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Vocational Education And A Distressed Economy

Published

10 years ago

March 29, 2017

The foundation of economic growth globally is technical/vocational education. Technical education is cardinal to the socio/economic development of any nation. Following this fact, stakeholders have emphasized the need to establish more well equipped technical schools in the country to boost development.
It was in realization of this importance that the federal government established the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in January 1977 in response to the acute shortage of technical manpower which was a major constraint towards the execution of the then 1975 – 1980 Third National Development Plan on Education.
The NBTE is saddled with overseeing the training of, and accreditation of academic programmes in all technical and vocational educational institutions. These institutions are to train middle-level technical manpower, and provide practical training.
Technical education is offered in institutions that are higher education in level, but non-university in status. Polytechnics, monotechnics (single discipline training), technical colleges, colleges of education, agriculture and health technology all provide higher technical education and training.
With the exception of colleges of education, which is overseen by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the rest of the technical higher institutions are coordinated by the NBTE.
As at October 2012, there were 110 approved tertiary technical institutions and 159 technical colleges under the purview of the NBTE, 74 polytechnics and 27 monotechnic colleges.
Others include, 36 colleges of agriculture, 50 colleges of health technology, 16 other specialised institutions, 71 vocational enterprise institutions (VEIs) and innovative enterprise institutions (IEIs), making a total of 543 institutions.
Analysts say this number is grossly inadequate given the unprecedented level of demand for technical education in the country. These institutions can only accommodate a fraction of the youths seeking admission because of inadequate space.
Records from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) indicated that out of 5.4 million applicants for admission into polytechnics between 2006 and 2012, only 1.2 million of them could gain admission, representing 21.5 percent.
Clearly, the inadequate number of vocational institutions has led to the arbitrary abuse of Carrying Capacity of Nigeria Tertiary Institutions. Carrying Capacity of institutions refers to the maximum number of students an institution can sustain for quality education based on human and material resources.
In other words, Carrying Capacity stipulates that the number of students to be admitted into programmes must be based on available facilities such as adequate lecture rooms, well equipped libraries, staff/student ratio, laboratories and equipment, among others.
But it has been observed that many technical institutions don’t comply with the rules. They indulge in borrowing lecturers and staff as well as facilities from other institutions to conceal their defects. Some stakeholders have frowned at the practice and describe it as improper.
An educationist and former principal, Mr. Ignatius Lawson, says such practice is immoral and fraudulent which ought to take the offenders to prison. According to him, schools should adhere to international best practice or be shut.
“International best practice provides for 30 students per class in technical and vocational and 40 for management-based programmes, but some institutions advocate 70, others even more than 100.
“Best practice also pegs staff/student ratio at 1:15 for technology-based programmes and 1:20 for non-technology based. This policy is aimed at ensuring quality of instruction and schools must not exceed their capacity or compromise minimum standard, “ said Lawson.
Similarly, a Port Harcourt-based lecturer, who chose to be anonymous, blamed the deficit in institutions and learning infrastructure in the country on poor funding and lack of attention to technical education.
She said infrastructure such as access to internet, library, textbooks, equipment, laboratories and classrooms are lacking and therefore result in the deterioration of technical education and learning.
“Technical and vocational education is all about skill acquisition and competence-based. Facilities that will enhance skill acquisition are important to the teaching and learning process in technical and vocational education.
“Unfortunately, these facilities like workshops, laboratories, studies and field facilities are lacking for the various programmes in conformity with the minimum standards prescribed in the curriculum,” she said.
Sharing similar sentiments, a legal practitioner, Mr. Biobele Fyneface, asked the government to expand access to technical and vocational education in line with equity and international best practice.
He added that although at this critical moment, the country required more technically skilled manpower in the economy, students’ enrollment into technically-related programmes cannot be increased arbitrarily without corresponding increase in the resources required to sustain the additional intakes.
A nursery/primary school proprietress, Mrs Elem Ochonma, observed that some important factors must be considered in determining the capacity for an academic programme without compromising quality.
According to her, the factors include the target population of prospective students to be trained, the human and material resources available for training and the technology and methodology to be deployed in carrying out the training.
She posited the need for quality assurance mechanism to ensure quality teaching and said the federal government should initiate steps that would enhance the standards of technical and vocational education in the country.
A civil servant in the Rivers State Ministry of Works, who asked to remain anonymous, said the number of technical schools in the country was inadequate and asked the government to establish more functional ones to boost access to skill acquisition. He said if technical institutions in the country were many, only few persons would like to go to the universities.
“I think we have a situation in this country where we focus too much on the liberal arts and sciences. Everyone goes to the university and then have no job on graduation. We need a skilled technical labour force in every state; almost as many technical colleges as the universities we have.
“You go to restaurants and hotels, and you don’t get good services because people don’t learn it. This is because we don’t have enough vocational institutions where people get proper training. If there were as many technical and vocational institutions as there were universities in the country, not everyone would like to go to the university.
“Therefore, there is need to elevate the standard of technical and vocational education so that the people can tap from the gains that accrue from it. This way we will reduce congestion in the universities and strengthen the service aspect of our industry,” he concluded.
In all, stakeholders believe that enterprise development, acquired through vocational education, is essential for job creation and poverty reduction.

Arnold Alalibo

Featured

RSG Floats MNET Culture Content Promo

Published

6 hours ago

November 6, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has floated a culture content platform in collaboration with digital television group, Multichoice.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, disclosed this after a meeting with MultiChoice Head of Content Acquisition, Don Dotun Ojon, in Port Harcourt.

He assured that content entrepreneurs and film makers would enjoy the platform by promoting culture and other contents to sell the states tourism potentials.

He said MultiChoice M-net was now open to increase its patronage for content shots on locations in Rivers State, describing the State as one that has numerous potentials for film tourism.

“We were privileged to have Don Ojon with us at the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) at the weekend in Bonny and he saw, first hand, the numerous sites and opportunities that are open to creatives in the State. After that, we felt it was important to deepen the conversation and he obliged. This is a cheering news for the sector in the State,” he said.

Ndigbara stated that “Rivers State has many more untold stories to tell, many more contents to reel out and the assurances from the M-net Acquisition Manager is an indication that the industry in the state will soon enjoy a new lease of life”.

The Permanent Secretary thanked Ojon for the visit and assured that creatives in the State would grap this opportunity and show the world that Rivers State is a major hub for film tourism in Nigeria.

On his part, Ojon said the visit was to discuss on ways of promoting tourism in the State using creatives and film.

Ojon said although the company has recently been acquired by canal+ France and is undergoing restructuring, he would promote the chances of Rivers State to host the MultiChoice talent factory in the State.

With Asaba, capital of Delta State, being saturated, Ojon said the next port is Rivers State, which he said is capable of building fresh crop of creatives, new locations, new story lines and concepts.

He, therefore, called for collaboration from stakeholders in the State.

Kevin Nengia

Featured

APC Presidential Campaign Storms PH, ‘Morrow

Published

6 hours ago

November 6, 2026

The Tide

Barring last minute changes, the presidential campaign train of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will storm Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, tomorrow.

This is according to a campaign timetable released by the APC Campaign Council last month.

The Tide reports that the APC presidential campaign kicked off in Kaduna on October 24 with President Bola Tinubu in attendance.

The campaign train later moved to Cross River, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Ekiti on November 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima representing the President at the rallies.

President Tinubu is personally scheduled to attend 12 states including Rivers, Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa and Lagos.

The Rivers State rally, scheduled to hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, is expected to witness a large crowd of party supporters drawn from a coalition of political parties in the State.

The party is expected to round off its presidential campaign in Lagos State on January 9, 2027.

The Tide reports that Tinubu has not visited Rivers State as President since he assumed office in May 2023. His last physical visit to the State was before his inauguration on Wednesday, May 3 – Thursday, May 4, 2023, when he was hosted by then Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt to commission the Rumuola/Rumuokwuta Flyover and the Magistrates’ Court Complex.

Tomorrow’s visit will be his first to the State since assuming office.

Featured

2027: Be Politically Neutral, Fubara Tasks Traditional Rulers

Published

1 week ago

October 30, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged traditional rulers in the State to maintain neutrality, ensure fairness and uphold peace in their domains as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.

Fubara gave the charge on Wednesday while declaring open the 126th, 127th and 128th Combined Quarterly Meeting of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, in Port Harcourt.

The governor said the primary function of traditional rulers is to administer justice and ensure fairness, saying their conduct must not lead to division and unmanageable crises.

“Let me therefore, request, if that is the right word to use, that please, as we are entering into this political season actively, everyone should ensure that your conduct promoted peace in your place. Your actions should not be what would lead to the division and multiple crisis that we cannot manage as a government.

“I think with that, we can all live as one and we can also continue to make this progress that we are trying with all our mind, our body and our soul, to ensure that we deliver to our dear State,” he said.

Fubara urged the royal fathers to abide by the oath and constitution they swore to before ascending their respective stools, in the interest of stability and progress of the State.

He also enjoined them to set aside individual sentiments and place the interest of Rivers State above personal considerations, noting that this principle has guided his own day-to-day governance of the State.

“I want to enjoin everyone to keep aside issues of individual sentiments and ensure that the interest of our state supersedes whatever thing that we have in our mind. This is not just what I’m saying here, it is what I’ve also practiced and displayed in my day-to-day life in the governance of our dear State,” he said.

On the appeal for improved welfare for traditional rulers, the governor clarified that the delay in actualising some of the requests they made in the past was not from the government but from the inability of the Council to put its house in order.

Fubara explained that the issue of stipends paid to the traditional rulers by the local government councils, was a statutory benefit provided for in the constitution and not what a state governor can change by mere verbal pronouncements.

He assured that he remains a man of his word and will fulfill his promises to the traditional rulers before leaving office, next year.

He reaffirmed his respect for the traditional institution as custodians of culture and the closest link to the people, thanking them for their prayers and support.

The governor urged the royal fathers to ensure that the combined quarterly meeting featured fruitful deliberations that will strengthen peace and development in the State.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Eze Chike Amadi Worlu Wodo, expressed profound gratitude to the State Government for its efforts in maintaining a cordial relationship with the traditional institution.

Wodo highlighted the importance of traditional rulers in conflict resolution, noting that their closeness to the people places them in a strategic position to mediate in disputes involving chieftaincy matters, family disputes and land ownership in their respective communities.

The royal father drew the attention of the State Government to some challenges affecting the performance of the traditional institution, particularly the lack of official utility vehicles and logistical support needed to discharge its responsibilities effectively.

He also appealed for improved monthly stipends and better welfare provisions to reflect prevailing economic realities.