By Charles Abere
The students’ loans scheme endorsed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Nigerian students has been described as a welcome initiative that should also be accessed by private educational institutions in the country.
The Founder of Ajayi Polytechnic, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Dr Busayo Ajayi, canvassed this at the matriculation of about four hundred students for the 2022/2023 academic session.
Dr Ajayi believed that it is imperative to extend the financial aid to private institutions to encourage them because of their contributions to the education sector where they equally sacrifice a lot in complementing government effort.
He also suggested that the dichotomy between Polytechnic HND and University degree should be addressed. “Concerned authorities should break the barrier of dichotomy between HND and BSC. Scrap Polytechnic education if you cannot rank it with university”.
The educationist reminded the students that polytechnic education dwells on the promotion of technical and vocational training targeted at enhancing the transfer of technology for economic development of the nation. Adding that all the programmes run by the school have been accredited by the National Board For Technical Education, NBTE.
Ajayi Polytechnic, the founder maintained, will provide the necessary training and skills that will make an individual to be self-reliant or gainfully employed. He reiterated that the institution will not compromise the fulfilment of its core mandate of producing future leaders.
Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Prof. Michael Alonge bemoaned the growing rate of unemployment in Nigeria. He urged government at all levels to find solution to the phenomenon. Adding that the school is to train graduates aimed at bridging the unemployment gap in Nigeria. According to him, Nigeria should not be known as a country that churns out youths that will only be roaming for non-existent jobs.
Alonge enjoined the students to harness their resources by acquiring one skill or another as a stepping stone to being self-reliant. The Chairman was optimistic that Ajayi Polytechnic is poised to attain enviable feats that will distinguish the students from their counterparts in other tertiary institutions.
The Rector, Dr Bolanle Ajayi, assured the students that the institution will continue to produce giants who would impact positively on diverse areas of the nation’s economy. She admonished the students to be committed to their studies.
Ajayi Polytechnic is a privately-owned institution founded in 2017. It runs full-time ND and HND programmes.
In attendance were Academicians, Clerics, the Ogoga-in-Coincil, Parents and Guardians as well as well wishers from all walks of life.