Finally, Technical University commences academic activities January

ACADEMIC activities at the Technical University, Ibadan, Oyo State, will begin in the first week of January 2018, according to the pioneer vice chancellor of the institution, Professor Ayobami Salami.

The academic calendar for the 2017/2018 session released by the management of the university reveals that online registration for the first semester will begin on January 4, while students are expected to arrive into a residence on Sunday, January 7 in preparation for the orientation exercise which begins the following day, Monday 8th.

Technical University is an initiative of the current administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, established to provide a unique model of university education by cultivating a cadre of technical professionals with appropriate entrepreneurial skills.

Explaining the vision of the university last Wednesday during the maiden press conference of the institution, Professor Salami said the Tech-U’s “focus on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines is informed by the need to provide our young people with the knowledge and skills that are applicable to actual world problems.”

Tech-U is taking off with 15 fully NUC-accredited academic programmes in two faculties (Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences) and two centres (Centre for Language and General Studies, and the Centre for Entrepreneurial and Vocational Studies).

Some of its 15 take-off programmes include some disciplines that are still relatively new in Nigerian universities, including Mechatronic Engineering and Cyber Security.

Professor Salami also spoke of the university’s scholarship scheme tagged ‘Tech-U Scholarship Scheme’, which is already taking off with three students from each of the 33 local government areas in the state (99 students in all).

This, the vice chancellor explained, is to put a lie to the claim of the university is a learning space for the few stupendously wealthy citizens in the country.

Salami said: “We did not just ask the LGAs to provide these students. We asked each of them to nominate 10 qualified students who meet our requirements.

“We specifically requested as a condition that all of the 10 students must have graduated from public secondary schools; are indigenes of the LGAs; wrote the last UTME and scored at least 160; and have credit in English Language, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and either Biology or Agricultural Science.”This is how we can really reach the underprivileged segment in the state.

“We subjected all of them to a competitive process (Computer-Based Test), and we picked the best three candidates from each local government for the scholarship.”

A guided tour of Tech-U’s facilities revealed that the university is taking off with 53 blocks of flats designed to house maximum number of four students each, with all the conveniences.

But these, the vice chancellor stressed, are for just one session; as an agreement has been signed with a private developer to build a 1,900-capacity hostel.

By way of facilities, Tech-U already has 24 state-of-the-art classrooms, each designed for a maximum of 24 students; as well as Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories – each designed to accommodate 80 students.

There are three brand new buses to convey students between the academic area and the hostel, while two standby generators, one of them with 500kva capacity, supply electricity.

On security, Salami said the university had already worked out a solid arrangement with the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police and the State Security Service (SSS), while both the academic area and the hostel are currently under 24-hour CCTV surveillance, in addition to on-site security personnel.