The Yaba College of Technology Governing Council has challenged the Alumni Association of the College to support less privileged students with scholarships and the College through endowment funds.
The Chairman, Governing Council of the foremost premier institution, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), gave this charge at the Alumni Lecture series/Awards, titled: “Technical Education and National Development: Current and future Trend,” organised by the College and its Alumni Association at its Multipurpose Hall.
Fagbemi, who was the Distinguished Guest of Honour, declared that Havard University is what it is today because of the huge endowment funds by its Alumni Association.
The funds, he said, can be used to support research and physical development of infrastructures in the College and helping students in areas of career development as they have much to gain from the them.
The Guest Speaker and Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board and former Rector, Lagos State Polytechnic, Engr. Olawunmi Akanmu Gasper, in his presentation identified four major challenges facing technical education in Nigeria.
Gasper stressed that in the development and growth of technical education in Nigeria, the country has neglected technical education for too long, there has been manifestation of institutional failure to provide jobs for the teeming youths, absence of a well model of technical education and as a nation we have failed to provide hope for our young people who are the bulwark of the population.
He said the essence of technical education is to empower the youths to develop technically and not dependent on non-existing white collar jobs.
He advocated that it is very important for the education sector and managers in the country to evolve innovative ways to position technical education, which will be peculiar to the country as a model.
The trend, Gasper emphasised, would be fashioned in line with the models in Dubai, Canada, Germany, Korean, Singapore and United Kingdom.
In his address, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Engr. Femi Omokungbe, said the College looks forward to benefiting from the experiences of its Alumni in diverse world of business, industry, education, entrepreneurship, technology, science and all other fields of endeavours.
Omokungbe said the college would harness the strengths and potentials of its alumni to the benefit of the College.
He called on the Alumni to make commitments in terms of ideas, donations and endowment to the college in partnership with the management.
The Chairman of the lecture, Babatunde Ojo, an alumnus, said he was proud to be a product of the college and felt honoured to have been asked to chair the occasion.
Ojo said the institution gave her products the necessary tool with which to be professionals and great men and women and achievers.
In his welcome address, the President of YCT Alumni Association, Pastor Oluwafemi Martins, applauded the gathering and sensitised the alumni on the need to pay back to the school that moulded them through the Alumni Association.
Six eminent alumni of the college were given awards in recognition of their contributions and services in areas of professionalism, Community Service, National Service achievements and Contributions to the College growth.
The awardees were Pastor Femi Martins, President, YCT Alumni Association; Bunmi Lawson, the immediate past Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Accion Microfinance Bank Limited and Director, EFInA; and Engr John Ediale of the first set of the college.
Others were Ojo Babatunde, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Archikonsult Limited; and Senator Akinyelure Patrick Ayo, Founder, All Over Polytechnic.
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