By Anwar Usman
The Federal Government has announced a monthly stipend of N45,000 for students in technical colleges across states in Nigeria.
This move was to be part of a plan to bring new life to Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Idris Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, revealed this in an interview in Abuja while speaking on the second year of President Bola Tinubu’s administration on Wednesday.
He said the plan was part of a bigger effort to improve the TVET system and make it more appealing than regular university education.
Bugaje explained that the main ai was to grow the TVET sector fast and get more students to enrol in technical colleges.
He added that the government will not only pay the monthly stipend but will also cater for other costs.
Bugaje said, “The government will pay school fees, give money to industry-based supervisors (called master class instructors), and cover the cost of skill certification.
“With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, obtain the relevant skills and qualifications, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria.
“This way, the whole sector is being repositioned. We are at the moment facing what you may call either a resurrection or a rebirth of TVET.”
He noted that TVET used to be well-supported in Nigeria in the past.He further revealed that Tinubu’s government has set aside N120 billion to support students under this new TVET plan.
“This money will be given through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).He further clarified that “The N45,000 is not a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back. We want to encourage more people to enrol in technical education”.
To keep the programme running, Bugaje said the Minister of Education was working on a bill.The bill aims to create a National Skills Fund under the new Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework.