The federal government of Nigeria has unveiled plans to start paying students attending technical colleges nationwide a monthly stipend of ₦45,000.
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, who revealed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said the motive is to promote interest in technical education.
According to him, the government of President Bola Tinubu had allocated ₦120 billion grant to support students under the new Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative, to be disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He lamented that the interest in technical and vocational education has been dwindling over the years, and there is a need to revive it and encourage enrollment in technical education.
While justifying the move, Bugaje submitted that students involved in technical training in schools would acquire skills qualification, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria.
He said, “With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualification, 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.
“During colonial days and early part of our independence, TVET had received attention.
”But, since 1980s, we have been going down the drains. That is why the number of technical colleges has dropped, from 129 at the moment, compared to 15,000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria.
“The N45,000 is not as a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back. We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education.”
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