel to apply scientific knowledge to the improvement and solution of environmental problems for use and convenience of man;

d. Introduction of professional studies in engineering and other technologies;

e. Provision of training to impact the necessary skills leading to the production of Craftsmen, Technicians, Technologists and Engineers and other skilled personnel who will be enterprising and self-reliant;

f. Enable men and women to have intellectual understanding of the increasing complexity of technology and the role technology plays in the world around them.

All the above should and would convince us that the Federal Government appreciates in great depth the importance and the relevance of technical and technological education for Nigerians and Nigeria. It also brought in its wake the proliferation of Polytechnics. As at today of the 56 Polytechnics in Nigeria: 10 are private, 27 states and 19 Federal. With these numbers one would be forgiven to believe that Technological Education has arrived and taking its proper place in the scheme of things in this country. However, this is not really true.

3.0 Problems facing polytechnic education
The acute shortage of technical manpower for the 2nd National Development Plan was a precursor to the rapid growth in the number of Polytechnics in Nigeria. Despite this growth, however, a close appraisal of the third National Development Plan revealed yet a serious distortion. There was a surplus of academic/literary graduates at the expense of basic Craftsmen and Technicians required for development. Steps taken to provide for these shortages through expansion of training facilities as well as a ‘crash programme’ of overseas training that saw more than 6,000 Nigerians being trained abroad to pursue 2-3 years programs leading to various qualifications mainly as Technicians and Craftsmen. Today as there are 56 Polytechnics in Nigeria, it is expected and hoped that at last we would turn the bend and become self sufficient in technical manpower. Today the credo in governmental circles is vision 20, 2020. This slogan presupposes that in the year 2020, Nigeria would be among the 20 most economically advanced countries of the world. We however, are skeptical because the problems facing technical education and technological development in Nigeria are yet to be addressed.

Indeed, a developing economy requires a large pool of technical manpower to sustain its technological development. Nigeria, however has failed dismally to prepare, equip and train adequate number of its citizens to cope with its developmental needs.
How did we arrive at this state of affairs? Here in lies the games we play. The reasons are numerous but a few shall suffice for our discourse:

3.1 Our value system
The problem inherent in our value system; too much importance is attached to degrees, certificates and qualifications. Nobody cares about acquired knowledge and skills that the holder of the degree/diploma possesses which he should be able to demonstrate. Everyone wants to get a degree/diploma/certificate at all cost and for its own sake with little or no skills to demonstrate. The typical ‘educated’ Nigerian is devoid of skills or practical knowledge in technology and even disdains it. Therefore the products of Polytechnic Education are discriminated against and the career prospect of polytechnic graduates and those holding Vocational Certificates is poor. The policy objective for the training of Polytechnic graduates had been:

“To prepare competent MIDDLE level manpower in Engineering technology, Applied sciences, Environmental and Management sciences”. Arising from this definition particularly with reference to the middle level manpower, the Federal Government itself sanctioned the discrimination of Polytechnic graduates by ensuring that they did not rise beyond grade level 14 in the civil service. More damaging to the Polytechnic graduates is the fact that until very recently there was practically no avenue for a Polytechnic graduate to move beyond the HND in most disciplines. The Polytechnics themselves were not given the privilege to run full postgraduate programmes, as a result, there is declining interest in technical education.

In 2006 only 169,111 students sat for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Examination into polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of education, whereas 806,089 students sat for the Universities Matriculation Examination. The Daily Sun of Tuesday 29 August, 2006 put it this way; “Majority of Nigerian Youths have continued to view technical and teacher education as unattractive and unacceptable. This was again evident at this year’s Monotechnics, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (MPCE) Matriculation examination conducted in 161 towns across the country penultimate weekend….”

The perception of Polytechnic Education is very low and uninspiring. This must therefore rank as one of the most important factors militating against Polytechnic education.

3.2 Our raw materials
(i) Curriculum
Another issue to be considered is the curriculum for technical education. The Federal Government has always emphasized elements of technology education. At the primary level the teaching of local crafts, agricultural science and applied sciences have been proposed. At the Junior Secondary Level subjects such as intro-technology, woodwork, metal-work, electronics, integrated science, home economics and business studies are taught. At Senior Secondary School, subjects taught include the three sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics along with technical drawing, auto-mechanics e.t.c.

The Federal Government has recommended a 70:30 ratio in favor of technical and science-based courses to non-technical courses in Polytechnics in Nigeria. However, the actual contents of the curricula have become obsolete over the years. Just five years ago, the National Board for Technical Education raised the issue of the relevance of Polytechnic education vis-à-vis the needs of employers in industry and society in-line with new development around the world. Thankfully, UNESCO – has assisted in the review of over 130 curricula in the Board’s portfolio.

The financial standard of 12 September, 2005 writing on technical education has this to say; “……that goes to show that government itself recognizes the importance of technical education in the overall technological development of the nation, especially in the 21st century. But the problem has never been inability to recognize needs and existing problems on the formulation of appropriate policy framework, to address problems. No, the problem has always been lack of POLITICAL WILL to implement the policies”

(ii) Student in-take
We have already mentioned that most of Nigeria’s youth avoid the polytechnic education as much as possible. The 56 polytechnics however must admit students. The quality of students being admitted into many polytechnics leaves much to be desired. The plan envisaged was that after the Junior Secondary School, a sizable number of pupils would proceed to technical schools or trades centers to have their skills honed, while maintaining good theoretical knowledge of the basic sciences. They were supposed to be the main pool of applicants to polytechnics but the question is: Where are they? The polytechnics have become dumping grounds for those unable to make the required grades for admission into Universities. Yet the polytechnics have been able to have students’ enrolment far beyond the number allowable in a polytechnic thus putting more pressure on the inadequate physical and academic facilities.

(To be continued next week.)