The National Association of Polytechnic Students has called on the Federal Government and key education intervention agencies to deploy Artificial Intelligence powered classrooms across polytechnics and colleges of technology in Nigeria, warning that the country's technical education system risks falling behind global standards.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, NAPS President Eshiofune Paul Oghayan said many polytechnics continue to rely on outdated teaching methods, conventional chalkboards and limited practical learning facilities, even as the world shifts rapidly toward automation, robotics and smart technologies.

The association specifically urged the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, the National Board for Technical Education and the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria to incorporate the EDON Digital Classroom Initiative into future intervention programmes. Oghayan described EDON as an indigenous educational technology solution featuring 98 inch interactive boards, embedded AI teaching tools, 3D animation simulation software and smart classroom analytics systems.

"The global economy is rapidly moving toward Artificial Intelligence, automation, robotics, digital manufacturing, smart engineering systems, virtual simulations, and Industry 4.0 technologies. Polytechnic education must therefore evolve to remain relevant," he stated.

Oghayan disclosed that NAPS representatives had visited colleges of education where the digital classroom solution had been deployed and observed improvements in classroom engagement and lecturer productivity. He argued that TETFund intervention remained the most sustainable pathway for nationwide implementation, given that many institutions lacked the financial capacity to undertake large scale digital transformation independently.

He added that adopting the initiative under TETFund programmes would guarantee equal access to smart learning infrastructure for students across all regions of the country.

The NAPS president also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to back the initiative as part of digital transformation efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that AI powered learning systems would strengthen students' virtual simulation capabilities, technical skills, digital literacy and entrepreneurial capacity.

The association called for immediate policy action and stakeholder collaboration to modernise polytechnic education and position Nigerian graduates to meet the demands of the future global economy.