After 49 years of running without accreditation, the Benin Technical College, now the Government Science and Technical College, is experiencing a new lease of life, thanks to government funding. The school is now attracting pupils unlike before. OSAGIE OTABOR reports from Benin
In the past, management of the Benin Technical College now Government Science and Technical College (GSTC) used to beg students to pick admission form into the college. It was a school seen as a place for those who could not do well in conventional secondary school.
The sorry state of the school did not matter. In the absence of relevant facilities, the students were taught practicals in abstract. The dilapidated buildings that would welcome a first time visitor were an eye sore. The staff strength of the school depleted to 39 as no new staff member was employed when old ones retired or left for greener pastures.
The school was first built in 1970 during the administration of late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia. It was said to have been built due to the clamour by Oba Akenzua II for technical skills and sports training for youths.
Its sports complex was built by the Canadian government and fitted with an Olympic-size swimming pool and other sports facilities. The school was planned to transform into a College of Technology.
After Ogbemudia left power, the school was abandoned and left to rot. Successive administrations did not improve on Ogbemudia’s vision. Roofs were blown off, chairs were not replaced and the machines that went bad were not repaired.
In the words of Principal of the school, Onaiwu Federick Osazuwa: “We were training students in quantity because we could admit anybody and they could be up to 200 in a class.”
However, all that has changed, thanks to fresh investment in the school by the Edo State government led by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The government built and equipped two blocks of 22 classrooms, workshops, internet facilities and air-conditioners, new bathroom and toilets,.
Last week when this reporter visited the school, there was a huge crowd of parents and pupils at the gate struggling to check their wards’ names on the admission list.
Obaseki visited the school immediately he was sworn in and vowed to reclaim the school’s vast land from encroachers and restore it’s glory.
True to his words, the vast school land was fenced, including houses built by private individuals. In less than three years, the first phase of the project was delivered and admission was opened for new intakes.
Unlike in the past when admission into the technical college was free for all, those now seeking to gain admission were subjected to written examinations and interview as the new school can only accommodate 40 students per class.
Osazuwa told our reporter that the teachers did not believe Obaseki when he promised to revamp the college as they had heard such promises in the past.
He said: “Many governments have come and gone but there was no refurbishing and rehabilitation of the college. Machines and tools were all grounded. Teachers were teaching practicals in abstract. Many things were neglected and the school collapsed. We have been teaching and learning under blown off roofs. The machines were obsolete. There were no teachers, no consumable materials. No subvention to the school. The teachers were just doing their best. Sometimes we bought materials for teachers. Teaching aids were not supplied. This was a standard school which has international swimming pool and sports complex. The staff strength was just 39. Some teachers retired and others left.Before Obaseki came, the staff strength was 39 – both technical teachers and non-technical staff.
“When Obaseki first came here, he wept. He specifically went to the swimming pool. He walked in the weed inside and asked about some residential buildings in the school premises and we told him some persons sold the school land. He said he would fence the school including the buildings and revamp it to international standard. He said he will create industrial park where youths could be trained. He said he will help them to get tools to start up their businesses.
“We thought it was a usual talk by government officials. Few days later, we saw bulldozers and surveyors working here. They started fencing the college and reclaim the entire land. This new edifice is what you cannot get anywhere in this country. The equipment here are not found anywhere. From my office, I can communicate with all the teachers. I can watch what teachers are teaching and students are doing in their various classes.”
Osazuwa said the college suffered in the past because the right people were not in charge. He thanked Obaseki for reviving the college and employing more qualified hands to run the college.
“Edo people should be grateful to Obaseki for reviving technical education because technical education was dead. What killed technical education in Edo State was a situation where an historian or economist was appointed to head technical school. For many years, I was the first engineer to be appointed principal in this college. People who took management decision on anything that affect technical college knew nothing about engineering. A principal of technical school must know the principle and mechanism of any engine in any workshop. It is an engineering mechanism.
“We used to have students trained in quantity but we now train in quality, decency and credibility. Then, we could admit 200 students in a class but now we admit 40. The governor is working towards getting accreditation for the school. We are now 122 staff workers in this school from just 39, ” he said.
Following the remodeling of the school, officials of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) led by its Deputy Director, Mallam Samaila Tanko visited the school for accreditation.
Tanko said the delegation was impressed with facilities in the school and that the body would soon release result of their findings and make recommendations.
Tanko urged the state government to continue in the positive trajectory it has started.
Giles Omezi, an architect and Team Lead, GSTC Rehabilitation Programme, said phase 1 of the project was designed to be energy efficient as it has the capacity to harvest and use rainwater and operate with alternative off-grid solar energy, among other innovations.
Omezi explained that a production cluster comprising spaces accessible to local tradesmen would soon be operational, which would make the facility a hub for job creation and skills development in the state.
“We have solar panels for solar energy. We are harvesting rainwater as well. This is a test case of how sustainable our public buildings can be. We are going to be doing the same thing in the new phase. The institution will be fully networked with a site-wide fibre optic system, backup power from generators, off-grid renewable energy (solar power), rainwater harvesting and an integrated site-wide potable water system.
“Old capital equipment that have been out of action for decades have been brought back to life; components with operational life in them are being reused and a sensitive attitude to refurbishing the old buildings means that we are utilising less new components and saving money.”
He added that key infrastructure interventions in the project include a dedicated 33KVA line from the Benin North electrical substation which draws power from the NIPP Ihonvbor/Azura Power complex and a 45mbps fibre optic cable serving the college.
Obaseki, who visited the school on an inspection tour said the commercial production hub would serve as a location for design and production of machines so as to create opportunities for students to work with those in the industry and translate what they learn to the real world.
He said: “We have now finished building two new blocks with workshops that will accommodate about 800 students. We now need to move to the old blocks and begin to make them more modern. We are also rebuilding the electrical, mechanical and carpentry workshops. We are introducing plumbing and other trades.
“We need more teachers that can teach technical subjects and we need to train them. We are considering different options as we are talking to foreign partners to provide technical support and assistance on how to bring people who have done this before to accelerate the training of our teachers.
“We are working with several bodies particularly countries in the European Union (EU) as we need their support in executing projects of this nature and to help us deal with human trafficking and curtail irregular migration.”
Some parents who spoke to our reporter said they want to enroll their children in the school because of the transformation and new buildings they saw.
Mr. Isaiah Omorogbe, whose son did not pass the test, said he would reapply next year because jobs demand require skills and not mere paper qualification.
Some teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity, urged the state government to provide adequate security for the school to avoid the installed equipment being stolen.
The teachers recalled how thieves brought crane to steal two German machines in the school after overpowering security guards at the school.
“The school has gotten a new shape and vision. What we need here is security. Last time, we lost two of our machines to robbers who came with crane and tied our security guard,” a teacher said.
