Reps, NBTE lament low access to technical, vocational education in Nigeria
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education and the National Board for Technical Education NBTE have lamented low enrolment and little commitment to improve access to technical and vocational educational in the country.
Speaker of the House Rt.Hon.Tajudeen Abbas and the Executive Secretary of National Board for Technical Education NBTE Prof Usman Bugaje made this a public outcry at the one-day public hearing organised by the House Committee on Thursday in Abuja.
This happened as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ASUP has lamented that inadequate funding is adversely affecting access of citizens to technical and vocational education in the country.
Abbas spoke in a remark at the opening of the public hearing on two bills passed and referred to the House Committee for further legislative actions by the House at plenary.
Represented by the Chairman of House Committee on NELFUND Hon.Ifeoluwa Ehindero the speaker said that there is a growing need for education reform towards bridging the skills gap in technical and vocational education in Nigeria.
He said that the establishment of Polytechnics, technical and vocational federal government institutions would not only help in tackling youth restiveness but also help to reduce unemployment.
He said the public hearing is aimed at getting the input of relevant stakeholders in the education sector to make laws that engender national development and good governance in Nigeria.
Also speaking in the same vein the Executive Secretary NBTE Prof Hassan Bugaje said that what we need to reduce youth restovenes in the country is technical and vocational education.
He added that the establishment of these federal government institutions in Adikpo and Illela is key to unlocking the potentials in the youths in these areas.
At the hearing, the National President Academic Staff of Polytechnics Mr Shama Esemanja said that the dichotomy in the public service between holders of Higher National Diploma and degree is affecting technical education adversely in the country.
He also said that inadequate funding of Polytechnics and higher education is affecting the morale of staff and called for standardization in administration of all higher educational institutions.
The bills are ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Polytechnics Act LFN 2024 to Establish the Federal Polytechnics Adikpo Benue State to provide full and part-time courses and instructions in various fields of study and for Related Matters and A Bill for an Act to Establish the National College for Entrepreneural and Vocational Studies Illela Sokoto State to provide full time courses in teaching, instructions and training in technology, applied sciences, social science, arts, humanities and management’.
