Abuja- President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday called for the commercialistaion of innovations from educational institutions in the country so as to grow the nation’s economy.
Jonathan made the call when he declared open the 3rd National Innovations Exhibitions in Abuja.
Represented by Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the Minister of Education, the president said at the two-day exhibitions that such steps would enhance global competitiveness.
He said the private sector must be engaged to encourage commercailisation and promote innovation in institutions.
“These will serve the economic and social interests of our great nation; needless to say, a great number of products we import into the country do not match the quality of those we produce locally.
“The fact that out of 19 African universities benefitting from the World Bank-supported programme of African Centre of Excellence, 10 are from Nigeria indicates the level of progress that our education sector is making,’’ he said.
The president said the establishment of new Federal Polytechnics signified government’s commitment to developing quality manpower for local industries through technical and vocational training.
Jonathan said that Nigeria’s education system must be dynamic to produce individuals who were able to provide leadership in diverse areas of human endeavour.
He said that the sustained investment being made in the sector was not only to improve quality but also increased access and carrying capacity of the institutions.
The president said that over N150 billion had been made available to states to support the development of infrastructure, resources and capacity since 2010.
“The distribution of textbooks and instructional materials in the core subjects’ area at primary and junior secondary levels has led to the attainment of students to books ratio of 1:1.
“This is quite an achievement and ensures that our children at all times have access to material to support learning,’’ Jonathan said.
Earlier in his speech, Mr MacJohn Nwaobiala, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, commended the private sector for its contributions toward the drive to promote science and technology. (NAN)