New Telegraph

FG decries public apathy to TVET

The Federal Government has raised concerns over lack of interest in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by parents and students in the country.

 

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, disclosed this at the National Conference on TVET, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the programme Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Development and implemented by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).

 

The theme is “Repositioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through Policy and Legislative Options for National Development.”

 

Adamu, who was represented by former Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Masa’udu Kazaure, also lamented that secondary schools in the country lacked competent teachers needed for the effective handling of 37 trade subjects currently offered as compulsory subjects at the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) level.

 

But, the Minister expressed the Federal Government’s determination that it would continue to bridge skill gaps and create employment via technical education.

 

He said: “Presently, most of our schools lack competent teachers and instructional materials for effective handling of the 37 Trade subjects, which are already being offered as compulsory subjects at Senior School Certificate Examinations since 2013. “Worst still, the entrepreneurship education courses being offered in many tertiary institutions could not energise the students’ entrepreneurial spirit and mindset for self-employment.

 

“Also, some of the challenges we have had to deal with include public apathy towards TVET leading to low enrolment in the technical schools, inability to review curricula within the five years’ time frame, lack of tools and equipment or obsolete equipment in our colleges, dearth of academic staff with cognate industry experience relevant for the training of students to meet the needs of employers.

 

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Sonny Echono, who noted that millions of graduates in the country were unemployed and have remained unemployable because they do not have the specific skills required for the job market, said that there was no doubt that the country is faced with an epic gap between the skilled manpower required and that which is currently available.

 

Echono, who was also represented by the Director Human Resources in the ministry, David Gende, said the shortfall of an adequately skilled educated workforce was one of the major constraints to the nation’s growth and development.

 

“Most of the graduates produced in various universities of technology, polytechnics, colleges of education (Technical) and technical colleges nationwide do not have specific skills required for the job market (market relevant skills).

 

The situation results in millions of Nigerian graduates that are unemployed,” he added.

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