Student requires knowledge beyond book— LAUTECH don
A LECTURER in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Prof. Abass Olajire has advocated the re-introduction of industrial experience in the university system to assist students aspiring to stand on their own or join reputable industry to put LAUTECH into the global world.
The Professor of Chemistry made the call while delivering his presentation at first webinar series hosted by LAUTECH Chemistry department and monitored by Mouthpiece NGR.
According to the don, student requires more than book in order to be able to fit in industry or be self- employed.
In a topic titled “Academia/Industry Relations: Bridging the gap between theory and Practice of Chemical Science, Olajire was of the view that Nigeria university curriculum are based on theory, emphasizing the need that the new curriculum should reflect their perceived values to industry.
Abass who was a former environmental advisor to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria in 2007 and currently Environmental consultant on Effluent Treatment Plant of Dangote Sugar Refinery; a subsidiary of Dangote Industry Limited explained how he intervened to convert waste water to re-usable water as part of water management strategy.
“Trying to impact water management strategy to the industry as an environmental consultant by converting this 3,000 Cubic meter of water into a quality water that can be re-used.”
The LAUTECH don noted that if students are equipped beyond book and taught industrial application of all courses they will be able to meet industrial standard without depending on white collar jobs or looking for job here and there.
“If you employ any chemistry graduate, they will need to undergo 3 month training to meet up with expectations of industry standards.
He Urged that curriculum of the university should be drawn as per the industry standards.
Abass Olajire, a Professor of international and national repute as he remains the foremost LAUTECH Professor with the highest number of publications and citations from Scopus and Google scholar databases therefore concluded as follows:
“A regulatory body can be established, including both Industry people and Academia which will continuously monitor and identify the gaps and make continuous effort to bridge those gaps.”
“The strong relationship of Academia and Industry will be useful in serving the societal needs at large and help in strengthening the employability of the first degree graduates in industry and increase the self employment rate which thus translate to reducing the unemployment rate in Nigeria,”.