The advancement in Science and Technology education across the globe has no doubt thrown up a lot of opportunities for forward looking economies to grow their human capital.
Education today more importantly as it relates to science and technology has assumed an entirely new frontier and approach, such that from an early stage of learning, it has become a norm to tutor next generation of leaders to embrace this 21 century learning style.
It is quite obvious that without science and technology education, no country will forge ahead with advancement in innovations and state of the act discoveries that is shaping the future of virtually every sector of the world.
While managers of the economy may claim to be funding development of education in the country, it is however important to note that building capacity in science and technology represents the driving forces in the current 21st century and a such needs to be catered for.
For meaningful development to take place in the economy, those who know in the field of education insist the issue of funding this specialised form of learning need to adequately taken care of by government.
They observe that science and technology aspect of education has a repository of potentials capable of transforming economies and has been behind the advancements in developed countries.
According to them, despite this knowledge, this aspect of education has not received adequate attention needed to push the growth in Nigeria.
Tolu Odugbemi, former vice chancellor, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa said there is need for Nigeria to pay adequate attention to science-based education in order to achieve the needed development in the country.
Odugbemi opines that universities and other higher institutions as innovation hubs have major roles to play in using science and technology to drive development in Science, technology , engineering and Mathematics.
According to him, “Developing economies, such as ours, can only fast-track and/or leap frog their growth through targeted research and development. A practical way to do this is to do what is generically referred to as reverse engineering. It is these institutions that must provide the roadmap to circumvent those roadblocks to indigenous technology enhancement necessary for driving innovation and development of the nation.
“The nation must be prepared to invest heavily in the higher education cutting across both the public and private the research facilities must orchestrate the brain power of the staff, take responsibility for training new generation of talents and participate in the transformation of the nation’s science and technology base.”
He noted that the world has moved from commodity-based and military power ranking to knowledge economies/societies, adding that the paradigm shift is propelled by advancements made through science and technology innovations.
Isaac Adeyemi, former vice chancellor, Bells University of technology, opines that universities in Nigeria must focus on the modernising of forces of the society, for the promotion of the “values of science and technology” and for mediating between the political and industrial spheres of national life.
He called for a coherent national Science and Technology strategy with framework developed in consultation with the National Academies of Science to specify the national priorities for research and development with the appropriate funding commitment, while disclosing that countries like China followed this path some 50 years ago to transform their economy.
“The challenges of our development, epitomises largely by corruption, poverty, disease, and poor implementation of good policies can be surmounted if the citizenry is sufficiently educated to make long-term good decisions. It is our higher institutions that are expected to be at the vanguard of the national moral rebirth and exit us from the ‘poverty cycle’ as ‘when poverty increases, honesty decreases”, Adeyemi added.
KELECHI EWUZIE
