The proposed transfer of machine section raises questions over the future of one of the Polytechnic’s oldest academic departments
Something appears to be brewing at Kano State Polytechnic that deserves the immediate attention of the Kano State Government, institution’s management, governing authorities and all stakeholders who care about the future of technical education.
There are growing concerns over an alleged plan to restructure the Department of Printing Technology by removing its machine section and placing the facilities under a proposed Kano State Polytechnic Printing Press.
If the reports are accurate, the question that must be asked is straightforward: What exactly is the objective of such a move?
More importantly, can a Printing Technology department be expected to effectively train students after losing control of the very machines on which their practical education depends?
These are not questions that should be dismissed as opposition to change. They are fundamental questions about academic responsibility, practical training and the future of one of Kano State Polytechnic’s oldest specialised programmes.
For sure the Department cannot exist on theory alone because Printing Technology is a practical discipline.
A student can spend hours in a classroom learning about offset printing, digital printing, production processes, imposition, finishing and other aspects of the profession.
But theoretical knowledge alone cannot produce a competent printing technologist.
Students must operate machines. They must understand production processes firsthand.
They must make mistakes, correct them and develop the confidence and technical competence required in the workplace.
That is precisely why the machine section is so important to the Department of Printing Technology.
It is not simply another administrative unit that can be moved from one place to another without considering the academic consequences.
If the department is separated from its practical facilities, management must explain clearly how students will receive the hands-on training required by their programme.
Why move the machines and place them under a separate manager when we already have a Head of Department who has been responsible for their care and management for years? This is perhaps the biggest question surrounding the reported proposal.
If the intention is to establish a commercially oriented printing press for Kano State Polytechnic, that objective can be understood.
A properly managed Polytechnic Printing Press could generate revenue, provide services to the public and private sectors, offer students additional industrial exposure and strengthen the institution financially.
But establishing a commercial press does not necessarily require taking away the practical facilities of an academic department.
There must be a clear distinction between a commercial printing operation and an academic training facility.
The two can work together. Indeed, they should work together.
The proposed printing press could provide students with additional exposure to real-world production, while the Department of Printing Technology retains adequate access to machines for teaching, demonstrations, experiments and practical examinations.
That would be a win-win situation. But transferring the department’s machines without adequate safeguards could produce the opposite result.
Who Will Control the Machines?
This is where the proposal becomes even more troubling.
If the machines are moved under the proposed Printing Press, who will control access to them?
Will lecturers and students have unrestricted access whenever practical classes are scheduled?
What happens when the commercial demands of the printing press conflict with the academic timetable?
Who will determine which machine takes priority, the paying customer or the student?
Will lecturers have to seek permission before using machines that were originally provided for the training of students in the department?
These questions may sound administrative, but they have direct academic consequences.
A printing machine that is unavailable when students need it is, for all practical purposes, unavailable as a teaching facility.
Investigation by this platform indicates that a committee has reportedly been constituted to work on the proposed arrangement.
The development has generated concern among people familiar with the department and its operations.
What appears to be causing particular unease is the reported absence of sufficiently broad consultation before contemplating a decision that could fundamentally affect the department.
Whether the proposal eventually proceeds or not, such a major restructuring deserves consultation with those who understand the academic and technical implications.
That should include lecturers in the department, students, alumni, professional bodies and other relevant stakeholders.
This is not a matter that should be decided behind closed doors. Do Not Confuse Commercialisation with Academic Development
There is nothing wrong with Kano State Polytechnic seeking innovative ways to generate revenue.
In fact, tertiary institutions across the country increasingly need to explore sustainable sources of internally generated revenue.
But commercialisation must not come at the expense of academic standards.
A Polytechnic Printing Press can be profitable while the Department of Printing Technology remains strong.
The Polytechnic can have a commercially successful press and still maintain modern machines specifically dedicated to teaching and practical training.
It can also create a structured arrangement under which students gain practical experience in the commercial press without compromising their academic programme.
Simply moving machines from an academic department to a commercial unit without adequately protecting students’ access to practical training would raise a completely different question.
Don’t Kill What Should Be Modernised
The Department of Printing Technology should not be treated as a relic of the past.
If anything, it should be one of the departments receiving serious investment.
The printing industry has changed dramatically.
Digital printing, packaging, labels, publishing, security printing, large-format production, commercial graphics and modern finishing technologies have created new areas of opportunity.
Kano State Polytechnic should therefore be asking: How can we make the Department of Printing Technology one of the best-equipped printing technology programmes in Nigeria?
It would be unfortunate if a decision intended to improve the institution eventually weakened one of its oldest specialised departments.
Kano State Polytechnic has a responsibility not only to administer its departments but also to protect the academic integrity of its programmes.
The Department of Printing Technology has trained generations of professionals who have contributed to printing, publishing and related industries.
Its history should not be allowed to become an excuse for stagnation but neither should modernisation become an excuse for dismantling its practical foundation.
Let the Department of Printing Technology retain the facilities and institutional support necessary to train competent technologists.
Management should open the process to consultation, listen to stakeholders and ensure that whatever structure eventually emerges strengthens both the Polytechnic Printing Press and the Department of Printing Technology
Yes Kano Poly needs a modern Printing Technology Department and a viable Printing Press but not one at the expense of the other.
