The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has called on the Federal Government to establish more technical colleges across the country. This is call was made by its Executive Secretary, Dr Mas’udu Kazaure.
Kazaure told newsmen in Kaduna on Wednesday, that the country was supposed to have at least one technical college in each of the 774 Local Government Areas.
He said the measure was necessary in order to check Nigeria’s skilled labour deficit.
“Based on the nation policy on education, we are supposed to have 774 technical colleges across the country, but we only have 110; 17 federal colleges, 90 state colleges and three owned by private.
“This means that we still have deficit of 664 technical colleges that needs to be established.
“We need to establish more technical and technological institutions to improve access to technical education and boost our technical, innovative and inventive skills that will meet our industrial needs, “he said.
According to him, there was also the need to focus on building skills for key economic sectors that will support the country’s socio-economic transformation for sustainable development.
Kazaure said that the board has 523 technical institutions under its purview comprising 112 polytechnics, 35 colleges of agriculture, 29 colleges of health sciences, and 26 specialised institutions.
Others are 138 innovation enterprises institutions, 110 technical colleges, and 73 vocational enterprise institutions.
He identified some challenges affecting the technical education system to include delay in the review of Federal Polytechnic Act, in release of funds and nonpayment of salaries in many state’s polytechnics.
“There is also security challenges resulting from non release of enough funds to settle the out-source services, shortfall of personnel allocation to polytechnics and responsibility allowances.” he added.
