In a bid to reshape the landscape of vocational education in Nigeria, the federal government has unveiled an ambitious plan to provide a monthly stipend of N45,000 to students enrolled in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. This move is part of a broader initiative aimed at revitalizing technical education and increasing student participation at the sub-tertiary level.
Idris Bugaje, the executive secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), shed light on this groundbreaking development during an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja. He highlighted how this financial support scheme is designed to incentivize young people to pursue technical education, acquire valuable skills, secure employment opportunities locally and internationally. Bugaje expressed optimism about the transformative impact of this initiative on the entire technical education sector.
“With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualifications, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria. This way, the whole sector is being repositioned. We are at the moment facing what you may call either a resurrection or a rebirth of TVET,”
said Bugaje.
The National Board for Technical Education has been advocating for a significant increase in skills acquisition within school curricula, aiming for it to constitute 50% of educational content. This shift reflects a strategic effort to align educational offerings with industry demands and enhance workforce readiness among Nigerian youth.
Bugaje underscored that beyond providing financial assistance through the N45,000 monthly stipend, additional support measures are being put in place to promote technical education as a viable career path compared to traditional university degrees. He lamented the historical neglect suffered by the technical education sector over past decades despite its prominence during colonial and early post-independence eras.
“During colonial days and in our early independence period, TVET received attention. But since the 1980s, we have been going down the drain. That is why we now have only 129 technical colleges compared to 15,000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria,”
Bugaje remarked.
The comprehensive support package for TVET students includes covering tuition fees, compensating industry-based supervisors known as “master class
” instructors during industrial attachments, funding skill certification expenses for students along with a substantial N120 billion grant allocated specifically for TVET programs. President Tinubu-led administration’s approval of this grant signifies a pivotal commitment towards advancing technical education across Nigeria.
Bugaje clarified that unlike loans requiring repayment obligations, the N45,000 monthly stipend functions as a non-repayable grant intended to attract more individuals towards pursuing technical education pathways without financial constraints hindering their decisions.
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We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education,
” he emphasized.
To ensure long-term sustainability and continuous improvement within the sector, efforts are underway under Ministerial leadership towards enacting legislative measures establishing a National Skills Fund under a new Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). This strategic framework aims at standardizing skills qualifications while bolstering financial support mechanisms through initiatives like the National Skills Fund tailored for both public and private TVET institutions nationwide.
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The bill shall soon be presented in the National Assembly to establish…”Bugaje explained regarding legislative steps taken towards formalizing these critical frameworks essential for enhancing professional development avenues within vocational sectors.
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