By Adesina Wahab 

The Federal Government has earmarked the sum of N100 billion for the take off of training of artisans and others in the bid to promote technical and vocational education and training, TVET.

This was disclosed by the Registrar of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, while featuring on a session organised by the Education Writers Association of Nigeria, EWAN.

Bugaje explained that the money would be provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund.

He added that about 500,000 people are expected to start the training programmes across the country and that the amount would be for the first year of the exercise.

“TVET is receiving the attention that it has not got in the past. It is an opportunity for youths to acquire skills that can even make them get jobs outside the country and which can bring in foreign exchange. Technical Colleges are about 129 nationwide and we have over 15,000 government secondary schools. It is the technical colleges that are supposed to be feeding our polytechnics with candidates. The anomaly we have had for years is now going to be corrected.

“Apart from getting candidates into our technical colleges for training at the expense of the government and they will also be given monthly stipends, we are starting what we call Master Six. It is a six-month training at over 800 centres across the country which will be supervised by the NBTE. Stipends will also be given to participants. What the government is trying to do is to put an end to the importation of artisans into the country to do jobs that otherwise our people should do,” he stated.

Bugaje added that skills training centres are being set up nationwide and that participants would be made to attend a number of times before being paid monthly stipend. He said over 40 courses would be available for participants to pick from.

On why TVET should be given the needed attention, Bugaje opined that some countries like China are focusing more on it and turning universities to polytechnics because of the advantages therein.

“Recently, over 600 universities were converted to polytechnics in China. We need more technical colleges than universities. It is a pyramid, but in Nigeria, we have turned it upside down,” he noted.

The National President, Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, in his contribution, called for continuity and proper monitoring of the programme and participants.  

He said many laudable programmes of the government don’t last because of lack of continuity and proper monitoring.