Prof. Clement Kolawole, Acting Vice-Chancellor, Trinity University, Yaba, says the institution is researching ways to further bridge the gap in entrepreneurship skills among students.
Kolawole said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said that the institution, established in 2019, had identified a gap in the area of entrepreneurship, noting that there was a bridge between what the students learned in the university and the skills demanded in the labour market.
“Here at our university, we believe that once you have a degree, you should be able to do something else along with the certificate. That is part of our research activities.
“This is because we have researched it and found out that such a need must be met, and so we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we prepare our students for that.
And in that regard, we are establishing a very strong entrepreneurship centre where our students can have hands-on experience to add to the knowledge they have acquired at the university,” he said.
According to him, the institution has also identified relevant researchable issues in Lagos to embark on in areas such as water, population, transportation, and environment.
“As a new university, we are still growing.
“Nevertheless, we have identified relevant researchable issues currently. For example, in Lagos, we talk about the problems of water, population, and transportation. These are real issues that are related to water and the environment.
“In our biotechnology discipline, our colleagues are currently embarking on some research activities, some in collaboration with universities in Nigeria, others with universities outside the country, and some with existing universities.
“Also, in the area of international relations, we have established a relationship with a German university to take the Nigeria-German relationship to a higher level.
“This will enable us to bring them here once a year to speak to us on the new phase of that relationship and the challenges that are involved, which is a research potential area for us,” Kolawole said.
He noted that recently, vice chancellors of universities in Lagos met at the University of Lagos to rub minds and see how to foster work relationships in the area of research.
He added that the group eventually formed a body that would work toward identifying a common research interest in the state and then pull resources together to that effect.
“The committee has been set up, of which Trinity University is a member.
“Still on research, we are also brainstorming on what we can do with science at the elementary and tertiary school level.
“There is a committee that is working to see how that can transcend to research that can be funded so that we can go on with that in partnership with the Lagos State Government.
“All of us as individuals are also focusing on what we can do to advance our scholarship,” Kolawole said.
Still on the research activities of the institution, Kolawole disclosed that there was an ongoing research programme for TETFund on ‘Nigeria’s contributions to the SDG, of which he is a member.
He stated that such a research project could not be carried out because the institution is a private university, but he appealed to the government to amend the law so that private universities could also benefit from TETFUND.
According to him, TETFUND should be of benefit to everybody globally, so if the law can be amended and private universities also benefit from it, many research projects can be funded, thereby using it to advance national development. (NAN)
