The Federal Government has on Thursday, said that it was working towards developing a functional educational system that would make Nigerians self-reliant.
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who disclosed this at the 64th Meeting of the National Council on Education in Port Harcourt, stated that technical and vocational education remained the key to the development of the country.
The minister explained that entrepreneurship education and training had been acknowledged globally as a vital strategy for tackling youth unemployment.
He said, “Entrepreneurship education and training is globally acknowledged as an important strategy for tackling youth unemployment.
“In our drive to reposition education for self-reliance, particular attention has been given to the development of technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills in learners as the current administration has trained over 500 science, vocational and Mathematics teachers on the use of modern equipment and new approaches in schools.”
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had granted approval for the establishment of new federal science and technical colleges in 16 states, adding that government was improving access to quality education in different parts of the country.
In his remarks, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said that Nigeria would only attain development when citizens were empowered with the right knowledge and appropriate skills to contribute to national growth.
“The reality is that no country can be politically stable, economically robust and socially secure and cohesive if the citizens are not empowered with knowledge, appropriate skills and the right values to sustain themselves and contribute meaningfully to the progress of the country,” he said.
