College Charges Alumni On Scholarship For Indigent Students
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 recently at its Multipurpose Hall.
Prince Fagbemi, who was the Distinguished Guest of Honour declared that Havard University is what it is today because of the huge endowment funds contributed 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, Executive Secretary, 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.
He 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; adding that 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, Engr Gasper emphasised would be fashioned in line with the models in Dubai, Canada, Germany, Korean, Singapore, United Kingdom.
In his address, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Engr. Femi Omokungbe said that 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.
Adding that the college would harness the strengths and potentials of its alumni to the benefit of the College.
Engr. Omokungbe 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, Arc Babatunde Ojo, an alumnus, said that he was proud to be a product of the college and felt honoured to have been asked to chair the occasion.
He said that 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 Distinguished of excellence in recognition of their contributions and services in areas of professionalism, Community Service, National Service achievements and Contributions to the College growth.
