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Computer
Education Needs Dynamism And Curriculum Upgrade
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Kolawale is the Head of Computer Department, Yaba
College of Technology. A computer scientist and
mathematician, Kolawole told FRANCA ENEGBETA in
this interview that for the country to actualize
Vision 202020, greater emphasis should be placed
on IT education…
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What
have been your challenges since you assumed office
as the Head of this Department?
Computing is changing everyday and you need to
brace up with the new challenges and concept in
the profession. Unlike other courses, new concepts
come out regularly and we need to understand those
concepts before we can impart it on our students.
If you are not fast, while you are still on a
concept you will discover that another one has
been out. And so if you try to train the students
the way you have always done, you will discover
that you will not be accepted in the industry.
The other challenge is the issue of power which
is a national issue. If you must learn the computer,
you have to be constantly on the computer and
the Internet; so you have problems when you don't
have power. Of recent, Nigeria has actually been
operating on zero power. When this is not in place,
we are handicapped because computer functions
on the basis of power.
What do you think
is responsible for students lagging behind in
practical computing after graduation?
That will not be for our own graduates here because
we have over a hundred functioning computers in
our computer laboratory which students use for
learning. We endeavour to train them on new concepts
in the industry.
What you have said generally is true because most
of our institutions lack these facilities and
computing is dynamic. Some lecturers that have
been teaching for the last fifteen years still
use the same notes, the same concepts and even
the same curriculum. So the students will not
get anything.
If you must impart the right knowledge in computing,
you have to be dynamic and move along with the
trend in technology. Then there is the issue of
syllabus and curriculum and it is so unfortunate
that Nigerian curriculum is done in such a way
that it cannot be changed easily; this can be
a problem. The review of curriculum should be
dynamic in computer science because without a
dynamic curriculum, the students will not be up
to date.
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Are
your students allowed hands-on approach on the use of
the computer?
Yes, computing is both theory and practical and we have
lots of practical that we introduce our students to.
Though the course is practical based, they still need
to have theoretical knowledge. So there is a blend of
theory and practical.
What
have been your school's contributions to the growth of
ICT in Nigeria?
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Yaba College
of Science and Technology is one of the first institutions that
started the use ofthe Internet even before it became a household
name in Nigeria.
So we are really the pioneer of ICT applications delivery. We
are also one of the few institutions that have Internet access
in every office, classroom and even part of the student's hostels.
We organize trainings in ICT for both our students and staff
and we are presently planning to make the department a pragmatic
centre where we can do certifications. What
are your views on local content?
This is one issue we will not be able to shy away from. Having
our home-made computers and software is the most important thing
that can happen to the IT industry and to Nigerian economy as
a whole. As it is in other industries which are almost dead,
what we do is just to assemble, which is not good for the industry
and the country.
We actually make our students here make computer casing with
wood and we try to fix in some of the components. |
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Must
a casing be made with metal? What about wood or
even plastic? These things should be looked into. But
even with all these, we still can't go anywhere without
resolving the power issue in Nigeria. This is the only
way we can make headway in developing local content. |
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We have the capacity
and manpower. Most of the software that our students and even
colleagues write can compete internationally but these people
lack encouragement.
Nigerians prefer going to India to buy software because they
complain that Nigerian software are costly which is not true.
We should try and encourage the spirit of self-dependence. The
environment now is too harsh for self dependency. There should
be an enabling environment and law that will allow young and
productive entrepreneurs function properly. They can be given
incentives, loans and grants to start with.
What do you think about the CPN registration? Would it improve
the quality of service?
Yes, it will. CPN is the umbrella body that regulates computing
in Nigeria and we are glad to say that we are CPN certified.
We attend conferences and even annual general meetings. CPN
exists to control and ensure high quality. So with the National
Board for Technical Education, (NBTE), they go to all schools
to do accreditations and I think this is healthy for the industry.
They are in the forefront of ensuring quality in all tertiary
institutions which I think is a major feat. |
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With
the level of ICT in Nigeria, do you think the industry
can meet up with what is being demanded by 2020?
No, I think we are lacking in the issue of IT education.
Government should invest money in this sector by building
ICT parks, training centres and even institutions. In
Malaysia, there is a |
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university with
about three campuses just for multimedia; they call it Multi
Media University. We don't even have IT university here that
offers just IT as a course alone. The government should establish
universities and polytechnics dedicated to IT and ICT education
alone.
How do we actualize Vision 2020?
Students should be focused on the IT profession. Focusing on
banks and oil companies will not help us. We need software that
can compete with other IT giants of the world. The government
should create an enabling environment for students and IT personnel
to function. Parks, ICT centres and institutions should be provided.
The private concerns should also encourage IT education.
There should be organisations sponsoring IT education and establishing
research centres. When I went to the Multimedia University in
Malaysia, I discovered that Microsoft, Intel, and all the large
organisations have laboratories there, well equipped and furnished
for practical purposes.
We should try and see a situation where banks and oil companies
will come in and invest on ICT development. |
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