By Gom Mirian
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFund) has charged Nigerian polytechnics to embark on quality research proposals that would proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems.
Arc. Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund said this in Abuja, at a meeting with Rectors and Directors of Research of Polytechnics on National Research Fund (NRF) grants on Wednesday.
Echono lamented the huge shortage of skills in critical sectors of the nation’s economy.
He said that “It means we are not producing graduates that are fit for this purpose, that meet the needs of the industry that are ready to take up responsibility and contribute their quota upon engagement.”
According to him, the Fund wants to see polytechnics taking more active parts in solving society’s problems; solving the country’s developmental challenges, and proffering solutions that would ease the various operations of the country.
“No research would be of benefit to a country like Nigeria. “If we are not translating that and applying the products of such research to affect our daily lives.
“If we are not transferring that knowledge, that creative spark, into the production of goods and services that could create employment for our people, that would improve our standard of living and that would grow our economy, and activate all segments of our economy.
“I believe you are aware that there is a compelling need for a shift in focus.
“We are producing graduates in an economy that is underdeveloped yet they are unable to find employment.
“We are having a situation where side-by-side there is very high graduate unemployment.
“It’s a huge shortage of skills in critical sectors of our national economy.
“The other aspect is that we continue to produce manpower that the current structure of our economy can no longer absorb,” he said.
Earlier, the Director, Executive Secretary’s Office, Arc. Uchendu Wogu said the Fund recognizes the fact that research is not a one-man show but needs collaboration and must be multi-disciplinary.
Wogu said the Fund is committed to ensuring the adoption of international best practices, in delivering research mandates.
He, however, urged the polytechnics to rise up to the challenge of producing quality research proposals.
“Indeed, the polytechnic sector has not shown too much of a good performance, not to say that they are not doing well in the NRF angle particularly.
“In achieving the mandate of the Fund the NRF was established so that we address the paucity of funds for research, especially in Nigerian tertiary education Institutions and this is geared towards contributing to national development efforts.
“The committee has been working and the intervention is open to universities, colleges of education and polytechnics but having spent the amount of money that has been available for that intervention over the years, performance reports from 2012-2021, having spent N24 billion on NRF and having sponsored 727 research grants, only 28 of this 727 is domiciled in our polytechnics, representing about 4 percent.
“It is not to say that you are not doing well, it is simply to say that there are gaps that must be filled. So this is a call to ask ourselves why out of 727 successful grants only 28 come from polytechnics.
“It is a call to all of us to go back to our training papers that have been organized in the past by TETFund. The Fund is currently organizing a step-down training Programme,” he added.
He said there are also collaborative efforts ongoing with a technology hub called Innovation Hub, aimed at transcending and moving the research outcomes into products through innovation.
“The drivers of that programme are the best in innovation in the world – the Israelites so we have understood that we must learn and so we have submitted ourselves to the fountain of knowledge.
“We have also rolled out the TETfair where these research outcomes are displayed for the world to see, for investors to pick up, and for anybody who has an idea of how to make it better to participate in the process and so the aim is that already established entrepreneurship centers in our universities will become upgraded to innovation hub,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the National Board For Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje has stressed the need for a synergy between polytechnics and universities on Innovative research.
He said research in Nigeria is not yielding desired results because those who are administering the research have forgotten the role polytechnics can play.
“Research and development is a topical issue. TETFund has created NRF to drive a high level of research that could lead to innovation.
“Today, in Nigeria, almost 99.9 percent of this research does not yield innovation. They end up as journal papers published in papers and cited.
“Therefore, there must be synergy between Universities and Polytechnics if our research and development are to lead to innovation,” he said.
