ITF Boss Traces Poverty to Poor Science, Technology Education

from All Africa

Leadership (Abuja)

By Babagida Kakaki
Abuja

Director-general, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Professor Longmas Wapmuk, has said that Nigeria's persistent status as a third world country was due to its poor funding and neglect of science and technology education.

He noted that the country could only take science and technology education seriously if funds were made available.

Wapmuk, who stated this in his address as the guest of honour at the 20th annual congress and honorary award ceremony of the National Association of Technical Teachers held at the Kaduna Polytechnic, urged the federal government to revert to achieving the objectives of the National Development Plan.

Commenting on the topic 'Public Private Partnership for the Provision of Vocational education in Nigeria,' the ITF Boss lamented that in the 21st century, as well as huge budgetary allocations annually, only 15 per cent of Nigerians have access to tertiary education across the country.

In his words: "There is no way this country could launch itself into the technologically sophisticated 21st century without massive injection of funds and strict implementation of such into the science and technology education.

"There is a crippling neglect of science and technology education which explains why Nigeria after almost 50 years of independence was yet to leave behind her third world status. We have in effect been committing an act of 'unthinking unilateral educational disarmament'.

"The socio-economic progress of any nation is determined by the quality and content of its education. However, the vocational component of education is scarcely attended to by the policy makers who rather place undue emphasis on free education.

"This is common in third world countries where the basic infrastructure to promote vocational education is critically lacking due to weak political will".

Wapmuk then said that with only 15 per cent Nigerians having access to tertiary education, the country was at risk as the educational foundations of the country had almost been totally eroded by the rising tide of mediocrity, which according to him was a threat to the future of the people and the nation as the giant of Africa.