By Gom Mirian
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund) has approved N130 million as its 2023 intervention line for reinvigorating skills acquisition in polytechnics across the country.
Director of Infrastructure, TET Fund, Malam Buhari Mika’Ilu, who made this public on Tuesday at the TET Fund/ National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) sensitisation in Abuja, said the intervention was to consolidate the efforts of the NBTE in increasing the capacities of polytechnics to deliver on their mandate, adding that the intervention was mostly used to support institutions to meet basic requirements for accreditation.
He said: “Funds are allocated in line with the provision of the Establishment Act and guided toward addressing critical and essential needs of the beneficiary institutions for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in the tertiary educational institutions.
‘“NBTE has been at the forefront in championing the need to have skills in the educational system in Nigeria. It is in response to this, that the fund has prioritised the 2023 Zonal Allocation to polytechnics to be geared toward reinvigorating skills acquisition in the polytechnics across the country.
“This is to further consolidate the efforts of NBTE to increase the capacities of Polytechnics to deliver on their mandate. Therefore, the sum of N130 million only allocated to each polytechnic has the main focus of procurement, installation, testing, training, and commissioning of relevant training materials.’’
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, charged rectors of polytechnics to explore innovative approaches to skills development and devise effective solutions that would enhance the quality and relevance of technical education in institutions.
“Today, we recognise the significant strides made by TETFund and NBTE in promoting skills development in our beneficiary polytechnics. Our unwavering commitment to advancing technical and vocational education has paved the way for countless success stories, empowering individuals and transforming communities across our great nation.
“The purpose of this sensitisation workshop is to discuss and enlighten participants on two key areas: One is the skills agenda and occupational areas as a panacea for gainful employment of graduates and the second is the formalization of the informal skills sector. By focusing on these aspects, we aim to address the critical needs for aligning our educational system with the demands of the labour market,” he said.
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