Mr Sonny Echono, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, has described Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) as the easiest platform through which learners can meet the needs of employers for qualified labour.
Echono made the statement at the grand-finale of the 4th edition of the National Student’s Vocational Skills Competition, organised by the Ministry of Education in Abuja on Friday.
Federal Science Technical College (FSTC-Girls), Uyo won the first prize, while FSTC, Usi Ekiti, came second and FSTC Jalingo was third among 21 FSTCs which competed.
While FSTC, Uyo, exhibited a collapsible metal bed, table and locker, FSTC, Usi Ekiti, exhibited a bell indicator and FSTC, Jalingo, showcased a prototype modern farm.
Echono said the ministry would continue to finance and support the programme in the Department of Technology and Science Education to motivate students to choose TVET as a reliable educational path to follow.
He said it was not wise for the youth to queue for white collar jobs as TVET would give them opportunity to contribute faster to the economy and national development.
Echono said students should be given the right push that would make them proffer solutions to everyday problems by trying to improve efficiency in their endeavours.
“The programme is trying to solve challenges and if we continue to encourage the children you find out that the future is going to be very bright.
“As a country, we can export these initiatives to our neighbouring countries.
“We must adopt TVET as a national programme. It is something that we must do as a country.
“It is the easiest way to create jobs in large numbers, the easiest way to reduce the foreign exchange you expend annually, and it is the easiest way of creating wealth on a large scale for a large number of people,” he said.
Mrs Tina Eyaru, Director, Technology and Science Education in the ministry, said the skill competition was aimed at promoting vocational education, professional pride and to develop hidden talents among the students.
She added that it was also an effective way of assessing the quality of routine teaching in the Federal Science and Technical Colleges to leave a positive image of vocational skills on the young learners.
Meanwhile, Mr Aminu Yusuf, the Acting Principal of FSTC, Orozo, called on the ministry to provide funds for the college to enable it to install equipment in its laboratories and train teachers to be more effective.
Yusuf said there were challenges militating development in the school ranging from herdsmen traversing the premises to villagers traversing the college farmland.
He attributed the development to the fact that the college had no perimeter fence on the northern, western and southern areas as its actual boundaries had not been determined.
