Oluchi Chibuzor
The Provost of Federal College of Education, (Technical) Akoka, Lagos, Dr. Wahab Azeez, has solicited infrastructural development intervention programmes from the organised private sector and public institutions to enable the institution to meet 21st century educational needs of its students.
According to the school, this would assist in establishing state-of-the-art infrastructures for its students and teachers, thereby creating a conducive learning atmosphere within the school’s environment.
According to Azeez, establishing two modern facilities, the Centre for Vocational Technical and Entrepreneurship Development and the Centre for Endowment Development, Advancement and Alumni Relations (CEDAAR), are not enough for 21st-century learners.
He pointed out that the establishment of the centres had enhanced teachers’ capacity and improved learning outcomes for students.
“As an institution, we see the vital role enhancing training schemes such as these play towards the development of our student’s life after school and as well as also improving the capacity and intellect of our teachers in order to enable them to compete and perform beyond expectations in any other institution or setting they find themselves,” stated the provost.
He added, “The skills the students attain from these initiatives would enable them to become employers of labour after or during their academic years, rather than solely being dependable on employment, which is why my administration saw the need to establish such programmes and centres to facilitate them.”
The provost further observed that the funding for the education sector, especially the technical space, was low, “but the issue is that the technical education industry requires special types of intervention funding schemes for it to function” optimally.
“We do not think it is the best idea for all the educational sectors to be given the same amount of funding because it costs a lot more to run vocational programs effectively due to the high level of facilities and infrastructures required,” Azeez reasoned. “Owing to this, we had to establish the CEDAAR initiative, which also targets raising endowments funds for the rehabilitation, development and maintenance of the college.”
