The Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Dr. Chioma Irene Awuzie, has received five academic staff of the institution who recently returned from a TETFund-sponsored “Research for Impact Initiative” training held at Innovate Hub, Abuja.
The two-week programme, which ran from November 17 to 28, 2025, brought together academics, technologists and researchers from science and technology-related disciplines across the country. Facilitated through the efforts of the Rector, the training was designed to deepen participants’ capacity to conduct research with direct societal impact and potential for commercialisation.
Speaking during the visit, a member of the team, Mr. John Ibeh, said the Oko Polytechnic delegation identified a critical gap in the teaching of science subjects between urban and rural schools. He noted that the absence of functional laboratories and the shortage of qualified science teachers in many rural communities continue to hinder students’ performance, especially in practical subjects.
To address this challenge, the Oko Poly team collaborated with their counterparts from Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, to develop a low-cost, portable science laboratory kit named Lab Genius. The kit enables students to carry out physics, chemistry and biology experiments using simplified apparatus supported by QR-code-enabled video tutorials.
The team demonstrated the use of the innovation to the Rector, who expressed delight at the breakthrough and commended the staff for representing the institution creditably. According to them, the kit—if commercialised—has the potential to significantly improve practical science learning outcomes, particularly in underserved rural schools.
The staff thanked Dr. Awuzie for facilitating their participation in the programme, describing the experience as transformational and a boost to their research capacity. They also appreciated TETFund for its continued investment in human capital development.
In her remarks, Dr. Awuzie urged the participants to transfer the knowledge gained to their colleagues and apply it toward advancing research within the Polytechnic. She expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his Renewed Hope agenda, which she said is positively influencing the education sector.
The Rector also acknowledged the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, for extending the opportunity to Federal Polytechnic, Oko, and expressed optimism that the Lab Genius kit will soon be commercialised to improve students’ performance in science subjects nationwide.