The Joint Committee on Education has tasked Rectors and Provosts of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education to work toward enhancing technical education and skill acquisition to properly drive the Nigerian economy.
The committee said the Legislators in the 10th National Assembly will collaborate with the Rectors and Provosts as well as all other relevant bodies and stakeholders to tackle the problems bedevilling teaching and learning in both Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.
The Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Education, co-chaired by Senator Dandutse Muntari and Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata made this known when the Rectors and Provosts of Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education appeared before it for the 2024 Budget Defence.
According to the committee, the focus of Polytechnic Education is to provide technical and practical-oriented training for industrial, agricultural and commercial development in Nigeria while Colleges of Education are to provide quality and competent teachers to impact the knowledge on learners.
The Executive Secretary, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Idris Bugaje, noted that technical and vocational education is very important to the development of the country but expressed concern that Nigeria has not achieved the desired results due to several challenges.
According to Bugaje, some of the problems include a lack of equipment and facilities for technical and vocational training due to the paucity of funds.
He said there is a framework which has been approved by the Federal Executive Council that will enable OND and HND holders to also get skill acquisition certificates after their programme.
The Chairman, House Committee on Colleges of Education, Abubakar Tanko, expressed concern over the little value attached to Colleges of Education.
He said the number of students in the Colleges of Education on various campuses keeps reducing because NCE holders are not properly paid.
The joint committee resolved to critically look into the challenges of Colleges of Education with the view of ensuring they can run degree programmes.
