The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has charged the newly inaugurated Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to lead a practical skills revolution that will strengthen Nigeria’s industrialisation, youth employment and global competitiveness.
Alausa gave the charge in Abuja while inaugurating the board, describing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a strategic national priority under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said the government was repositioning the education system away from an overdependence on paper qualifications towards producing competent, innovative and highly skilled graduates capable of driving industrialisation, entrepreneurship and national productivity while stressing that TVET should no longer be regarded as an alternative to university education, noting that industrialisation required a strong pool of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists, machine operators and other skilled professionals.
The minister tasked the board with providing strategic leadership, sound policy direction and effective oversight, while allowing the NBTE Executive Secretary and management to handle the agency’s daily administration.
He also directed the board to accelerate the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders.
According to him, the initiative would enable skilled artisans to have their competencies formally recognised and certified under the National Skills Qualification Framework, improving employability, access to finance and government contracts, as well as labour mobility across the ECOWAS region.
Alausa called for comprehensive curriculum reforms through Outcome Based Education, with programmes aligned with Industry 4.0 and incorporating artificial intelligence, automation, digital technologies, green technologies and advanced manufacturing systems.
He further urged NBTE-regulated institutions to strengthen applied sciences, engineering, technology and innovation, while encouraging polytechnics to phase out non-technical programmes outside their statutory mandate.
Responding, the board’s Chairman, Prof Babatunde L. Salako, pledged support for the government’s TVET reforms and said changing the perception of technical education as a second-choice option would remain a priority.
NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof Idris M. Bugaje, described the inauguration as a landmark, noting that the board was constituted after more than five years without one.