The World Bank is set to spend $3 million on three government technical colleges in Ekiti State under the Bank’s Innovation and Development Effectiveness for Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) programme.

This was disclosed during a meeting of the World Bank Team with Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.

According to Dr Tunde Adekola, the Bank’s Senior Education Specialist, the IDEAS programme would focus on technical and vocational education skills and would be private sector-driven.

Adekola, who stated that the programme aims at skills acquisition for youth employability and empowerment added that IDEAS would provide training and certification for middle level manpower that would see Technical Colleges return to their original purpose of establishment.

According to a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Yinka Oyebode, the World Bank Team members were confident that the programme would be a great success in Ekiti State because of the full accreditation of the state owned technical colleges.

Adekola said the World Bank was happy that the five-year programme aligns with the Knowledge based Economy being pushed by the Fayemi-led administration.

Governor Fayemi, in his remarks, expressed optimism that the programme will address the deterioration of craftsmanship; stressing that government must make technical and vocational education a desire.

Fayemi faulted the belief in some quarters that technical education is meant for drop-outs, said there is need for “psychological reorientation” so that “people would know that not going to the university does not mean you are a failure”.

The governor who restated his readiness to improve youth empowerment in the state, said his administration would provide necessary support for the immediate take off of the IDEAS programme in the three benefiting technical colleges in the State.

IDEAS is World Bank’s SEPIP successor programme. SEPIP was started in Ekiti State in November 2013 under Governor Fayemi and the programme had seen to the establishment of various education related projects, including the ongoing rehabilitation of the Government Technical College, Ado Ekiti.

•Sourced from a Daily Independent report