How polytechnics can aid economic diversification

The quest for rapid economic and technological development of Nigeria after independence  stimulated a growing desire for high level technical and scientific knowledge with skilled-based education programmes. This resulted in the evolution of polytechnic education in the country in response to the increasing technical and industrial needs of the country. Thus, the setting up of […]

The quest for rapid economic and technological development of Nigeria after independence  stimulated a growing desire for high level technical and scientific knowledge with skilled-based education programmes. This resulted in the evolution of polytechnic education in the country in response to the increasing technical and industrial needs of the country.

Thus, the setting up of polytechnics across the country largely enhanced the training of technically oriented personnel who are expected to become initiators, facilitators and implementers of technological development of Nigeria in a pragmatic field aimed at equipping graduates with requisite vocational education and skills to enhance their relevance and functionality in society.

Government is therefore expected to improve the immediate and long term prospects for polytechnic graduates and other professionals with respect to their status and remuneration as well as develop and encourage the ideals of polytechnic education.

However, despite the fact that polytechnic education was established to pioneer technological development of the country, Nigeria’s leaders do not appear to take polytechnic or technical education seriously, and it has therefore not been given the pride of place on the educational landscape of the nation.

In spite of the role polytechnics are supposed to play in Nigeria’s economic diversification and sustainable development, their impact has become very insignificant as a result of institutional and infrastructural inadequacy, funding, negative perception, discrimination and disenchantment in the sector among polytechnic graduates.

That notwithstanding, polytechnic education is designed to promote industrial technology and technological development and transformation and serve as change agent not only for technical systems but also for many other societal changes.

Polytechnics therefore, by their nature, can serve as change agents for economic transformation. This transformation has become necessary to address challenges of rising unemployment and social crises by expanding the horizon of employment generating activities, especially in the non-oil sector, where the potentials remain great and largely unexploited. This is especially as informed by Nigeria’s monolithic economy since the 1980’s which has been persistently threatened by the instability in crude oil prices in the international market. Faced by the obvious consequence of heavy dependence on oil revenue and price volatility, Nigeria’s economy is sliding into a spiral of damage from the plunge in world oil prices.   Government has therefore come to terms with the growing need for economic diversification.

It must be noted that without a proper policy on polytechnic or technical education and training there cannot be sustainable economic development in Nigeria, and government must ensure increased productivity and output, value addition, economic diversification and self-sustenance. And that underlies the crucial need for polytechnics. The practical nature of polytechnic education makes it unique in content and approach, thereby requiring special care and attention. The inputs of polytechnic/technical education are so visible to the extent that an illiterate could see when “failures” occur. Polytechnic products are supposed to solve social problems in sustainable ways, and to be able to do so, they need to be sufficiently informed in technical education concepts and the application of its theoretical principles to solve practical problems.

Besides, polytechnics have become a medium for inward oriented industrial development strategies, a veritable tool for sustainable national development, instrument for effective capacity building, answer to workforce and economic needs, and a most assured instrument of economic diversification as the quantity and quality of human capital is very important to economic development and sustainability. A nation’s capability to attract appropriate and relevant investment is dependent on the pool of available skills, as this provides basis for employment creation and human resource development.

There is therefore the need for special legislation to encourage and develop polytechnic/technical education, eg: having a National Polytechnics Commission, serous government commitment to proper funding of polytechnics, promotion of respect for technical education, a serious political will and commitment to train students in technical areas where they can graduate and be self-employed while also creating employment for others. In this way, polytechnic education can become a source of emancipation from unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment as skills and necessary knowledge are acquired for economic progress and development, thus reducing over dependence on oil revenue with its attendant volatility.

Fidelis Benedict writes from Bida, Niger State 

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