Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Dr. Muhammed Aminu Muhammed, has lauded Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State for the transformation of Government Technical College (GTC), Enugu.

He also attributed infrastructure deficit as part of the challenges facing  technical education in Nigeria, adding that obsolete equipment and insufficient teacher development  seriously negate  technical education impacts.

According to him, “In many technical colleges, the facilities are simply not there. The sewing machines we had twenty years ago cannot meet today’s industrial needs. Technology keeps changing globally, and we cannot remain where we are forever.

“There is no need for us to reinvent the wheel. We should borrow technology, acquire patents where necessary and catch up with where the rest of the world is.”

The NABTEB Boss,  who spoke in Enugu during a monitoring visit to the ongoing May/June National Business Certificate (NBC) and National Technical Certificate (NTC) examinations at the GTC, described the school as a model technical college that now meets the standard Nigeria desires for technical and vocational education.

According to him, “The massive remodelling of GTC by the Enugu State Government has repositioned it as one of the best technical schools in the country”

Muhammed said he had been touring technical colleges across the six geopolitical zones in the country to assess the conduct of the examinations and the state of technical education, but expressed surprise with the facility in Enugu State

“From all the institutions I have visited across the North-East, North-West, North-Central, South-South, South-West and now the South-East, Government Technical College, Enugu, has met the standard of the technical colleges we are supposed to have in Nigeria.

“While the Enugu State Government under Governor Peter Mbah deserved commendation for investing in the college, the school management also deserved praise for ensuring that the facilities remain functional.

“I also want to use this opportunity to commend the principal because government can give you everything you need, but managing it well is another thing. I commend the principal for keeping this environment neat and ensuring that all the workshops are working. It is one thing to provide equipment, and it is another thing to ensure those facilities are working”, he stated.

Muhammed described GTC Enugu as a unique institution whose students could easily be identified by the quality of their training and discipline.

“The school is unique. If you see any student from Government Technical College, Enugu, outside the school premises, you don’t need to ask anybody any question before identifying that the student is from Government Technical College, Enugu”, he added

He said the practical facilities available in the college clearly showed that graduates were leaving school with employable skills.

“From all that I have seen in the workshops—we have gone through welding, tailoring, fashion design and so on—it is clearly shown that upon the graduation of any student from Government Technical College, Enugu, that candidate already has a job.
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“He has a job for himself, and he also has the capacity to create jobs for others. The advantage of technical education is not only self-reliance, but also the ability to employ others, train people and contribute to government revenue”, he said

The NABTEB boss said the institution now deserved sustained support from government and relevant agencies.

“What Government Technical College, Enugu, needs is for the government to continue to support them. Agencies like NABTEB and the National Board for Technical Education should continue supporting and encouraging them.

“This is my first time coming to Government Technical College, Enugu. From now, with what I have seen, it has become my responsibility to protect, promote and encourage the management of Government Technical College, Enugu. Whenever there is any opportunity within my office as the Registrar and Chief Executive of NABTEB, I will also support them”, he added

Muhammed explained that his nationwide assessment was designed to capture the true picture of technical education across Nigeria.

“In sampling, you don’t take your sample from one point. If you take your sampling only from urban cities, you will get it wrong. I take my sampling from three sources—urban centres, riverine areas and rural communities”, he said.