Rejuvenating Technical Education In Nigeria

By Olalekan Olagunju

The word education emanated from two Latin words “Educere” and “Educare” which means “Identify in a child potentials, capabilities, proficiencies or talents, (innate) and lead or draw out and nurture or develop to fruition. That is, transform the child (learner) into “an informed, exposed and rounded person.”

Education has been defined by several scholars from different perspectives. According to James Majasan, “Education is simply the art of learning”. For  Whitehead (1962), “education is the acquisition of the utilization of knowledge”, while Shipman (1971) defines education as “that part of socialization process which is specifically organized to ensure that learning occurs.” In the opinion of James Elliot (1968), “education has been regarded by man as a way of preserving the way of life in which he believes”.

Judging from all these definitions, one thing that is indisputable is that education is a pivot on which human growth depends. In Nigeria, the birth of western education is associated with the coming of European missionaries in the mid-nineteenth century. The first mission school was founded in 1843 by Methodists, but it was the Anglican Church Missionary Society that pushed forward in the early 1850s to found a chain of missions and schools, followed quickly in the late 1850s by the Roman Catholics. By 1914, when north and south were united into one colony, there were fifty-nine government and ninety-one mission primary schools in the south; all eleven secondary schools, except for King’s College in Lagos, were run by the missions. By the time the country marched towards independence, it had gone through a decade of exceptional educational growth leading to a movement for universal primary education in the Western Region.

Presently, the nation’s National Policy on Education can be seen as the National Blue Print on Education. Its theme is based on what education ought to do (perform), how to achieve this in order to facilitate sustainable National Development and what the school should accomplish. It is, however, sad that technical education has not been accorded a prime of place in the country’s education setting. Technical education is the form of education that prepares people for specific trades, crafts and careers at various levels. It  is based on manual or practical activities, related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation. It makes the trainee develop expertise or skill in a particular group of techniques.

In the United Kingdom, United States of America, Asia among others, technological, scientific and academic studies are encouraged in their technical/vocational education system, leading to higher degrees at tertiary levels, as the student/trainee moves up to acquire more skills in his choice of career. This helps to prepare a solid ground on the fundamentals in various courses with adequate technical skill (knowledge) deeply rooted in “Practical Education” in functional workshops/laboratories. Broad-based technical education allows the trainees or students aspire to higher degrees as capability permit.

As the country aspires to become a major player in the world economy, it is evident that a vital instrument needed for attaining such height is skilled manpower development and a competent workforce. This is necessary for the effective implementation of national development projects and for attracting foreign investors. Current studies have shown that universities, polytechnics, technical/vocational colleges, educational institutions have been largely incoherent with industrial and socio-economic needs due to continuous neglect of technical/vocational education of competence and undue emphasis on ‘paper qualification/certification’. This trend has further retarded scientific and technological breakthroughs.

In Lagos, the state government has been working tirelessly to add value to technical education in the state. At a recent exhibition held in Lagos, tagged “Maker Faire Africa”, Lagos State Technical College, Agidingbi, made the nation proud with its display of an inverter locally produced and attested to be of international standard by US-based programme coordinator, Mr. Emeka Okafor. The device came with circuit diagram which lends credence to the creativity and innovative skills of the students. The state government is equally partnering Samsung in developing technical colleges in the state. As a first step, the state technical college at Agidingbi is wearing a new look with physical infrastructure development and provision of equipment.

Technical/Vocational education is expected to provide trained manpower in applied sciences, technology and business mainly at craft, advanced craft and technical levels; provide technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, commercial and economic development; impart required skills to individuals who will be economically self-reliant. It may be applied as Pre-vocational, Vocational, Technical College, College of Education (Technical), Polytechnic and University. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), through its skill acquisition programmes, provided at the Women Development Centre, as well as Vocational Centres across the state, has equally been empowering youths and adults alike to be self-employed and also be employers of labour, rather than seek non existing white collar jobs.

Technical education is vital for the industrial development of any society. It is, therefore, imperative for relevant authorities to do more for the improvement of technical education in the country. To underscore the importance of technical/vocational education, a renowned educationist, Professor Oye-Ibidapo Obe recently advocated that technical colleges should be upgraded to degree awarding institutions. More awareness on the importance of technical and vocational education and training, should be communicated to prospective students, youths and their parents/guardians.

Similarly, educational institutions in the country need to lay greater emphasis on the manpower needs of the country (practical education) in their curriculum planning and development. In the same vein, assessment and evaluation processes in Technical Vocational Education Training institutions should equally place more emphasis on  the practical aspect of their curriculum. Efforts should be made by government at all levels to equip and update workshops and laboratories in our schools and colleges. It is also important for accreditation teams to shun all forms of compromise that could affect standard. For Nigeria to really move ahead in all ramifications, technical education should be given priority attention while apathy towards technical/vocational education should be discarded by parents and their wards.

•Olagunju is of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja