By Stephen Ojate
I have keenly observed highly orchestrated media war against HND holders who were of Polytechnic graduates in Nigeria.
These social media messages to smear the image of Polytechnic graduates came mostly from highly reverred Academia in the University who by their ranking could be senior Lecturer or Professor.
These egocentric academia scholars had pride themselves as academic gurus because of arrays of certificates at their disposals. A PHD holder who ordinarily should come with constructive Idea and research findings post on how to make things better for Nigeria were seen dominating the social media space casting an aspassion on Polytechnic graduates in Nigeria as if the two dormant institutions are in warfare.
In their innuendo and campaign of calumnies, they hinted that University is purely theoretical while Polytechnic practical orientated. In their assertion, they maintained that the University graduates produce the research papers and architectural designs which their counterparts who were of Polytechnic graduates are expected to work on. This is the justification they gave for superiority of University over Polytechnic graduates in Nigeria and not the intellectual output.
It is on this premise I pick an interest on the ongoing debate. I am inclined to put this question to my readers and the dissenting minds. What is the essence of education? Is it story telling or providing practical solutions to real life challenges bedeviling the nation.
Not surprising, in spite of thousands of research work the self confessed and the much touted University Doons believed they had come out with over the years, there impacts have not been well felt in the Nation. No creativity and no invention of any kind other than consistent strike occasioned by frequent demand for salary increment causing distortion of University academic which they were known for over the years.
Sadden, in spite of their numerous researches, none have come with research work on the production of food seasoning whose recipes were drawn from our local herbs to address the daily rising challenges of food spices in Nigeria.
Nigerians have solely depends on the western world for new brand of Maggi cubes in our country. Is this not a shame to the self acclaimed Professors in the University circles?
Yes, Polytechnics is wholly practical but that should not basis to discriminate and undermine their output as they are integral part of economic development. They are adding value to the society in their own ways. I could remember during my ND and HND days in the Federal Polytechnic Idah, the School produces her own Bread and other Confessionaries which were sold to the public. These Breads were the handy work of Food Technology and Hotel and Catering Department Students then as the bakery house was a demonstration centre for them to showcase what they were studying. The FPI Bread were the output of their practical classes.
It is instructive to note that Iran as a nation was able to run shoulder with United State of America in terms of military might because their leadership gives much emphasise in practical education. Because of their style of education, they were able to build their own machines and gadgets which avail them to withstand the might of super power nation like USA. I don’t know why the case of Nigeria took a different angle where so much over celebrated an institution whose emphasis is on theoretical than practical education.
How I wish Polytechnics in Nigeria were given the needed government attention on the area of funding for research work. How I wish the Polytechnics in Nigeria were giving the same pedestal with their University counterparts to operate to showcase their intellectual sagacity. This would have brought about stiff competition among the dominant citadel of learning in Nigeria. Thus, the unnecessary rivalry and serial show of shoulder by the University Professors and their Students over their counterparts in Polytechnics would have died a national death.
Taking a clue from our telecommunications sector, Nigeria wouldn’t have risen to this level in terms of GSM development if not that all the profess communication giants were given the same pedestal to operate in the country without a systematic bar placed on anyone as we currently observed in the case of University and Polytechnics in Nigeria.
– Stephen Ojate writes from Abuja.
