Nigeria Polytechnics Are Overstretched – Rector:
Ilorin – The Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Alhaji Mas’ud Elelu, on Wednesday said that facilities of Nigerian polytechnics were being overstretched due to increase in student population.
He attributed the situation to pressure from the various quarters including government and the society to admit the large number of admission seekers without corresponding funds to improve the facilities.
This, he said, was responsible for the inability of most polytechnics to adhere to their carrying capacity peg and which had hindered students’ mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps.
Elelu spoke at a pre-accreditation and verification briefings of some programmes of the institution by the National Board for Technical Education.
He said Nigerian polytechnics were struggling to abide by the carrying capacities because they were also cautious of the danger that non-admission of students could pose to the society.
“We want you to look at us critically and see how they can give us advice on how we can move on particularly, now that population of students has increased all over our polytechnics”
“There is a lot of stretch on our facilities and whether we like it or not we must accommodate these children or else they will cause problem for the society,” the Rector said.
Elelu said that Kwara state Polytechnic was as a first generation polytechnic established in 1972.
He said that the polytechnic had recorded some feats against all odds as the first to produce a tricycle machines and campus radio station, among others.
Leader of the accreditation team, Dr Ibrahim Rufai, said five programmes of the institution were slated for accreditation, while 10 were for verification.
He said the exercise was not to witch hunt any institution, but for quality assurance, urging the staff of the polytechnic to stay at their duty posts till the required time. (NAN)