Jane Salihu
The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education with a charge to drive reforms that will produce globally competitive skilled manpower.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who inaugurated the board in Abuja on Thursday, said the move was part of efforts to actualise President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises education and human capital development.
He urged members to discharge their duties with integrity, vision and dedication, adding that the government was determined to reposition TVET as a catalyst for industrialisation, innovation and job creation.
Alausa said the administration was shifting the nation’s education system from over-reliance on paper qualifications to practical skills capable of supporting industrialisation, entrepreneurship and productivity.
He congratulated the Chairman and members of the board, noting that their appointments were based on competence, integrity and commitment to national service.
According to him, Technical and Vocational Education and Training is now a strategic national priority and not an alternative to university education.
“No country can industrialise without a strong workforce of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators and automation specialists,” the minister said.
Alausa charged the board to provide strategic leadership and effective oversight, while allowing the management of the NBTE to handle day-to-day operations.
He directed the board to fast-track the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning framework in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders to formally certify artisans under the National Skills Qualification Framework.
He said the initiative would improve employability, expand access to finance and government contracts, and enhance labour mobility within the ECOWAS sub-region.
The minister also called for the adoption of outcome-based curricula that align with Industry 4.0, integrating Artificial Intelligence, automation, digital technologies, green innovations and advanced manufacturing into technical education programmes.
He further urged institutions under the NBTE to strengthen programmes in engineering, technology and applied sciences and gradually phase out non-technical courses outside their statutory mandate.
Alausa tasked the board members to uphold transparency, accountability and prudent management of resources to ensure that government investments translate to improved skills acquisition, institutional performance, youth employment and national productivity.
In his response, the Chairman of the board, Prof. Babatunde Salako, thanked President Tinubu and the minister for the confidence reposed in them.
Salako said the inauguration marked a new phase for technical education in Nigeria and pledged the board’s commitment to the Federal Government’s reform agenda.
He said the board would work to change the perception of technical education as a second-choice option and encourage parents, students and the public to embrace it as a pathway to employment and national development.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, described the inauguration as a landmark, noting that the board was being inaugurated after over five years.
Bugaje commended the minister for his leadership and assured him of the board’s readiness to work with the ministry to strengthen technical education in the country.
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