Adegboyega Isiaka, Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, has asked for an increase in education budgetary allocation to a minimum of 15%.
He also demanded that the sub-allocation for technical education be increased to at least 30% of the total education budget.
He said that this, coupled with other essential institutional and behavioural changes, would put the country on the path to national growth and worldwide competitiveness in the 21st century talent market.
The senator revealed this at the committee’s launch yesterday in Abuja, saying there was an urgent need to move young graduates to job providers.
According to Isiaka, developing a successful education-to-employment system necessitates new incentives and structures.
He stated that a paradigm shift is required, as well as a new focus for future jobs.
“We must ask if the curriculum and training received in our tertiary institutions are tailored towards job suitability and entrepreneurship,” he said.
While the government faces a conundrum with high levels of young unemployment and businesses face a shortage of job seekers with vital skills, he stated that employers, educators, and the youth all act in parallel lines based on their knowledge of the same scenario.
He stated that by utilizing Technical and Vocational Education Training, (TVET), as a critical plank, the country may remodel its education system as a highway, where the three drivers of educators, employers, and young people walk parallel roads towards productivity.
He pointed out that the committee did not exist as a stand-alone body until the 10th National Assembly because its functions and oversights were previously incorporated within the broad committee on tertiary education.
This, he said, spoke to the present House leadership’s priority placement on the sector, particularly technical tutelage, and their belief that a knowledge-based economy may be a panacea for progress.
He said, “As we are aware, technical education deals with the learning process involving the study of technologies and interrelated sciences alongside the acquisition of practical skills and approaches.
“These suites of knowledge are what our polytechnics, Technical colleges, and Vocational Education Training (TVET) centres were designed to impact on our young population for competitiveness in the 21st century global skills market.
“To thrive in today’s innovation-driven economy, workers and entrepreneurs need a mix of conceptual knowledge and technical skills.
“The World Bank, in its education strategy outlook, advised that growth, development, and poverty reduction depend on the knowledge and skills people acquire, not the number of years they stay in the classroom.
‘’In any country, technical education plays a vital role in human resource development. It produces a skilled workforce, augments productivity, and helps improve the quality of life for people. Without doubt, there is a nexus between the technical education system and socio-economic development.’’
Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker, stated in his remarks that there can be no meaningful economic growth in any country unless appropriate investment is made in the sector.
The Speaker, who was represented by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, suggested technical skill development to address unemployment and its associated difficulties in the country.
According to Abbas, the world of information and technology has now demonstrated that abilities are not only triumphing, but the limitless possibilities continue to amaze the youth.
“Similarly, no nation can ignore the significant role education plays in increasing the productive capacity of its citizens towards national development, and, therefore, investment in education becomes a pivotal element of every strategic government agenda.
“The need to design periodic programmes such as this and many others is one of the relevant strategies to empower and strengthen institutions to provide the requisite skills for manpower development and value to existing labour strength and emerging markets for both the private and public sectors.
“Evidence around the world shows that countries that have made progress in their overall quest for national development prioritize capacity building and human resource development. The unique role that polytechnics and higher technical education play in this process cannot be overemphasized.
“They provide access to specialized education that is aimed at empowering our students with the requisite skills needed to address the human resource gap in industry, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, vocational, and technical studies,” he said.
