Dr Busayo Ajayi, founder of budding Ajayi Polytechnic, a private polytechnic at Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, in this interview with ADEWUMI ADEMIJU, speaks on the journey so far, the need to prioritise entrepreneurship and innovative education to tackle unemployment, among other issues

As a private polytechnic, what are the policies and programmes put in place to sustain quality polytechnic education?

First and foremost, in a bid to continue to improve the quality and standard of education in the polytechnic, the institution has put in place policies and programmes that have greatly helped in achieving the vision of the polytechnic.

Of course, some of these policies include compulsory skills acquisition programmes in the curriculum of the polytechnic, which has made it compulsory that before any student can graduate and be certified to have been graduated from this polytechnic such student must have acquired at least one skill, and should be able to demonstrate such skill practically in a manner the skill in question required.

The available skills are in the areas of laptop repairs, phone repairs, fashion designs, cosmetology, solar installation, graphics design, data analysis, computer programming (using several languages), and web designing, to mention a few. It has also become a standing policy at the polytechnic that no faculty member would be employed without first having a minimum of Masters Degree, or already on it with glaring evidence.

The Governing Council of the polytechnic believes so strongly that policies, such as these, would ordinarily help to improve the quality of education in the institution, and in view of this many of the faculty members or lecturers employed in the system are already researchers in the making.

The policy of the polytechnic as enshrined in the vision also has it that entrepreneurship training and seminars are infused into the curriculum such that students are often given projects on how to start up a mini-business and to go through the entrepreneurial process of sustaining the business.

Besides, soft skills are also infused into the curriculum of the polytechnic so as to mould and groom well-rounded students that can compete with their contemporaries in the labour market and world of work anywhere in the world. In fact, personal development of our students is very important to us.

We monitor the students’ personal development. The management also monitor the impact of our programmes on the students from time to time, apart from the fact that the polytechnic embraces a firm policy on internship and SIWES programmes.

All our students are exposed to internship within and outside the campus through the ITF SIWES programmes, which enables them to acquire work experience before they graduate. Our impact is feasible, despite that we are not making noise about it. Our survey revealed that none of our graduates have remained unemployed after completing their studies in the polytechnic.

There is no way you will complete your studies, as a student at Ajayi Polytechnic and become liability to the society. We are raising solution providers, not problem compounders. The fact that we are being noticed, and recognised despite that we are not making noise about our strides, is encouraging and this will motivate us to do more. We are more determined to sustain our achievements.

How are you coping as a private polytechnic with the challenges to maintain quality standards?

Well, let me recall that early this year, we won an integrity award from a very reputable source. We did not even know that we were being noticed. This further attests to the fact that we are genuinely maintaining our corporate integrity, vision and mission.

From the onset, we have resolved to do things in a different way. We are creating our own brand. We are innovative, and we have continued to encourage our students to also think alike, creatively and innovatively so that they, and the institution can stay ahead of the industry. We resolved not to compromise our integrity as an institution by conducting our business with utmost transparency; and with zero

We should correct the narrative that only students from rich families enroll in private institutions

tolerance for students’ molestation, extortion, harassment and other vices that currently pervade many institutions in the country. We are student-centered in our approach. In our institution, all we do is done in our students’ interest.

We are student-centred in terms of course delivery, policy initiative, decision making and infrastructural development. Little wonder, therefore, that we declared a 50 per cent scholarship for students to help them have access to quality education. More importantly, excellence in all facets is critical to us.

And, hence as an academic institution, and more importantly as a brand, we strive hard to continuously improve the quality of delivery for our students so that they can favourably compete with their counterparts anywhere.

Would you say the polytechnic stands out in terms of technology and infrastructure development?

With all modesty, I can boldly say that the polytechnic is outstanding because we can boast of modern, world class and the state-of-the-art laboratories for our Engineering, Sciences and Technology programmes.

We have been receiving a series of commendations from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and other accreditation bodies anytime they visit our programmes to check our resources.

In the first instance, we established the polytechnic as my contribution to the growth and development of education in the country.

Also, we can boast of reliable, high-speed internet connectivity across the campus. We also operate one of the most reliable CBT hubs in the country.

Besides, we have an extensive online library with access to Open Access Resources Journals and Textbooks. Our physical library is well stocked with the latest academic resources.

We have specialised laboratories for programming, software engineering and data science. Our engineering workshops are well-equipped for hands-on training of our students.

What is your advice to stakeholders in the nation’s education sector on provision and delivery of quality education?

Let me also re-emphasise here that improving the quality of education, especially polytechnic education in the country, requires collaborative efforts from all stakeholders. The government needs to increase the funding of education, particularly polytechnics by allowing private polytechnics to access the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocation.

If you look at the trend, the number of private polytechnics in the country is rising on a daily basis, while the children in these institutions are Nigerians, who will in turn come back to contribute to the national economy and development after graduation.

Based on this, the government needs to partner with private polytechnics so that students that choose to enroll in private polytechnics will not be at a disadvantage. We should correct the narrative that only students from rich families enroll in private institutions.

This is not true. It will interest you to note that school fees of almost all public tertiary institutions are higher than that of Ajayi Polytechnic school fees. I challenge you to do your research on this. You will realise that the fees we charge students here is not up to the amount public polytechnics collect from their students despite that we are providing quality education.

Therefore, polytechnic owners and management also need to prioritise academic excellence in their entire citadels of learning by investing in their faculty, the institution and the delivery of curriculum so that polytechnic products can compete favourably with their counterparts from other levels of education.

In addition, we need to ensure that we are developing our students’ knowledge, skills and behaviour. We should stop making students think that higher institutions are certificate factories. One of the reasons we are facing economic challenges in the country is because the majority of stakeholders in the education sector are not doing the right thing.

On its part, the industry should also be invited to collaborate on curriculum development so as to have a robust curriculum that can cater for the needs of the industry for the production of graduates that are employable.

Also, all institutions need to genuinely imbibe entrepreneurship training, specifically students’ personal development, including soft and hard skills acquisition. They should also provide internship assistance to polytechnic students, particularly during SIWES, or Industrial Attachment so that they can gain more practical experience.

What are the opportunities available for students of the polytechnic to compete favourably in the outside world?

Well, as a polytechnic, we ensure that all our students acquire the relevant and necessary knowledge, skills and behaviour that will equip them to be employable in any part of the world. Some of our students are working for companies out of the country.

All students of the polytechnic have the opportunity to graduate, alongside their National Diploma (ND) or Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate, and at least one professional certification in CISCO, Microsoft, Oracle, and Computerised or Accounting.

As a policy, every student in Ajayi Polytechnic must acquire at least one trade before they graduate under the institution’s skills acquisition programme. They are also exposed to international collaboration through the Entrepreneurship Programme of the institution.

We work in partnership with various international institutions. We have been using these partnerships and collaborations in providing platforms for our students to network, form strong ties and learn from other countries towards building the capacity to compete globally.

To ensure that the lessprivileged students are not at disadvantage, we organise scholarship opportunities for students coming into the polytechnic for up to 50 per cent of their tuition fee.

How will you encourage prospective applicants desirous of choosing the polytechnic?

At Ajayi Polytechnic, Ikere-Ekiti, we are committed to raising the giant in our students through inclusive entrepreneurship and skills acquisition programmes that will make them a sure employer of Labour after their graduation from the institution.

The polytechnic also has a conducive environment for learning and cutting-edge equipment that makes practical fun and easily understandable.

If you have an entrepreneurial mind-set, thinking of becoming an employer of labour or are determined to ensure that you are not unemployed after completing higher education at Ajayi Polytechnic, we can guarantee you a 100 per cent success rate.

We carried out a survey on our graduates’ destination and we are proud to let the whole world know that no Ajayi Polytechnic graduate is unemployed after graduation. We are determined to sustain these achievements.

You will acquire all the required knowledge, skills and character that will either make you start up a sustainable business and become an employer of labour, or put you in the position to be employable in any part of the world.

The scholarship programme available in the polytechnic also offers interested candidates the opportunity to have access to quality and affordable higher education. It is with all these in mind that I, therefore, urge those interested in becoming great in life to apply to the polytechnic.