FG urged to end systemic discrimination of polytechnic education

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the British Transatlantic Polytechnic, Akure, Dr Joe Obe, on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to end the existing dichotomy between university and polytechnic graduates in Nigeria.

Obe who made this call during the Matriculation ceremony of the newly admitted 120 students of the Polytechnic, said the Federal government can put an end to the perceived discrimination of Polytechnic education in the country by granting polytechnic degree awarding powers.

The Governing Council chairman explained that there is need to maintain fairness in dealing with issues relating to the products of the two categories of tertiary education.

According to Dr Obe, majority of the Nigerian society wrongly perceived polytechnic education as a second-class education system compared to the University, saying this has been discouraging production of technologically skilled graduates required to drive the Nigerian economy.

He maintained that the solution to the current socio-economic development is to produce huge number of highly skilled graduates that can develop the micro-economy system through entrepreneurship and skills innovations.

Obe noted that most Nigerian University graduates are theory-centric and lack adequate functional skills required to run the engine of the economy.

He said with the unprecedented level of brain drain accompanied by the popular Japa era, Nigeria is fast losing its limited skilled labourers in Engineering, technology, and IT.

He said this situation portends great danger to the economic growth and development of Nigeria economy and development.

“By allowing the polytechnic to have degree awarding powers, more students will be encouraged to study in the polytechnic and by so doing increase the nation’s manpower,” he said.

Congratulating the matriculating students, Obe assured the students at the British Transatlantic Polytechnic, that the institution will break the discrimination barriers, saying the students’ training is enriched with the British curriculum.

He said this will give them leverage to compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere across the globe.

“Graduates of the British Transatlantic Polytechnic, Akure will be able to stand tall and get jobs mostly in Britain, Europe, and the USA because they are already exposed to the internationalised curriculum.

They are also exposed to job-ready training including job interviews and employability skills. We are breaking boundaries and barriers to job opportunities and systemic discrimination”

The British Transatlantic Polytechnic, Akure was licenced to operate as a private polytechnic in Nigeria by the federal government of Nigeria in January 2023.

The institution offered up to 100 percent tuition fee waiver for all students through the help of the British Transatlantic Education Foundation, a registered education charity in Nigeria.