A Professor of Adult and Industrial Education at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAUA) Ondo State, Moshood Ayinde Hassan, has called for partnership among different departments of higher institutions of learning, saying this remains the quickest way to wealth creation.
He maintained that partnership between the industrial education and training section of the Department of Adult Education and other disciplines would enhance the transfer of knowledge and skills, providing services to the public and producing income.
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Prof. Hassan, who stated this while delivering the 18th Inaugural Lecture of the University, entitled “Tapping the Untapped Wealth: Adult Education, Non-Formal and Industrial Education on a Mission, said this will give room to the transfer of knowledge and skills that can lead to the provision of services to the public and production of income.
According to him, the key to spreading skills and knowledge residing in almost all disciplines is with any university having a Department of Adult Education where the industrial education and training unit is domiciled.
He said this depends on the quality, resourcefulness, and commitment of staff therein, saying, “spreading of skills and knowledge will be accompanied with services to the people and income generation that can help such a University to discharge its statutory duties to the society.”
The University Don described informal learning as any learning which does not take place within, or follow from, a formally organised learning programme or event, and said, “The 21st century requires synergy and collaboration amongst specialists within and outside the field of adult and non-formal education.
“Therefore, adult and non-formal education practitioners and theoreticians need to work with one another on one hand, and both should collaborate with other specialists from other disciplines in order to satisfy the needs of clientele in all ramifications”
He noted adult and non-formal education as development education which summed up the provision of knowledge and skills required in all segments of society.
He,, however, advised universities to establish outfits where components of Adult and non-formal education can be explored to make it useful to members of the public, from where the Universities will generate income.
Prof. Hassan, who is also the incumbent Dean of the Faculty of Education, noted wealth as financial benefits that could be realised from the provision or utilisation of various components of adult and non-formal education by individuals, cooperate organisations, government at all levels, and educational institutions.
While urging the government to fast-track industrial development of the country through the establishment of cottage industries, and small and medium industries, he called for the strengthening of assistance institutions such as the Industrial Development Centre (IDC), SMEDAN, Local Loan Organisation, NASRAL, FIIRO, and BoA, among others.
He said, “University administrators and other academic staff should be receptive to the idea of learning more about Adult and non-formal education in order to be able to reap the benefits therein.
“The adult education sector and the Universities in Nigeria should also be prepared for the arrival of Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs, and the fourth industrial revolution.
“They must prepare their curriculum to model a national, open, and distance learning system. This should happen now, as it is very likely that open and distance learning systems are just around the corner.”
He posited that AAUA could make a fortune out of its Department of Adult Education, saying, With the abundance of Academic staff in the Department who come from heterogeneous aspects of the discipline of Adult Education.
” I make bold to say that utilisation of components in Adult and non-formal Education will bring in to the University billions of naira through working in collaboration with government agencies and other stakeholders,” he said
In his Opening Remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, congratulated the Inaugural Lecturer on fulfilling the academic rite while noting the inaugural lecture as ‘an academic tradition that is often considered a rite of passage for professors.
“It provides an occasion for the university to celebrate the appointment and acknowledge the accomplishments of the appointed academic. It is an opportunity for the Inaugural Lecturer to showcase his expertise, research interests, and academic achievements,” the VC said.
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