The federal government has expressed deep concerns over the shortage of qualified teachers and the dwindling enrollment rates in technical colleges across Nigeria. This situation, officials say, is exacerbating the skills gap in the nation.
During a crucial meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja, Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, addressed principals of Federal Technical Colleges and other key stakeholders, emphasizing the urgent need to tackle these pressing issues.
Prof. Mamman highlighted the neglect of technical education and pledged that his ministry would develop a definitive policy to address these challenges before the new academic session in September 2024.
“Renaming Federal Government Technical Colleges to Federal Science and Technical Colleges was an anomaly,” Mamman stated, hinting at a potential reversion to their original names. He criticized the shift towards science-focused curricula, noting that it deviated from the primary goal of providing specialized hands-on training.
Mamman pointed out that while many students are enrolling in science programs, technical courses are suffering from low enrollment. To combat this, he announced plans to upskill current teachers through extensive training and to bring in additional qualified educators to bolster teaching and learning in technical colleges.
The minister stressed the importance of skill acquisition for Nigerian youth, lamenting the lack of education and skills among young protesters in cities like Kaduna, Sokoto, and Maiduguri. He expressed frustration over the low attractiveness of technical colleges, which were originally intended to be appealing institutions for skill development.
“The technical colleges are supposed to be very attractive institutions for people to want to go to. But the information we have is not the case,” Mamman said.
He questioned the rationale behind integrating science into technical colleges, asserting that those interested in science should attend regular colleges, while technical colleges should focus solely on specialized training.
Mamman revealed that technical colleges are struggling with accreditation, a situation he described as “very embarrassing.” To address this, the ministry has resolved to prioritize technical colleges, discussing plans with development partners and allocating significant portions of their budget to purchase necessary equipment.
Adding to the discourse, Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, announced that the government would conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of technical colleges nationwide. He also revealed plans to train over 200,000 students in various skills, with support from the private sector, positioning well-resourced technical colleges to handle these training programs effectively.