IN a bid to improve the quality of technical education in the country, the officials of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) have decided to review the curriculum for Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), and also upgrade the Training Manuals meant for the development of Technical Colleges, just as the Federal Government has approved the sum of N6.6 billion for the needs of tertiary institutions in the 2013 budget.

The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Dr. Mas’udu Adamu Kazaure said on Tuesday, at the opening of the final workshop for the Development and publication of Technical Colleges Training Manuals on Best Practices in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and TVET, that “the overall aim of technical education in Nigeria is to produce highly skilled, competent and self-reliant middle level manpower for the nation’s economic and technological growth”, pointing out that “ this cannot be achieved without appropriate and functional curricula and training manuals”.

He explained that in order to promote the growth and development of technical institutions in the country, “NBTE, as a regulatory agency, has been involved with the updating and review of TVET curricula and training manuals to be in tandem with national goals and aspirations”.

Kazaure argued that it was the collaborative efforts between UNESCO-Nigeria Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) Revitalisation Project that yielded some level of successes in past review exercises for curricula and training manual programmes, saying that “with this experience, therefore, the decision to organize this workshop for the development of the five trade training manuals in collaboration with African Development Bank (ADB) is a welcome development”.

Besides, Kazaure also disclosed that the Federal Government has budgeted and approved the sum of  6.6 billion naira  in this year’s budget to revamp technical education in the country.

“The Federal government has approved the sum of 6.6 billion naira to revamp Technical education in the country. The money is in the 2013 budget and it has already been approved. We want to bring out technical colleges out of what it is today”.

The NBTE boss however, urged the participants at the workshop to take advantage of the opportunity provided through the session to produce appropriate and functional training manuals that will give the necessary guide for the production of well-educated individuals and open doors for national prosperity and progress.

Kazaure reiterated that the main objective of the project was to contribute towards poverty reduction through human resource development and to improve access to quality skills training and vocational education in the country.

Said he: “ permit me to inform you that the Skills Training Vocational Education (STVE) project is a counter-funding project between the Federal Government and ADB based on the Government’s poverty eradication initiatives which, among others, seek to expand access to basic, non-formal and vocational skills education.

Thus, the main objective of the project is to contribute towards poverty reduction through human resources development and to improve access to quality skills training and vocational education in the country”.

“In order to achieve this laudable objective, three parastatals of the FME were engaged to render services in the implementation of the project. These parastatals are; the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE),  the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE)” he further stated.

Earlier in his welcoming address, NBTE, Director of Programmes, Mr. Joseph Aboi expressed satisfaction for the opportunity presented through the workshop, saying that “the activities to be carried out while the workshop last will be of great value to the development of TVET in the country, as well as offering participants a chance for self realization and improvement”.

The program’s Director also called on all the participants to utilize the knowledge and experiences of each other, not only to produce the best training manuals for TVET but to also enhance individual capabilities in contributing their quota towards uplifting technical education in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, in an his address by the project manager of the ADF-Assisted Skills Training and Vocational Education project (STVEP) Dr. Ebele Nwofor  explained  officials of STVEP signed a memorandum of understanding with the NBTE which led to the review of VTE curriculum as well as development of instructional materials and training of teachers on the use of the reviewed curriculum.