For the very first time in this part of the world, a university is ready to ensure that it turns out graduates who will never roam the streets looking for jobs.
This was the submission of the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Technical University, Ibadan, Professor Ayobami Salami on Wednesday while conducting PMParrot and other media houses around the facilities of the new citadel of higher learning.
The former Obafemi Awolowo University don elucidated further on this “At Tech-U, we privilege an admixture of theory and practical. We are different from a university of technology because of our rich emphasis on employment preparation skills.
“Our focus on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines is informed on the need to provide our young people with the knowledge and skills that are applicable to actual world problems.”
Prof Ayobami then went ahead to emphatically submit “Our vision is that no graduate of Tech-U will go about roaming the streets in search of jobs. It is either they are so good that the industries hire them straightaway or they simply establish their own start-ups.”
While speaking about the programmes to be run by the school, the don announced that Tech-U would be taking off on January 7, 2018 with 15 full NUC-accredited academic programmes.
His words “I wish to underscore the point that among the 15 courses are some that are relatively new in Nigerian Universities – for example, Cybersecurity. We plan to be the foremost in providing solution to the aches of cybercrimes in all its variegated colourations”.
On accommodation for students, Professor Salami said “Our University will be fully residential. Tech-U will never admit any student it is unable to provide decent accommodation for.”
The university, according to the VC will start with only 400 students and each class will not exceed 24 students.
For now, a scholarship scheme is in place and all the 33 local governments in Oyo State along the line sent in 10 of their best out which only three were eventually given admission to study at Tech-U.
Commented Salami “the scholarship scheme is to ensure that students from the lower class families are given the opportunity to come here too. We insisted that those to be eligible must have attended public secondary schools. After this, we conducted tests for them before selecting only three per local government.”
Packaged by Olayinka Agboola
