By Gabriel Dike
As part of measures to reposition technical education and reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country, the Federal Government and the World Bank have organized a workshop in Makurdi the Benue state capital to enhance Nigeria’s skills development for former and informer sectors of the Nation’s economy.
The Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, said the workshop was put together under the World Bank sponsored project “Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEALS) has the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Board for Technical Education, Abia, Edo, Ekiti, Benue, Gombe, and Kano States as implementing Agencies.
Declaring open the workshop, Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu informed stakeholders that the essence of the IDEAS project is to address the current deficiencies in the education system that have made a large number of school leavers unemployed, urging Nigerian youths to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the project.
Adamu, who was represented by the National Project Coordinator, Mrs. Blessing Ogwu, said an estimated 40 Technical colleges in the country, alongside the private sector will benefit from the project which also has a technical teacher training component.
The education minister revealed that $200million credit facility from the world Bank has been approved for the project and that the implementation will span over a five year period.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Benue State Commissioner for Education, Dr Saawuan Tarnongu, commended the world Bank, federal ministry of education and other stakeholders for organizing the workshop, pledging the total support and commitment of the government and people of the state towards the successful implementation of the project.
As part of the state commitment , the commissioner said, Governor Samuel Ortom has approved the recruitment of science and technical teachers as well as the erection of perimeter fences for all the colleges selected for the project in the state.
On his part, the state coordinator of IDEAS project, Samuel Kwende told participants that the training of key players in the chain of the implementation process is a prerequisite for the overall success of the project.
The workshop which began today will end tomorrow Tuesday July 2022.