By Tina George, Minna
The Dean of School of Infrastructure and Process Engineering Technology (SIPET), Federal University of Technology, FUT, Minna, Prof. Oladiran Abubakre has called for the adoption of new technology for teaching.
He stated this while presenting a paper on “The Training and Practice of Engineering: Using Post COVID-19 Opportunity to Resolve the Incongruencies”, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Society of Engineers in Minna.
According to him, the post-COVID-19 era will require drastic changes in the ways engineering education is handled, pointing out that institutions and lecturers needed to decide what lecture would be on contact and what lecture would be contactless.
“The post-COVID-19 era will require drastic changes in the ways engineering education is handled and the following suggestion is proffered.
“These include the use of virtual reality for Engineering education and there will need to adopt new technology for teaching and to figure out how to turn what is often a hands-on education into a remote practice.
“There will be a need for life-long learning and continuous professional development and this will require the use of less contactless protocols.
Simulations experience must also be encouraged in the new era and these will present the student with real-life experiences in a simulated environment”, he said.
The Don lamented the skewed structure presently in place in the engineering profession practice adding that this would require attention and remedy.
“Some of the challenges that give rise to this skew structure include infrastructure deficit, outrageous admission quota, funding model which gives no difference between history and engineering, poor industry-academia relationship, weak skill acquisition base.
“Weak industrial base of the Nation, University/Polytechnic dichotomy, the quantity and quality of human resources, incessant industrial input, poor incentives, low morale and corruption at all level”, Abubakre stated.
Abubakre who is the 8th Chairman of the Minna NSE Branch noted that more engineering cadre is produced more than other cadres such as technologist and Artisan adding that this is a variance to standard practice which require more artisan and technologist than engineers.
The Minna branch of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) during the AGM, also held its election and returned the first female Chairman, Engineer Elizabeth Jumoke Eterigho for her second tenure in office.
Other elected officials include the Vice Chairman, Engineer Muhammadu Masin Muhammadu, Engineer Mohammed Liman Yerima as the Secretary, Engineer Abubakar Danjuma as the Financial Secretary, Engineer Abubakar Sadiq as Technical Secretary and Engineer Hadiza Danyaya as the Financial Secretary.
Others are, Engineer Solomon Ibrahim as the Publicity Secretary, Engineer Omotoso Oladipo as the Assistant Technical Secretary and Engineer Mohammed Ndaliman as the Ex-official I and Engineer Hauwa Gimba as Ex-official II.
Four new members were inducted into the Society.
In her address, Eterigho appreciated the support of the members and urged her colleagues to embrace the opportunities embedded in the COVID-19 era, to enable them to operate optimally in the new normal without difficulty.
