28th March, 2012
The Federal Government says it would provide vocational education through skill acquisition and developmental programmes as part of the transformation agenda for the country.
This was why the government recently approved 86 Innovation and Vocational Enterprising Institutions to award National Innovative Diploma (NID) and National Vocational Diploma (NVD).
The Minister of Education, Professor Rukayat Ahmed Rufai, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Masaud Kazaure, disclosed this at a three-day workshop on “flexible skill development in Nigeria” held in some federal polytechnics and technical colleges recently.
According to the minister, the vocational institutions approved by the government are more than the conventional polytechnics in the country which are just 75 in number. She added that the approval is in compliance with the present administration’s quest to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in the country and as well re-engineer the education sector.
Prof. Rukayat revealed that the technical education syllabus has been reviewed by the Federal Government in collaboration with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with the mindset that those who cannot acquire knowledge formally can have access to vocational training.
Meanwhile, an education expert, Mrs. Alison Richardson has said that the programmes would put an end to youth restiveness by allowing them acquire skills that would make them instruments of positive change in the nation.
“This self-acquired skill would help the youth engage in things that will make them self-employed rather than relying solely on white collar jobs,” she stated.