…as NBTE calls for synergy between varsities, polytechnics
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has tasked polytechnics across the country to embark on quality research proposals that would translate into commercial and innovative use.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono stated this in Abuja on Wednesday, during an interactive meeting with Rectors and Directors of Research of Polytechnics on National Research Fund, NRF, grants.
Echono lamented the huge shortage of skills in critical sectors of the nation’s economy, stating that “It means we are not producing graduates that are fit for purpose, that meet the needs of the industry, that are ready to take up responsibility and contribute their quota upon engagement.”
According to him, the fund wants to see polytechnics taking more active parts in solving society’s problems; in solving the country’s developmental challenges and proffering solutions that would ease the various operations of the country.
“No research would be of benefit to a country like Nigeria “If we are not translating that and applying the products of such research to affect our daily lives; if we are not transferring that knowledge, that creative spark, into the production of goods and services that could create employment for our people, that would improve our standard of living and that would grow our economy, and activate all segments of our economy.
“I believe you are aware that there is a compelling need for a shift in focus. We are producing graduates in an economy that is underdeveloped yet they are unable to find employment. We are having situations where foreign concerns, foreign companies, foreign businesses are relocating to our country under the guise of not having the right manpower to carry out their operations.
“We are having a situation where side-by-side there is very high graduate unemployment. There’s a huge shortage of skills in critical sectors of our national economy. It means we are not producing graduates that are fit for purpose, that meet the needs of the industry, that are ready to take up responsibility and contribute their quota upon engagement. The other aspect is that we continue to produce manpower that the current structure of our economy can no longer absorb,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the director executive secretary’s office, Architect Uchendu Wogu said the Fund recognises the fact that research is not a one-man show but needs to be collaborative and must be multi-disciplinary.
While saying the Fund is committed to ensuring the adoption of international best practices, in delivering research mandates, he urged the polytechnics to rise up to the challenge of producing quality research proposals.
“Indeed, the polytechnic sector has not shown too much of a good performance, not to say that they are not doing well in the NRF angle particularly.
“In achieving the mandate of the Fund, the NRF was established so that we address the paucity of funds for research, especially in Nigerian tertiary education Institutions and this is geared towards contributing to national development efforts.
“The committee has been working and the intervention is open to universities, colleges of education and polytechnics but having spent the amount of money that has been available for that intervention over the years, performance reports from 2012-2021, having spent N24 billion on NRF and having sponsored 727 research grants, only 28 of this 727 is domiciled in our polytechnics, representing about 4 percent.
“It is not to say that you are not doing well, it is simply to say that there are gaps that must be filled. So, this is a call to ask ourselves why out of 727 successful grants only 28 come from polytechnics.
“It is a call to all of us to go back to our training papers that have been organised in the past by TETFund. The Fund is currently organising a step down training Programme.
“So, the challenge for us today and the need for this meeting is that we have to ask those questions. If there’s any area that you do not understand it is important that you ask because the chairman of NRF is here.
“We have to understand that aspect. Nobody knows it all. The Fund is committed to ensuring the adoption of international best practices especially in delivering this research mandate.
“We will not just do it anyhow, we are not going to drop the standard because your research paper, by the time you publish it and it does not meet the minimum expected standard, of course it will be rejected so we are very careful in making sure that we do not drop the standard so don’t ask for a drop in the standard, the Fund will not accept.”
He further said there are gaps in the system and in filling the gaps, there must be driving knowledge. “Unless you learn you can not speak with authority and so those train the trainer programmes are made for us to pick up and close those gaps so that we do not make haste and progress in error because it’s one thing to write a research paper and another thing for it to be accepted and if it is not accepted we haven’t succeeded so we have to be properly guided.”
The executive secretary further said the Fund has already taken initiative to close these gaps by rolling out training programmes, making steps further by engaging with people who have practice and made progress with research.
According to him, there is also a collaborative effort ongoing with a technology hub called Innovate. The aim is to transcend and move the research outcomes into products through innovation.
“The drivers of that programme are the best in innovation in the world-the Israelites so we have understood that we must learn and so we have submitted ourselves to the fountain of knowledge.
“We have also roll out the TETfair where these research outcomes are displayed for the world to see, for investors to pick up and for anybody who has an idea of how to make it better to participate in the process and so the aim is that already established entrepreneurship centres in our universities will become upgraded to innovation hub.”
He emphasised that the NRF committee membership is drawn from the Nigerian Tertiary institutions, universities polytechnics and colleges of education so we have representatives of the academic staff unions, the ASUU, ASUP and COEASU as members so that nobody is being marginalized and the representative of the regulatory agencies are also there and we the host we run the Secretariat.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary, National Board For Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje has stressed the need for a synergy between polytechnics and universities on Innovative research.
He said research in Nigeria is not yielding desired results because those who are administering the research have forgotten the role of polytechnics can play.
“Research and development is a topical issue. TETFund has created NRF to drive a high level of research that could lead to innovation. Today, in Nigeria, almost 99.9 percent of these researches do not yield innovation. They end up as journal papers published in papers and cited.
“If you go to Korea, there are innovations that they are proud of but there is none innovation from our research so that’s why I said our research is not yielding innovation and the reason is simply because those who are administering these researches have decided to forget the role the polytechnics can play.
“You can make a very good design as an engineer but who will translate it into reality?! It is the polytechnic system.
“Therefore, there must be synergy between Universities and Polytechnics if our research and development is to lead to innovation.
“I’m calling for a very close collaboration, if necessary, I would like the NRF to give a portion of its grants for these activities to the polytechnics, and even continue to fund fundamental research,” he said.
He further urged NRF to have a rethink and allocate certain amounts to polytechnics to move research to commercialisation.
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