By JUMOKE OLAITAN

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), charging members to drive reforms aimed at strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the charge on Thursday during the inauguration of the Board in Abuja.

Alausa said the inauguration was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises education and human capital development as key drivers of economic transformation.

He said the government was repositioning the education sector to focus on practical skills rather than paper qualifications.

According to him, the goal is to produce competent and innovative graduates capable of supporting industrialisation, entrepreneurship and national productivity.

The minister described the appointment of the board members as a recognition of their professionalism, integrity and commitment to national service.

He expressed confidence that they would provide the strategic leadership required to strengthen NBTE’s regulatory mandate and deepen reforms in technical education.

Alausa said TVET had become a strategic national priority, noting that no country could achieve meaningful industrialisation without skilled technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, machine operators and other professionals.

He said the federal government had continued to invest in the sector to bridge the gap between education and industry while equipping learners with lifelong skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

The minister outlined four priority areas for the board, including providing strategic leadership and effective oversight while allowing the NBTE management to handle day-to-day administration.

He also directed the board to accelerate the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders.

According to him, the framework will formally recognise and certify the competencies of skilled artisans under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).

He said this would improve employability, expand access to finance, increase opportunities for government contracts and enhance labour mobility across the ECOWAS region.

Alausa also called for the modernisation of curricula through Outcome-Based Education to reflect the demands of Industry 4.0.

He said programmes should integrate digital technologies, artificial intelligence, automation, green technologies and advanced manufacturing systems.

The minister further urged institutions under NBTE’s regulatory oversight to strengthen programmes in applied sciences, engineering, technology and innovation while gradually phasing out non-technical programmes outside the statutory mandate of polytechnics.

He also charged the board to uphold transparency and accountability in the management of public resources to ensure investments translated into improved skills acquisition, institutional performance, youth employment and national productivity.

Responding on behalf of the board, its Chairman, Prof. Babatunde Salako, thanked President Tinubu and the Minister of Education for the confidence reposed in the members.

Salako pledged the board’s commitment to supporting the federal government’s reforms aimed at expanding opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire relevant technical skills and become entrepreneurs and job creators.

He identified changing the public perception of technical education as a second-choice option as one of the board’s key responsibilities.

According to him, sustained public enlightenment is needed to encourage parents and students to embrace TVET as a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, described the inauguration as a landmark achievement, noting that the board was being inaugurated after more than five years without one.

Bugaje expressed appreciation to the minister and assured him of the board’s commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the federal government’s TVET transformation agenda. (NAN)

Update news