TETFund tasks polytechnics on innovative research

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has tasked polytechnics across the country to initiate quality research proposals that will lead to commercial and innovative usage.

The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Mr. Sonny Echono said this during an interactive meeting with Rectors and Directors of Research of Polytechnics on National Research Fund (NRF) grants in Abuja on Wednesday,

Echono decried the huge shortage of skills in critical sectors of the nation’s economy.

“We are not producing graduates that are fit for purpose, that meet the needs of the industry, that are ready to take up responsibility and contribute their quota upon engagement.”

According to him,  TETFund wants to see polytechnics taking more active parts in solving society’s problems; in resolving the country’s developmental challenges and proffering solutions that will ease the various operations of the country.

“No research will be of benefit to a country like Nigeria if we are not translating that and applying the products of such research to affect our daily lives.

“If we are not transferring that knowledge, that creative spark into the production of goods and services that can create employment for our people, then we have a long way to go,

“We must improve our standard of living, grow our economy, and activate all segments of our economy.

“I believe you are aware that there is compelling need for a shift in focus. We are producing graduates in an economy that is underdeveloped yet they are unable to find employment,” he said.

TETFund boss said that the country was in a situation where foreign concerns, foreign companies, foreign businesses were relocating out of the country under the guise of not having the right manpower to carry out their operations.

“We are having a situation where side-by-side there is very high graduate unemployment. It’s a huge shortage of skills in critical sectors of our national economy.

“It means we are not producing graduates that are fit for purpose, that meet the needs of the industry, that are ready to take up responsibility and contribute their quota upon engagement,” he added.

He, therefore, said the country continued to produce manpower that the current structure of the economy could no longer absorb.

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Earlier, the Director, Executive Secretary’s Office, Arc. Uchendu Wogu said the fund recognised the fact that research was not a one-man show but needed collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach.

He said the fund was also committed to ensuring the adoption of international best practices in delivering research mandate.

He, therefore, urged polytechnics to rise up to the challenge of producing quality research proposals.

“Indeed, the polytechnic sector has not shown too much of a good performance, not to say that they are not doing well in National Research Fund (NRF) angle particularly.

“In achieving the mandate of the fund, the NRF was established so that we address the paucity of funds for research, especially in Nigerian tertiary education Institutions geared towards contributing to national development efforts.

“The committee has been working and the intervention is open to universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.

” The performance reports from 2012 to 2021, having spent N24 billion on NRF and having sponsored 727 research grants, only 28 of this 727 is domiciled in our polytechnics, representing about four per cent,” he said.

He said collaborative efforts were ongoing with a technology hub called Innovation hub aimed at transcending and moving the research outcomes into products through innovation.

The Executive Secretary, National Board For Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje stressed the need for synergy between polytechnics and universities on Innovative research.

Bugaje said research in Nigeria was not yielding desired results because those who were administering the researches had forgotten the role polytechnics played.

“Research and development is a topical issue. TETFund has created NRF to drive high level of research that can led innovation.

“Today in Nigeria, almost 99.9 per cent of these researches do not yield innovation. They end up as journal papers published in papers.

“Therefore, there must be synergy between universities and polytechnics if our research and development will lead to innovation,” he said.

TETFund tasks polytechnics on innovative research