Owodiong advocates more attention on development of technical education
The International Coordinator of 1001+ Voices Initiative for People Empowerment, Mr. Ide Owodiong, has advocated for effective alumni engagement, noting that such has the potential of impacting positively on all parties involved.
He made this advocacy during a reunion meeting of his alma-mater old Students Association of Government Technical College, Oku Abak, in Akwa Ibom state, at the weekend.
According to him, the positive impact would be felt among the Institution, the Alumni, and the continuing students of any institution of learning.
” I consider myself a living testimony of the truth concerning the role of Alumni and Alumni Associations in developing their alma mater. At the age of 19+, I had it bestowed on me by destiny the privilege of being saddled with the responsibility of building the University of Cross River State Alumni Association which by providence metamorphosed into what is now known as the University of Uyo Alumni Association.
“My tenure straddled the University of Cross River State as it was then known through its transition years to University of Uyo Alumni Association, a period of growth amidst turbulence and sometimes uncertainty that spanned March 1988 through October 2001. Not only was I opportune to pioneer the establishment, development and growth of the Alumni Association but was also heavily involved in conceiving and setting out the modalities for integrating new graduates of the institution into the Alumni body” he said.
Speaking on the Topic “The Role of Alumni in The Development of Vocational/Technical Education in Akwa Ibom State, he said that Alumni in the workplace and industry are critical to helping the institution define institute-level strategies and enhancing study programs.
“By effectively engaging alumni, technical education institutions can modify and update their curriculum to meet the evolving challenges and needs of industry for the latest skills and knowledge.
“Alumni are therefore major stakeholders for vocational/technical education institutions and their contribution to the development of vocational/technical education in Akwa Ibom State cannot be taken for granted. In the Asia and Pacific countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore are known to have given high priority to cultivating the alumni of vocational/technical education institutions and have derived maximum benefits from it.
Ide recalled with pride one of his achievements as an alumnus of the University of Cross River State (now University of Uyo) in 2006, when a Project which he initiated as former Alumni President together with the Lagos Chapter of the Alumni Association about three years earlier came to fruition and helped restore 25-degree programmes of the University whose accreditation was earlier withdrawn by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“The project represented a best-in-class example of virtual networking and teamwork across boundaries and a modest attempt to support the University to build her learning and studying capabilities by sourcing for books for her library.
“It is expected that for us to move from being a developing society to a developed society, more investments are required in our vocational/technical education. Government and not-for-profit bodies like the Alumni must take urgent steps to improve the quality of education.
“However, to make this feasible, education must be detached from political influences and patronage. Appointing people who have no background in education to run Ministries, Departments, and Agencies charged with overseeing education is a grave misnomer. In addition, bodies like the alumni must be assured that their hard-earned monies invested in uplifting technical education in their alma mater will not be subject to the corruption that is pervasive in our country”, he stated.