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| Prof. Ayobami Salami, Vice-Chancellor, Tech-U |
Wole Adejumo
With the resumption of the pioneer set of students of The Technical
University, Ibadan, on Monday, 8th January, 2018, Nigeria’s premier
Technical University moved from the dream state into reality.
The attention that the university’s resumption drew from
both the public and private sectors point in only one direction; all eyes are
on The Technical University.
While some wondered where the funding will come from, some
others asked whether the dreams of the Visitor to the university, His
Excellency, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, in founding the university are
achievable. It is even being said in some places that ‘the State already owns a
university, so why Tech-U?’
Those who are mindful of the needs and wants of Oyo State
and the whole country are however unanimous in their agreement that The
Technical University is the much sought-after El Dorado in the country’s Education Sector. Not only is the
university coming as a game changer, it has kicked off on a very impressive
note.
Parents, guardians and sponsors already have high
expectations, and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ayobami Salami assured them
they will not be disappointed. “At The Technical University, Ibadan, we are not
just developing the minds of our students, we are equipping them to use their
minds to the fullest, and we are building them into models of self-reliance and
independence. As you rightly know, knowledge is power only when correctly used.
Skill acquisition and entrepreneurship are key parts of our curriculum, so we
are training problem solvers,” the Vice-Chancellor affirmed.
That The Technical University, Ibadan is indeed multifaceted
and designed to bring out the best in every student is not in doubt. At Tech-U,
apart from the fact that attention will be paid to details to ensure that every
student turns out a competent force in his or her field, the Vice-Chancellor
has also disclosed that “no student will graduate from Tech-U without becoming
a specialist in at least two vocations. That is already part of the
requirements and in the course of studentship, they will also be trained as
apprentices by specialists. To ensure that they are well positioned for international
opportunities and ready for the world market, our students will be taught
French Language. So every Tech-U student will obtain three diplomas before they
get to the final year; one in French and two for the vocations they have learnt”.
Not many undergraduates and parents can claim ignorance of
the severity of strike actions by university lecturers. Professor Salami has
however pointed out that at Tech-U, Ibadan, no strike action will be recorded. Yet
another difference between Tech-U and other universities is that it is a public
university with private sector orientation. In other words, apart from the
government, there is private sector partnership in its ownership.
A visit to Tech-U is more than enough confirmation that parents
and guardians will get value for money. All facilities can satisfactorily match
up with the international standard.
Interestingly, a large percentage of Tech-U students went
through public secondary schools; that however does not in any way mean the
university’s standard might be low. The Vice-Chancellor explained that “though
JAMB announced 120 as the cut-off mark for universities, we raised ours to 160,
which is the equivalent of the minimum pass mark in university courses.”
As The Technical University, Ibadan’s train leaves the
station; the institution has blazed the trail for others. Nigeria is moving
beyond mere certification and as the focus shifts to technological advancement
and entrepreneurship, Tech-U is positioning students who will take charge in
the next few years. The university will definitely be churning out value adding
graduates who will be able to hold their heads high anywhere in the world.
At Tech-U, the atmosphere is one hundred percent conducive;
with air-conditioned classrooms, a 500-seater library, state-of-the-art
laboratories and workshops and an e-library, students are assured of the best
facilities.
Tech-U has set the
standard and the process of building brains and training hands has started. With its programmes, the University is poised
to tackle the employability issue of Nigerian graduates. And for that, all eyes
are on Tech-U to produce graduates who will have not only have credentials, but
also the wherewithal to back them up.
Adejumo, the Public Relations Officer of The Technical University wrote
from Ibadan
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