…Inaugurates NBTE Board
The Federal Government has called on polytechnics to gradually phase out non-technical programmes that fall outside their statutory mandate.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who made the call on Thursday in Abuja while inaugurating the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), also urged institutions under the NBTE’s regulatory oversight to strengthen their focus on applied sciences, engineering, technology and innovation.
The Minister stressed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training is no longer an alternative pathway to university education but a strategic national priority.
He noted that no nation can achieve meaningful industrialisation without a strong base of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists, machine operators and other skilled professionals.
According to him, the Federal Government has therefore prioritised the sector through sustained investments and reforms aimed at bridging the long-standing gap between education and industry while equipping learners in technical colleges, polytechnics, colleges of education and universities with practical, lifelong skills for employment, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness.
He described the inauguration as another significant milestone in the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places education and human capital development at the heart of Nigeria’s economic transformation.
Alausa said the administration is deliberately shifting the nation’s education system from an overdependence on paper qualifications to producing competent, innovative and highly skilled graduates equipped to drive industrialisation, entrepreneurship and national productivity.
Congratulating the Chairman and members of the Board on their appointments, the minister described their selection as a recognition of their professionalism, integrity and commitment to national service.
He expressed confidence that the calibre of individuals appointed would provide the strategic leadership required to strengthen NBTE’s mandate, deepen reforms across the technical education sector and accelerate the Federal Government’s vision of building a globally competitive workforce capable of supporting industrial growth, innovation and sustainable economic development.
Alausa outlined four key priorities for the newly inaugurated Governing Board and charged members to provide strategic leadership, sound policy direction and effective oversight while maintaining a clear distinction between governance and management by allowing the Executive Secretary and Management Team to handle the day-to-day administration of the Board.
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 to formally recognise and certify the competencies of skilled artisans across the country under the National Skills Qualification Framework.
He explained that the initiative would enhance employability, expand access to finance, create opportunities for government contracts and strengthen labour mobility within the ECOWAS region.
On curriculum reform, the Minister called for comprehensive modernisation through Outcome Based Education, with programmes reflecting the realities of Industry 4.0 by integrating digital technologies, automation, artificial intelligence, green technologies, advanced manufacturing systems and other emerging competencies.
The Minister further underscored the importance of fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability, directing the Board to ensure that public resources, capital projects, intervention funds, research initiatives and institutional investments translate into measurable improvements in skills acquisition, institutional performance, youth employment and national productivity.
Responding on behalf of the Governing Board, its Chairman, Prof. Babatunde L. Salako, identified changing the long-held perception of technical education as a second-choice option as one of the Board’s foremost responsibilities.
He stressed the need for sustained public enlightenment to encourage parents, students and the wider society to embrace TVET as a respected pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development, assuring the Minister that the Board would justify the confidence reposed in it through dedicated service, effective governance and measurable results.
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Executive Secretary of NBTE and Secretary to the Governing Board, Prof. Idris M. Bugaje, assured the Minister of the Board’s commitment to maintaining a productive working relationship with the Federal Ministry of Education and supporting the successful implementation of the administration’s TVET transformation agenda.
