Reps recommend 15% budgetary allocation benchmark for education

• To upscale NBTE allocation to 30% of education budget
• NBTE vows to stamp out illegal institutions, advises Nigerians on
patronage

The House of Representatives has recommended a minimum of 15 per cent budgetary allocation to the education sector. Chairman, House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, Adebgboyega Isiaka, disclosed this yesterday during the inaugural meeting of the committee.

The chairman added that sub-allocation to technical education should be upgraded to not less than 30 per cent of education allocation.
This is as the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) pledged its commitment to stamp out illegal institutions from the educational system.

Isiaka stressed that this, alongside other necessary systemic and attitudinal changes, would put the country on the path of national growth and global competitiveness in the 21st century skills market.

He noted that the low pace of technological and industrial growth in Nigeria could be attributed partly to the inability of technical educators to utilise scientific ideas to promote technology.

The lawmaker stressed that about 24 per cent of students receive technical and vocational education, which is very low compared to many developed and developing nations.

He noted that the unemployment figure within the youth demographic (18-45 years) was put at a staggering 36.5 per cent, adding that a distressing 13 million Nigerians are out of job.

Isiaka added that expatriates from Europe and China receiving huge sums of dollars for various projects in Nigeria, comprise many graduates of well-resourced technical and vocational colleges from their home nations.

“We need to put our money where our mouth is because average federal allocation to the education sector over the last five years is put at seven per cent and according to data obtained from NBTE, total sub-allocation to technical education is just 12 per cent out of the total appropriation to education.

“This is considered too low and probably reflects why the World Education Forum global education system assessments report on 140 countries (34 African nations inclusive), ranked Nigeria 124th in the world and 12th in Africa; with a literacy rate of 62.2 per cent.”

Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the Director, Inspectorate Department of NBTE, Yakubu Ibrahim, in Abuja, noted that the Board had received several petitions and complaints against the Novelty Polytechnic, Kishi which alleged that the polytechnic was offering unapproved programmes and also operating illegal campuses existing either as outreach/study centres or satellite campuses.

“Consequent upon the above, the Board has taken the following decisive actions which were communicated to the institution: Sales of forms and admission into all unapproved programmes are to be stopped with immediate effect. All affiliations with Institutions or consulting firms to operate outreach/study centres or satellite campuses are stopped without further delay. All new admissions for approved/accredited programmes and quality assurance visitations to the Institution are suspended until there is compliance,” he said.

Ibrahim added that students who graduated from unapproved institutions and programmes would not be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). He also said that there would be no career progression or academic advancement for holders of certificates of unaccredited programmes, saying such certificates cannot be used for employment or upgrading and promotion in the civil service.