The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Masa’udu Kazaure, has promised to support Kogi state government in the development of technical and vocational education in the state.
Kazaure gave the assurance Tuesday in Kaduna during a meeting with Kogi state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya,
and her team.
Represented on the occasion by the NBTE Director for Special Duties, Mr Suleiman Gwarzo, Kazaure said that the Board had discussed with Kogi state government on issues affecting technical education at all levels, including the accreditation of state’s technical colleges.
He added that technical colleges in Kogi state were accredited in 2002, but expired in 2007 and have not been on the NBTE database for the past eleven years, even as he promised to give the necessary support for the development of technical and vocational education in the state.
Earlier in her remarks, Osikoya said that the Kogi state government had approved the establishment of 17 additional technical colleges to increase access to technical and vocational education across all the 21 local government areas and appealed to the Board for assistance in promoting technical and vocational education among youths “for self-reliance”.
She said the ministry’s team visited NBTE on the directive of Gov. Yahaya Bello, to seek its support on how to make the technical colleges functional and effective in building skills and manpower in the state.
“The creation of these technical colleges is to reduce the number of youth illiteracy in Kogi and also encourage students to acquire technical skills. The government sees this as a strategy to promote technical education among youths such that students could acquire technical skills for self-reliance within a school environment,” she said.
