By Josephine Oguntoyinbo

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Ondo State House of Assembly has said that Polytechnic education must be prioritised to ensure that the practical use of acquired scientific and technical knowledge fast-tracks socio-economic development.

The House Committee on Tertiary Institutions led by Chris Ayebusiwa stated this during a visit to the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO).

According to him, the committee’s visit reiterated the House’s commitment and support and ensured that successes were recorded at the institution.

The committee appreciated the efforts of the Acting Rector and his management team for their quest towards making the institution a leading one through recent initiatives.

According to the lawmakers, technical institutions are crucial in providing excellent education and training in all vocational programmes, especially concerning practical skills.

They assure the institution of the 10th Assembly’s support, calling on students, staff and management to maintain peace and work as a team to achieve the projected goals.

Meanwhile, the committee appealed to the institution’s Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, which intends to embark on a strike over unpaid backlog of salaries, not to down tools in the students’ interest.

After being briefed and presented with a memo by the union Chairman, Nafiu Okoro, the committee assured that it would critically look into the matter as quickly as possible.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Acting Rector of the institution, Simon Olorunwa Adegun, thanked the committee for the visit and support, maintaining that the mandate of the Polytechnic is to be the first among equals in the country.

While highlighting some achievements, he appealed for quick intervention to address the institution’s challenges.