BusinessDay 21 Aug 2018

Tuesday 21 August 2018
BUSINESS DAY 21
EDUCATION
Weekly insight on current and future trends in education Primary/Secondary Higher Human Capital
Why science, technology education must
drive much needed economy growth
KELECHI EWUZIE
The advancement
in science and
technology education
across the
globe has no doubt
thrown up a lot of opportunities
for forward looking
economies to grow their human
capital.
It is quite obvious that
without science and technology
education, no country will
forge ahead with advancement
in innovations and state
of the act discoveries that is
shaping the future of virtually
every sector of the economy.
It is also true that the quality
of science tech education a
country has determines her
economy as no country can
grow more than the quality
of her specialised education
system.
Education today more importantly
as it relates to science
and technology has assumed
an entirely new frontier
and approach, such that from
an early stage of learning, it
has become a norm to tutor
next generation of leaders to
embrace this 21 century learning
style.
While managers of the economy
in Nigeria may claim to
be funding development of
education in the country, it is
however important to note that
building capacity in science
and technology represents the
driving forces in the current
21st century and a such needs
to be catered for.
For meaningful development
to take place in the economy,
those who know in the
field of education insist the
issue of funding this specialised
form of learning need to
adequately taken care of by
government.
They observe that science
and technology aspect of education
has a repository of potentials
capable of transforming
economies and has been
behind the advancements in
developed countries.
According to them, science
and technology aspect
of education has not received
adequate attention needed
to push the growth in Nigeria.
Tolu Odugbemi, former vice
chancellor, Ondo State university
of Science and Technology,
Okitipupa (OSUSTECH) said
there is need for Nigeria to pay
adequate attention to sciencebased
education in order to
achieve the needed develop-
ment in the country.
Odugbemi opines that universities
and other higher
institutions as innovation hubs
have major roles to play in using
science and technology to
drive development in Science,
technology , engineering and
Mathematics.
According to him, “Developing
economies, such
as ours, can only fast-track
and/or leap frog their growth
through targeted research and
development. A practical way
to do this is to do what is generically
referred to as reverse
engineering. It is these institutions
that must provide the
roadmap to circumvent those
roadblocks to indigenous technology
enhancement necessary
for driving innovation and
development of the nation.
“The nation must be prepared
to invest heavily in
the higher education cutting
across both the public and private
the research facilities must
orchestrate the brain power of
the staff, take responsibility
for training new generation of
talents and participate in the
transformation of the nation’s
science and technology base.”
He noted that the world
has moved from commoditybased
and military power
ranking to knowledge economies/societies,
adding that the
paradigm shift is propelled by
advancements made through
science and technology innovations.
Isaac Adeyemi, former vice
chancellor, Bells University
of technology, opines that
universities in Nigeria must
focus on the modernising of
forces of the society, for the
promotion of the “values of
science and technology” and
for mediating between the political
and industrial spheres of
national life.
He called for a coherent
national Science and Technology
strategy with framework
developed in consultation
with the National Academies
of Science to specify the national
priorities for research
and development with the
appropriate funding commitment,
while disclosing that
countries like China followed
this path some 50 years ago to
transform their economy.
NBC partners Rise networks to
empower Nigerian Youths
KELECHI EWUZIE
Nigerian Bottling
Company Limited,
(NBC), has partnered
with RISE
Networks- Nigeria’s leading
social enterprise to celebrate
Nigerian youths as they join
the rest of the world to celebrate
2018 United Nations International
Youth Day which
was held in Lagos.
George Polymenakos,
managing director, Nigerian
Bottling Company while
speaking at the event with
the theme: Safe Spaces For
Youth” said the partnership
with RISE Network in the
celebration of the 2018 International
Youth Day is an
affirmation of the company’s
unflinching commitment to
youth empowerment.
Polymenakos who was
represented by Sade Morgan,
director, Legal, Public Affairs
and Communications said
that the youths lack no excuse
not to unleash their potentials
to bring about needed change
and innovation given the level
of endless possibilities that has
been aided by the rise of technology
in this era and time.
Morgan stated that though
there are challenges in the environment,
it is imperative for
them to brave the odds if they
are keen on achieving their
dream. She added” In the Nigerian
Bottling Company Ltd
and indeed, the entire Coca-
Cola system, we believe in
the power of young people.
The theme of this year’s International
Youth Day is “Safe
Spaces for Youth”. Safe spaces
motivate young people to
engage in sports and leisure,
governance issues and crossborder
interactions, especially
because of internet and digital
penetration and convergence.
As a company, we will
continue to demonstrate our
unwavering commitment to
youth development in unequivocal
terms. Our annual
Management Trainee Programme,
the Technical Training
Centre, Summer ship
Programme and the Youth
Empowered Programme
are all platforms open for
Nigerian youths to explore
opportunities for their personal,
career and economic
advancement”
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji,
founder of Rise Networks and
convener of the conference
said that youths cannot afford
to fold their arms in the
face of limitless opportunities
around urging them to
get involved politically and
invest their energy in productive
causes that would bring
about economic empowerment.
In his own remarks,
Tunji Bello, Secretary to the
Lagos state Government who
represented the Governor
of Lagos state, observe that
there cannot be meaningful
development if government
fails to invest in its youth.
UNIDO reviews vocational training curriculum
to boost employability in Ogun
RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta
United Nations International
Development
Organisation
(UNIDO) has
moved to review vocational
training curriculum operational
in Ogun state with a
view to boosting youth’s employability
and self reliance.
The need to review teaching
methodology and logistics
required in grooming and
teaching world standard skills
that boost self reliance, employability
and ease of doing
business becomes necessary
as UNIDO partners Ogun
state government to rejig
instructions, practicals and
demonstrations embedded in
vocational training
Francis Ukoh, UNIDO’s
National Project Co-coordinator
courses while speaking
during a working visit to
Ogun state on the proposed
partnership noted that effort
was ongoing to review vocational
and entrepreneurial
skills suitable for international
standards that would not
only boost employability and
self reliance among youths,
but would also improve ease
of doing business in the state.
Ukoh however, applauded
State government’s initiative
in the areas of skills and
vocational acquisitions and
its current efforts to review
and modernize the curriculum,
practicals and demonstrations
applicable to entrepreneurial
and vocational
studies, just as he pledged
the organisation’s support
towards attaining its core
objectives of human capital
development.
Modupe Mujota, commissioner
for Education, Science
and Technology expressed
the State government’s readiness
to partner with United
Nations International Development
Organisation (UNI-
DO) on skills acquisition for
its teeming populace.
Mujota while addressing
the UNIDO’s National
Project Co-coordinator and
members of the Association
of Skilled and Vocational Artisans
of Nigeria (ASVAN) in
Abeokuta, said the proposed
partnership would cover areas
of logistics, such as venue,
curriculum development for
the training and resource persons.
The commissioner observed
that government’s
support towards the initiative
was borne out of its interest
in promoting skills and vocational
acquisition among
the people, adding that the
establishment of Institute of
Technology, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta
and investment in Technical
and Vocational Education
Training (TVET) through
the State–owned Science and
Technical Colleges, are all attestations
to government’s
effort to human capital development.