Hon. Musa Pali, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, said the House would amend the Act establishing Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria, to address its infrastructural needs.
Pali, who made this known during an oversight visit by the committee to the college on Friday, said the amendment would enable the college attract funds from the TETfund.
“When that is done some infrastructural development challenges at the college could easily be addressed,” he said, adding that the committee was aware of the challenges at the college and was working within its powers to address them.
He noted that Nigerians expected tremendous progress in the aviation sector, especially in the light of the security challenges manifesting in many parts of the country.
Earlier, Capt. AbdusSalam Mohammed, NCAT’s rector, told the committee that the college was established in 1964, by an Act of the Parliament Number 31 and that amending the Act would re-classify the college as a tertiary institution, thereby making it eligible for TETfund grants.
Mohammad said that accessing the grants would address numerous infrastructural challenges in the college, such as the upgrading of students hostels and standardization of classrooms., stressing that the college was also faced with inadequate budgetary allocation and release of funds.
Apart from that, he said the college lacked adequate equipment and facilities to commence advance aviation training due largely to budgetary restrictions and that this had made the college unable to keep pace with advancements in equipment used in the industry.
“We have to keep up with the advancement in technology so that when the students and people, who are in the industry, come for training they will be able to use equipment that they are used to in the field. So, we are constantly looking for money to purchase new equipment to keep up with the industry,” the rector said.
He added that because the remuneration in the college was based on what obtains in the civil service, it was difficult to attract quality manpower since the industry package was better.
The rector said in spite of COVID-19 lockdown, however, the college introduced trainings online and conducted 24 courses, with 292 students completing., adding that the college presently has 28 courses with an enrolment of 454 students in individual classes of 20 participants each, as recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Mohammed explained that the college took delivery of six additional training aircraft on Nov. 25, and the aircraft were awaiting certification by NCAA, while
the college is planning to establish an Airport Emergency Training School, to train personnel of the airport on rescue/firefighting, and other trainings on drones and aviation security. (NAN)
