Key points
- Federal Government inaugurates NBTE Governing Board to drive reforms in technical and vocational education.
- Government directs the board to modernise curricula, implement skills certification and strengthen industry-focused training.
- New board pledges to improve public perception of technical education and support youth employment.
Main story
The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), charging members to accelerate reforms aimed at strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across the country.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the charge on Thursday during the board’s inauguration in Abuja.
Alausa said the inauguration aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places education and human capital development at the centre of Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He said the government was repositioning the education sector to prioritise practical skills over paper qualifications in order to produce graduates capable of driving industrialisation, entrepreneurship and national productivity.
The minister described the board members’ appointments as recognition of their professionalism, integrity and commitment to national service, expressing confidence in their ability to strengthen NBTE’s regulatory mandate.
According to him, technical and vocational education has become a national priority because meaningful industrialisation depends on the availability of skilled technicians, technologists, artisans and other technical professionals.
Alausa said the Federal Government would continue investing in TVET to bridge the gap between education and industry while equipping learners with employable and entrepreneurial skills.
He outlined four priority areas for the board, including providing strategic leadership and oversight while allowing the NBTE management to handle day-to-day administration.
The minister also directed the board to accelerate implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders to formally certify the competencies of skilled artisans under the National Skills Qualification Framework.
He said the initiative would improve employability, expand access to finance, increase opportunities for government contracts and enhance labour mobility across the ECOWAS region.
Alausa further called for the modernisation of technical education curricula through Outcome-Based Education to incorporate digital technologies, artificial intelligence, automation, green technologies and advanced manufacturing systems.
He also urged institutions under NBTE’s regulatory oversight to strengthen programmes in engineering, applied sciences, technology and innovation while gradually phasing out non-technical programmes outside the statutory mandate of polytechnics.
The minister stressed the need for transparency and accountability in the management of public resources to ensure investments translate into improved skills acquisition, institutional performance, youth employment and national productivity.
Responding on behalf of the board, Chairman Prof. Babatunde Salako pledged the members’ commitment to supporting the government’s reforms and expanding opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire technical skills and become entrepreneurs.
He identified changing the perception of technical education as a second-choice option as one of the board’s priorities, saying sustained public awareness would encourage greater acceptance of TVET.
Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, described the inauguration as a landmark development, noting that the board was being constituted after more than five years without one.
The issues
Nigeria is strengthening technical and vocational education to address skills shortages, improve youth employment and align workforce development with the needs of industry, manufacturing and emerging technologies.
What’s being said
Alausa said technical education is central to Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda and called on the board to fast-track reforms that improve skills development, curriculum relevance and institutional performance.
Salako said the board would support efforts to reposition TVET as a respected pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development.
What’s next
The NBTE board is expected to implement reforms focused on skills certification, curriculum modernisation, stronger industry collaboration and improved governance of technical institutions.
Bottom line
The Federal Government is seeking to transform technical education into a key driver of industrial growth by strengthening skills development, modernising training programmes and improving the quality of vocational education.
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