Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu has called for an end to the degrading of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, Certificate.
The Minister made the call in Abuja during monitoring of the 2022 NABTEB examinations on Thursday in Federal Government College Orozo , Abuja.
Adamu said skills acquisition is what the government is promoting hence the need to prepare for skilled work force and take over the Nigerian business and Technical workspace.
According to him, “People need to stop demeaning this very certificate, so that people can pick up the skills that are required. we need to stop those who are taking over our space you know if those space were available, the young ones who cannot continue after this level, at least have some skills to carry on and take over the space”
Speaking on the future of Technical Vocational Education TVET, in Nigeria , Adamu said, the government is presently directing students towards the sector as option for those who cannot fit into the formal sector.
“That’s the way to go. And that’s where we’re directing our students to go those who cannot fit into other professional areas of of their college. There are other sound options that we know is acceptable anywhere, and it’s even contributing greater to the development of our country”
Speaking on his observation on the ongoing NABTEB exams, the Minister said the students were encouraged to promote the culture of excellence so as to be able to defend their certificates.
“We’re promoting the culture of excellence. Excellence doesn’t mean you must be the best, excellence simply means you can define whatever you present anywhere and that was all what we want to see our students imbibe because the future is going to be tougher than what we are witnessing today”
“The stage is bigger and they will be competing against others in other spheres of the world. So they should be able to start preparing themselves from now on preparing yourself simply means pushing yourself very hard so that you do your best. Whatever comes out, you should be able to defend it and present it for whatever wherever”
The Chief Executive Officer of NABTEB, Ifeoma Isiugo Abanihe, said the board since 2018 has been recording increase in numbers of candidates sitting for the exams.
Isiugo said the surge began in 2015 when the Board first recorded 55000 enrolments for the exam while it increases steadily to 83000 in 2018.
She disclosed that for the 2022 exams, about 88,000 candidates applied to write the NABTEB exams nationwide.
“This year, we have significant increase in the enrollment and we have 88,000 candidates in the past five years. It’s been increased every year”
“Starting from 2018, it was about 55,000 candidates, but this year you can see last year was 83,000 plus so there has been steady increase in enrollment and I think it is because of the realisation that TVET is the way to go”
“In the world today there is need for skills acquisition there is need for empowerment in skills, self reliance, and it’s at the bottom of development and that is why there’s more realisation that is a very, very crucial aspect of education”She added.
The Minister of Education was represented by the Director Human Resources of the Federal Ministry of Education, Me David Gende.
National Business and Technical Examinations Board popularly known as NABTEB, is a Nigerian examination board that is conducting examinations for technical and business innovation colleges in Nigeria.
In the Picture : students of FGC Orozo writing the 2022 NABTEB exams
