Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State (right), presenting a certificate to the best Student, Flt. Lt. Christian Mensah, at the 44th Convocation of Air Force Institute of Technology, in Kaduna on Wednesday.

A Polytechnic teacher, Dr
Adaku Ngozi Achilike, says a well-groomed polytechnic education is a necessity for the development of any society.
Dr Achilike, who made this assertion recently , at the 3rd National Conference  on Polytechnic Education held in Port Harcourt, noted that unlike university education which focuses on physical and intellectual skills, polytechnic education focuses on physical and practical skills.
The implication of this, she hinted, is that university  education at the end of the day provides what can be seen as “Blue print” to development while polytechnic education provides “revival”.
“It is important to note that ‘blue print’ is not required to produce excellence students but ‘revival’ can do the magic through paradigm shifts, bearing in mind the technological age we find ourselves at each point in time,” she said.
Polytechnic education, the Associate Professor of Business Education, continued” is deemed as that which offers opportunity for hands-on experience within dynamic on progressive learning setting, with emphasis on practice-base of the university.
According to her, it involves work attachment with industries as part of the curriculum. She however noted that such attachments are currently being done haphazardly.
Discussing on the topic “polytechnic education for science and technology in an emerging economy,” Dr Achilike made comparism between polytechnic education and skill/competency building, polytechnic education and knowledge base, as well as polytechnic education for science and technology.
Regarding skill/competency building, she stated that skill is the capacity to do things well with emerging technologies and can be learned or acquired.
Competency, on the other hand, is a sustainable way of doing things with conscious, superiority and mastery.
“Skills and competencies rule the  world while skills and competencies in science and technology shave/shape the world into a more vibrant place for the young and old.
She concluded that with vision 20:2020 by the corner, “well tailored polytechnic education is the desired veritable tool for great achievement and good placement, given skill competency, appropriate knowledge base for improved science and technology system to give a dynamic economic. We shall then compete with comity of nations”.
Narrowing down the topic of the conference to the Nigerian context, Dr Obasi O. Oko in his paper identified key stakeholders who must play their parts to develop Nigeria technologically.
According to him, “the government of Nigeria, the National Assembly, captains of industries, drivers of the polytechnic system and other stakeholders should change their negative attitudes towards technical education in general, and polytechnic education in particular.
“They should also accord the system the prime of place it deserves in the national scheme of things. For, in the system lies the future greatness of Nigeria in terms of techno-industrial development”, he said.

Sogbeba Dokubo