Permit me to commend member representing Zaria Federal Constituency, Kaduna state, in the House of representatives, Hon Abbas Tajudeen, for sponsoring a bill seeking to convert the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna, to Federal University of Technology, Kaduna.
In my view, the polytechnic deserves to be upgraded to the status of a university. So, I call on the three senators from Kaduna state and the 15 other House of Representatives members from the state to support Tajudeen, in this move.
In the recent past, there were similar unsuccessful efforts to convert KadPoly and YABATECH to universities.
It is true that we need more universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, in view of the fact that close to two million students sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) on an annual basis and even if half of the number were to get the required points, our institutions do not have the capacity to absorb them all.
Although sponsoring a bill to upgrade polytechnics or colleges of education to the status of university or the establishment of new federal polytechnics is worth commending, our legislators should also demand adequate funding of our existing higher institutions of learning. Our existing higher institutions of learning are grossly under-funded.
Our legislators should further insist on the provision of equipment and better working conditions for staff.
Upgrading of higher institutions of learning without funds is a serious problem as money is needed for the recruitment of additional human and material resources. If government approves an upgrade of higher institutions without providing funds for their take off, not much will be achieved.
Political leaders at all levels should commit more resources to the funding of our institutions. Our legislators should pay serious attention to the oversight functions of higher institutions of learning for better results.
Legislators should also make a law that will compel all corporate bodies residing within universities’ environments to contribute a certain percentage of annual profits to the funding of the institutions. Corporate bodies should sponsor researches that will add value to the economy.
In addition, alumni associations should be brought on board to contribute their quota towards the funding of universities.
Nurudeen Dauda,
Kaduna
