The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education, Hon Fuad Kayode Laguda, on Monday stressed the need for relevant authorities to prioritise Science and Health Technology.
Hon Laguda stated this while speaking at a public hearing on three Science and Technology Bills pending before the House
The lawmakers stated that this became necessary in order to drive economic growth, improve healthy living standards and address societal challenges
The affected three Bills are a Bill for an Act to amend the Federal Polytechnics Act.Cap.F17. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010 to establish Federal College of Science and Health Technology, Mbu Isiuzo, Enugu State to provide qualitative education in sciences, health, arts and other technical knowledge; and for related matters (HB.589) sponsored by Hon. Paul Sunday Nnamchi; a Bill for an Act to amend the Federal Polytechnics Acts.Cap.F17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010 to establish Federal Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship, Bungudu, Zamfara state to provide qualitative education and for related matters (HB.497) Hon. Abdulmalik Zubairu; and a Bill for an Act to amend the Federal Polytechnics Act 2010, to Establish Federal Institute of technical and vocational education, Imeko, Ogun State for the purpose of providing qualitative education in technical vocational education and for related matters (HB.506) – sponsored Hon. Adegboyega Nasir Isiaka.
Hon Laguda pointed out that the three Bills were timely and in tandem with the quest for more sustainable human and technological development for a self-reliant society.
According to him, “As you may be aware, we cannot, at this juncture of our development, underestimate the importance of science, technology, vocational and technical education as the key drivers of our socio-economic development.
“We therefore need to prioritise and recognize the importance of science and health technology in driving economic growth, improving healthy living standards as well as addressing societal challenges.
“In today’s global economy, you would agree with me that skills in vocational and technical education are the panacea to Nigeria’s technological development.
“The effective training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are the skills needed by our teaming youths to excel in the technologically driven global economy,” he said.
Hon Laguda pointed out that the passage of the Bills into Law would not only ensure that the workforce “is technologically empowered, but can also be used to tackle the issues of unemployment, wealth creation, poverty reduction and a productive self-reliant society”
According to him, “There is, therefore, the need for purposeful deliberation and positive inputs by key stakeholders in the educational sector. This is why the committee has invited you here today, to obtain informed opinions and inputs on the Bills, in order to further enrich the content and intendment of the proposed laws,”
He expressed gratitude to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Abbas Tajudeen, for his continued and untiring support to the Committee.
He urged all stakeholders to work together as patriots towards a successful deliberation leading to the passage of these Bills for the overall benefit of our citizens and the nation at large.
While declaring open the Public hearing, the Speaker, Rt Hon Abbas Tajudeen, assured that through appropriate legislation the House would assure access to quality education.
Represented by the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Hon Abdullahi Halims, he regretted that according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), over 60 per cent of Nigerian graduates are unemployed or underemployed.
This, he said, has been attributed to their lack of employability skills.
The Speaker said that this unfortunate situation had contributed significantly to spiralling the unemployment rate of Nigerian graduates.
He said if this is allowed to continue, the youth bulge in Nigeria will be a demographic burden rather than the much-needed demographic dividend that the nation can exploit for sustainable development.
He said the public hearing was a reflection of the desire and commitment as a House to prioritize technical and vocational education as part of the ongoing social sector reform and development of the present administration.
He said reforming and modernizing technical education are critical steps towards promoting skills acquisition and empowering youths to contribute meaningfully to the economic growth and development of Nigeria.
According to him, “We must do everything to stem the tide of youth restiveness that can easily be exploited by unpatriotic elements in our society for criminality. The ongoing fight against insecurity must as a matter of necessity consider the provision of functional education to our students and youths to ensure they are gainfully engaged.
“We are hoping, therefore, that the eventual establishment of these proposed technical institutions will provide access to quality technical education, address the skills gap by equipping our graduates with employable skills, promote innovation and entrepreneurship as well as support the current effort of the government to diversify the economy,” he said.
The Speaker said that the importance of education as the bedrock of development cannot be overstated, adding that in line with its legislative agenda, the House will continue to support every effort that seeks to improve quality and access to all forms of education in Nigeria.
“We will not relent in our effort to sustain engagement with stakeholders in order to encourage private sector involvement in the funding of education.
“Through our robust oversight, the House will continue to ensure transparency and accountability in the governance of our educational institutions. With the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, we would ensure that these new technologies are integrated into our educational curriculum.
“It is our desire also that more of such technical institutions will be established in other parts of the country with specialization in their areas of comparative advantage,” he said.
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