₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government says it is converting Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTC) to full-fledged Federal Technical Colleges (FTC) to overhaul technical education in the country.

The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Bugaje said the reform was part of a broader strategy to reposition Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector as a viable and attractive pathway for youth employment and economic development.

According to him, the transition will begin in September, marking the start of a new admission cycle that will exclude science-based enrolments.
He added that students already in the system would be allowed to complete their studies, but going forward, all new admissions would be strictly for technical education.

“That is a very smart, timely intervention. Before, there used to be federal technical colleges; somebody came in and smuggled science into them.

”So, when students register, they prefer to enroll into the sciences, and the technical aspects are ignored.

“This measure is taking effect immediately, this coming September when all admissions will be for technical education,” he said

Bugaje said the President had approved provision of infrastructure, more equipment, more facilities to make technical education attractive.

According to him, most polytechnics admit students from general secondary schools due to the limited number of technical colleges.

He said there were only 129 technical colleges nationwide compared to over 15,000 conventional secondary schools.

“That is going to change. We expect state governments to follow suit by converting some conventional secondary schools into technical colleges.

” Technical colleges are the proper feeder institutions for polytechnics,” he said.
Beyond secondary education, Bugaje explained that the government was also reviewing the status of higher institutions.

Citing China’s 2017 conversion of over 600 universities into polytechnics and skills training centres, Bugaje proposed a similar approach to address the imbalance in the education system.

“There’s a troubling trend of polytechnics being converted into universities, which is repressive to the growth of technical education.

“However, if they must be converted, let them remain within the TVET family—as TVET universities.

“The Minister has agreed to this, and with this policy shift, Nigeria is aiming for a renaissance in technical education that aligned with global best practices,” he said.

Bugaje added that the policy shift would prepare the youth for employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation in a fast-evolving economy.

TimeManager:
Mr President is keen on reviving technical colleges nationwide. He recently approved N45,000 monthly stipend for all technical students across the country. He has subsequently approved the renovation of the schools and installation of standard equipments across board. God bless Nigeria.


-Kiss the truth!

Saao:
is not Mr. President, the E.S of NBTE he's an innovative guy. Their are other innovations he brought in before Tinubu came and I'm a beneficiary of it.

GboyegaD:
These guys are clowns. They take decisions without thinking through it. One person just have a thought and next thing is implementing it whether meaningful or otherwise.

Saao:
is not Mr. President, the E.S of NBTE he's an innovative guy. Their are other innovations he brought in before Tinubu came and I'm a beneficiary of it.

TUANKU:
It is very meaningful. Technical colleges are highly regarded in countries like Germany and Japan and it is for good reason. No be everything una go criticize.

TimeManager:
Okay, I have heard you, he approved the Government policies by himself without the President approval. And which innovation in technical colleges are you talking about prior to this administration, care to let us know?


-Kiss the truth!

mrvitalis:
The fundamental issue with APC is complex
For get the tribalism and forget the corruption

APC in its fundamental selfs are poor thinkers

1) they don't understand fundamentally how development works

Don't get me wrong, but what industries are you targeting with this?

Purchasing power is dropping , unemployment is raising but you re focused on creating more work force?

Saao:
is not Mr. President, the E.S of NBTE he's an innovative guy. Their are other innovations he brought in before Tinubu came and I'm a beneficiary of it.

TimeManager:
https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/national/why-fg-is-converting-science-schools-to-technical-colleges-bugaje/

GboyegaD:
These guys are clowns. They take decisions without thinking through it. One person just have a thought and next thing is implementing it whether meaningful or otherwise.

Saao:
is not Mr. President, the E.S of NBTE he's an innovative guy. Their are other innovations he brought in before Tinubu came and I'm a beneficiary of it.