Only polytechnic education can solve youth unemployment – Rector

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Prof. Garba Muhammad Ngala has described polytechnic education as the way forward out of the increasing unemployment challenges facing Nigeria.

The Rector who disclosed this during an interactive session with Arewa PUNCH on Saturday in Maiduguri said vocational and practical education, which is the major purpose of polytechnic education, is the prerequisites for employment opportunities in the modern world

“Go to UK, you will be surprised that someone doing DeepSea Welding is earning more than a Professor. Where do you learn to do welding. It is in the polytechnic. Technology is in two aspects – the design aspect and construction aspect.

“Construction is always from the technicians and technologists which is in the polytechnic. The university engineer can only design for you on paper. It is the technician who goes ahead and executes the job. So, polytechnic education is the way forward.

“Look at the streets. We have a lot of graduates and even Ph.D. holders without work. They don’t have anything to do. It is not sustainable. The government can not employ everyone. The only way out is the learning of trade, and those trades are being taught in the polytechnic. In the UK, no one looks at degrees anymore. They look at what you can do,” Ngala pointed out.

According to him, most expatriates working in Nigeria are foreigners with less degree or educational qualification, despite the youthful population in the country.

“One of our challenges in Nigeria is lack of professionals. If you want to build a house, you will discover that  the people who will come and do the tiling, POP, painting and welding are either from Cameron, Chad, or Togo despite our youth population. This is a slap on our faces. Is it that we can not do it, or what? Yet, we have so many young men on the streets doing nothing.

“We can train them and even export them.  This is one area that needs urgent attention.”

However, the don revealed that the Federal Polytechnic Monguno is putting measures in place to address some of these  challenges through concentrating on programs that will not just eradicate out-of-school children in Monguno, but lower the rate of unemployable graduates in the country.

“We have a lot of out-of-school children. Some sat for SSCE and didn’t pass, and some are yet to even register for it. Because of the scourge of insurgency, they abandoned the schools. So, we intend to capture the students through our remedial programs and then arrange for them to sit for their SSCE and Jamb. After that, they are at liberty to go anywhere.

“If they want to join us or further to other schools, it’s their decision. This is currently one of our areas of concentration. If these things are not done, it is going to be a time bomb

“We are also concentrating on vocational training and manpower development. You don’t need any educational certification to come and learn carpentry, bricklaying, and tiling. So, we intend to get these young men and train them in this trade.

“I’m sure, if we run things for some years, the issue of out-of-school children will be taken care of,” Ngala assured.

While alloying fears of prospective students into the polytechnic considering the security situation of the area, the Rector said, “Monguno is safe and ready to accommodate as many willing students as possible.

“We thank God, the security has improved tremendously, through the efforts of the president, the military, and the governor. They have all joined hands to rackle the insecurity snag as such, the security of Borno State has improved.

“So far, we’ve started with around 10 courses; we have mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, agric engineering, science laboratory technology, accountancy, business administration, statistics, and vocational and technical education.

“We currently have around 398 students in NDII,  236 staff, and we are expecting to admit 600 to ND I. We commenced admission last year as a new school. This shows you that we are growing. Our patronage is from both within the state and outside, like neighbouring states and  countries

“I want to tell you that Monguno is very safe compared to some of the states in the country,” Ngala insisted.

However, he appealed for the urgent rehabilitation of the road linking Maiduguri and Monguno while also calling for the provision of potable water for residents and students in the area.

Continuing, the don declared, “Our current challenge is the road from Maiduguri to Monguno. This road needs rehabilitation. If this road is rehabilitated, it will enhance the good movement of students, staff, and even the local, while the second thing is lack of good water in Monguno itself. You need to dig deep into the ground before you can get good water.”

He added, “Monguno is a special area that God has blessed the land in terms of agricultural and unexplored natural resources. If not because of the insurgency, there are a lot of unexploited resources. We encourage people to come to Monguno to experience an entirely different type of life. We have a 24/7 electricity in the polytechnic. There is an abundance of fish and beans in the area, too. No doubt, there’s a lot of prospect in the town,” the Rector canvassed.