FUTA ESTABLISHES SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
FUTA ESTABLISHES SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
The Federal University of Technology Akure FUTA has established two new schools : School of Architecture and School of Science and Technology Education to consolidate on its core function of teaching , research and community services. The unbundling of Department of Architecture from the School of Environmental Technology followed the conclusion and the directive of the National Universities Commissions (NUC) that Nigerian universities should migrate from the former Benchmark for Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) curriculum to the new Core Curriculum for Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in 2023. Architecture as a single discipline in the BMAS was unbundled into six (6) distinct programmes viz: (1) Architecture, (2) Architectural Science Technology, (3) Furniture Design, (4) Interior Architecture Design, (5) Landscape Architecture and (6) Naval Architecture. Hence, the need to establish the School of Architecture in line with the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) directive.
According to the Director of Academic Planning of FUTA Professor Oluwaseyi Awodele “upgrading to a school reflects recognition of the importance and complexity of the discipline. With a school status, there can be greater opportunities and autonomy for research tailored to the specific needs of architectural practice and built environment advancement in Nigeria and beyond.” He said it will also lead to enhancement of collaboration with other disciplines within and beyond the university, leading to more comprehensive and integrated solutions for the built environment.”
The establishment of the School of Science and Technology Education (SSTE) is a strategic imperative for the academic growth of the University, in tandem with the vision of the Vice Chancellor Professor Adenike Oladiji. The new School provides a synergistic and appropriate administrative home for existing and approved education-based programmes which are Education Technology (EDT) Library Information Science (LIS). It will also serve to resolve the NUC’s valid concerns about academic affinity and allowing the Industrial and Technology Education (ITE) programme to be launched.
Secondly, the School is directly aligned with national needs, addressing the critical shortage of qualified STEM teachers and skilled vocational manpower. With the new School FUTA has keyed into the recently launched Technical Teachers Training Programme (ITTP) which supports a fully funded one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme designed to provide needed skills of teachers in courses such as information technology, metalwork, agriculture and other technical and vocational areas bears credence to the relevance of science and especially, technical/vocational education, and the current government’s strategic direction.
