The governing council of Federal Polytechnic, N’yak, in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State, says that the plan of the Federal Government is to make the newly established institution the hub of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Abubakar Sidiq Usman, who made this known at the maiden meeting of the council at the institution’s permanent site said that the institution would focus on providing students with a skill set that would address skill gaps and graduate unemployment in the country.
Usman and members of the governing council were received by the rector of the polytechnic, Dr Mukaila Ya’u, and other members of the management of the institution.
He said the Federal Polytechnic N’yak would adhere strictly to the Federal Government’s guidelines on admission mandating polytechnics to adhere to the 70:30 technology/non-technology ratio.
According to him, the Federal Government established the polytechnic, in 2021, for a purpose and that the primary focus of the council, which is the representation of Federal Government at the institution, will be on the implementation of policies that enhance the quality of education and ensure that the students are well-equipped to meet the challenges of the modern world.
“We will work closely with relevant partners, government agencies, and other educational institutions to create opportunities for our students and to contribute to the socio-economic development of our region. Our polytechnic will serve as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, driving progress and creating jobs,” Usman said.
Usman pledged the commitment of the council to aggressively explore possible means of raising funds for the development of infrastructure at the institution as well as students enrolment drive.
The chairman of the council, speaking after a facility tour of the olytechnic, commended the rector and management of institution, noting, however, that more work is still needed to be done.
He said the new council will look into the issue of low enrollment of students in the available programmes.
Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Mukaila Ya’u, on his part, disclosed that the take-off grant of N2 billion was released to the institution in 2022 by the Federal Government through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), saying this has enabled the management to establish an academic complex in the permanent site of the school, among other ongoing projects.
On the student loan scheme, the Rector said the institution has submitted the list of the students to Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for the student loan.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the scheme, saying the initiative would help the students a lot.
A student of the Electrical Electronics Engineering department of the Polytechnic, Yahaya Yahaya Abubakar, appealed to the Governing Council to look into the issues of electricity supply, water, accommodation and access roads in the institution.
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