The Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, has observed its 36th matriculation ceremony. About 459 students took the school’s oaths to commence their academic and technical/research activities in the surveying/geoinformatics programme and other courses in the institution for the 2024/25 academic session. The matriculation was held recently.
While welcoming the new intake on board of the school, the rector of the institution, Dr Olayinka-Dosumu, assured them of technical skill-based surveying and geoinformatics education empowerment, which is highly in demand in the labour market, saying that the profession would also make them self-employed in the economy.
She congratulated them for choosing the right profession and admonished them to solemnly affirm, on oath, their loyalty to the institution as worthy ambassadors, urging them to abide by the school’s rules and regulations.
Dr Olayinka-Dosumu corrected the wrong notion of the general public, classifying the school as a monotechnic institution.
According to her, the school, founded in 1918, now runs and graduates students in Cartography, GIS, Photogrammetry and remote sensing, and Computer Science at the National Diploma and higher national diploma levels.
She added that all programmes are fully accredited by the National Board for Technical Education and that more programmes are still being added.
Speaking further, she declared that the school management is working tirelessly to elevate the school’s status to that of a degree-awarding institution.
Dr Olayinka-Dosumu, an associate professor, commended Senator Dr Yinus Abiodun Akintunde for his unwavering efforts in sponsoring the bill to upgrade the school at the upper chamber.
According to her, the bill is now on the verge of the second reading, and she expressed optimism about Mr. President’s assent as soon as the bill is passed by the National Assembly.
The rector expressed appreciation to Oyo town community leaders/elders and other well-wishers of the school for their support in elevating the school to a degree-awarding institution, which will be known as the Federal University of Geoinformatics after the passage of the bill and the President’s approval.
“Meanwhile, the Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, is undergoing a series of upgrading and updating processes of its teaching and research, infrastructure, and human capital development, overhauling the system to meet the standard of a degree-awarding institution.
“Many of our lecturers are acquiring their doctoral degrees in preparation for the proposed Federal University of Geoinformatics.
She declared that the ongoing development has reached an advanced stage to qualify for university status.
She asserts that the school management strives to set it apart from its competitors. She noted that the school library is being stockpiled with upgraded versions of needed materials and is fully virtual. She added that the school is endowed with teaching and research facilities under conducive learning that a standard university should have, saying that Artificial Intelligence has been injected into the school curriculum.
While she appealed to the Federal Government to extend the TETFUND facility to the school, she declared that the school is blessed with a formidable Governing Council Board drawn from various ministries in the country, including the Armed Forces, which will drive the institution towards achieving its goals and objectives.
Speaking in this vein, the guest lecturer for the occasion, Dr J.E.T Babalola from Ajayi Crowther University, while he enjoined the new intake to be committed and focused, asserted that the Federal School of Surveying is due for elevation in view of its relevance to nation-building in the areas of bioinformatics and GIS.
According to him, many of Nigeria’s modern developments could not have been achieved if the Federal School of Surveying had not been selected to play a pivotal role in the development process.
