The immediate-past
Rector of Auchi Polytechnic, Dr Philipa Idogho, has called on the Federal Government to focus more on the development of technical and vocational education to achieve sustainable economic development.
Idogho, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Benin.
She said technical and vocational education would provide the skilled manpower needed to drive the economy.
“The effort will help to curb the issue of importation of skilled manpower and address the challenges of unemployment in the country,’’ she said.
She said that nations that were desirous of development had made technical and vocational education their priority.
“The entire world is moving toward technical and vocational education, which is what we need; we need people with skilled manpower.
“We import skills to do our roads but we have them in the polytechnic sector.
“ It only requires us to develop the curriculum to suit what the nation needs at a particular time and redirect our focus to this area to train the manpower needed,’’ she said.
Idogho also advised the government to ensure that only people with verse knowledge of educational institution were appointed to head such institutions.
She said this became necessary as it would not only ensure a streamless and uninterrupted academic calendar, but also the growth and development of such institutions.