COREN Kicks Against Conversion Of Technical Colleges

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has kicked against the conversion of technical colleges to secondary schools by some state governments. Speaking when he visited Government Technical College, Malali, Kaduna, COREN President, Mr Mustapha Bulama, said the deteriorating state of technical colleges was responsible for  the poor service  delivery by inexperienced artisans at various engineering sites in the country. He noted with regret, the dilapidated buildings and dearth of teachers that had led to the enrolment of a few students into the colleges. “Technical colleges have become ghosts of their old selves, with clients contemplating hiring artisans from neighbouring countries.” Bulama stressed that no nation could develop without the contribution of craftsmen and technicians. He said it was only technical colleges that could produce the cadres of engineering personnel needed for national development, noting that such human resource was becoming an endangered specie in the education sector. Bulama urged the Federal Government to revive old technical colleges and establish new ones to enable the country to attain its MDGs and Vision 20:20:20.  The Principal of the college, Mallam Turkur Sani, said that the observation made by Bulama was a welcome development that would boost the morale of the staff and students of the college. He decried the low level of student enrolment in the college, and urged COREN to adequately support the institution.