Nation
Don Seeks Outcome-Based Education In Engineering Adoption
A Former Vice-Chancellor, Crown-Hill University, Prof. John Olorunmaiye, has called for the adoption and implementation of the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) to enhance the quality of engineering education in Nigeria.
Olorunmaiye made the call at the second Prof. Olusoji Ofi Distinguished Academic Lecture 2023 organised by the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), Ibadan Chapter, recenty.
He said the adoption of OBE in the training of engineers would make them employable globally.
According to him, OBE emphasises student-centered learning and focuses on output instead of input.
Olorunmaiye, the guest lecturer at the event, listed some of the problems affecting the delivery of high quality engineering education in Nigeria as inadequate number or quality of academic and non-academic staff in many universities.
“We also have excessive number of students in some universities especially public universities, lack of modern equipment or inadequate number of equipment in the laboratories, weak or poor industrial training programmes and poorly motivated staff, among others”, he said.
“Specific and clearly defined outcome must be described to the students to set their own expectations and means to achieve the desired outcome.
“If the students trained in the engineering programmes run in Nigerian universities are to compete well with products of similar programmes trained in developed countries, there is a need to enhance the quality of engineering education”, he said.
Also speaking, the National Chairman, NIMechE, Dr Olufunmilade Akingbagbohun, said that the lecture was apt as it addressed what the country needs for growth and development.
Akingbagbohun said engineering remains the bedrock of growth and development for any country.
“Any nation that aspires to grow or develop requires engineering because the profession is about problem solving”, she said.
She said NIMechE had created many solutions in engineering with professional development and innovation strategic programme.
“We have started industry academic parley by taking people from industry to the academia to bridge the huge gap between the classroom and industry,” she said.
The celebrant, Prof. Olusoji Ofi, the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, University of Ibadan (UI), said that the guest lecturer who also graduated from UI represented the original design concept of engineering profession of the university.
Ofi, a Fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers and the inventor of the first instant powdered pounded yam in the world, thanked NIMechE for the recognition of his contributions to the engineering profession.
Earlier, Chairman, NIMechE, Oyo State chapter, Mr Victor Ogunranti, also a Fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers, said that the lecture was named after the celebrant to give him a long-deserved proper recognition for his humble sacrifice and service as the doyen of Mechanical Engineering.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
