Obaseki’s education reform: Edo Poly Usen unveils internationalisation roadmap, attracts Diaspora lecturers

The commitment of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to deliver quality education at the tertiary education level has received a boost at the state-run Edo Polytechnic, Usen, as the school has unveiled an internationalisation programme with which it intends to attract Edo scholars in the Diaspora for visiting lectureship positions at the institution.

Governor Obaseki commenced the revamp of the Polytechnic earlier this year when he appointed Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Prof. Abiodun Falodun as the school’s rector.

Prof. Falodun, in a chat with journalists, said that he intends to consolidate on Governor Obaseki’s revamp effort by repositioning the Polytechnic as a global institution, which will offer top-grade tuition to students that balances local expertise with international exposure.

He said the school has just opened an International Office for interface with Edos in the diaspora, and has secured agreement with two scholars from Switzerland and Germany, who will strengthen the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and programmes in the School of Environmental Studies at the institution.

According to him, “We are causing a change at the Polytechnic because we believe we have what it takes to offer quality education if we harness our potentials. We have developed a roadmap to achieve this. It includes interfacing with a vast Diaspora community, especially those in specialised disciplines to come back here and teach the students what obtains not just in the contemporary world, but the opportunities in the future. So, our internationalisation programme is targeted at building local capacity with international exposure, such that students and lecturers can benefit from the visiting lecturers.”

He said two of the lectures are Engr. Marvin Ama-Amadasun Ph.D, a software engineer based in Switzerland and Dr. Peter Odion Agwi, an expert in Urban and Regional Planning from Germany, who will be anchoring classes at the School of Environmental Studies as well as the Information Systems-focused departments.

“We have more openings for others in the diaspora who would want to contribute to the state and the institution. This will not only go a long way to reduce gaps between the town and the gown, but also engender strong collaboration between the institution and foreign partners,” Prof. Falodun added.