By Adeola Badru, Ibadan
The Technical University (Tech-U), Ibadan, in its desire to produce job creators as graduates has signed a collaborative degree programme agreement with Girne American University (GAU) in Cyprus.
This is part of the university’s goal to internationalize its programmes and produce highly competent graduates who will create job opportunities instead of being job seekers.
With this collaboration, interested undergraduates now have the choice of spending their first three or four years in Tech-U, depending on the course being studied, and thereafter proceed to Cyprus to complete their degree programmes in GAU.
While speaking during the signing of the agreement in Girne, Cyprus, the Chancellor of the Cyprus-based university, Dr. Serhat Akpinar, expressed his delight at the partnership and pledged his unwavering commitment to the success of the programme, adding that it would also involve partnership in research and faculty members’ exchange.
Dr. Akpinar, who described GAU as Cyprus’ top-ranked university, which he said was noted for its demonstrable leadership in science, technology and innovation, disclosed that there was also the “top up” agreement through which students could complete their courses at Tech-U and apply to complete their masters degrees in GAU.
Also speaking on the occasion, the representative of the partner institution and the Director of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, National Universities Commission (NUC), Mrs. Constance Goddy-Nnadi, who also represented the commission’s Executive Secretary, agreed that the agreement would promote capacity-building and quality knowledge acquisition by Nigerian lecturers and students.
In his remarks, Tech-U’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ayobami Salami, said that the partnership was in line with the institution’s vision of producing students who would not only change the diminishing job equation, but also become key players in national and international spaces.
The agreement with GAU is coming a year after Tech-U signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on exchange programmes with Texas Technical University, USA.
The programme was approved and being coordinated by the National Universities Commission
Vanguard