Preamble
EXPERTS in the education sector have described it as a process of training designed to give knowledge, develop skills and abilities that could lead to the development of mental alertness and the right attitude to life.
This, they said, implies that if education is adequately inculcated in human-kind, individuals would meaningfully help themselves and positively contribute to the growth and welfare of their immediate community.
In essence, education remains the single factor that guarantees both individual growth, community development, industrial development and national development, hence, if an individual acquires skills and the right attitude, and realistically applies the skills and right attitude for the benefit of the society, it means that education has helped to change or better still, transform, the individual for better and pragmatically too.
According to Encarta dictionary, a skill acquisition, on the other hand, involves the development of a new skill, practice or a way of doing things usually gained through training or experience. Broadly, technical skill cannot be discussed without inculcating Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) or Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), according to A university don on industrial and technology education at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Prof. Abdullahi Shehu Maaji.
He also defined entrepreneurship simply as meaning self-employment, and in the private sector of the economy, whose key operator is mostly associated with the word entrepreneurship; he is called the coordinator, decision maker, risk bearer, manger, innovator, organizer, initiator, and so on.
The entrepreneur, he said, ranges from the ordinary peasant farmer, palm wine taper, oil miller to the high altitude business men and women engaged in small, medium and large scale industrial, commercial and agricultural enterprises with modern and sophisticated technologies. In order words, there is not a particular type of person who becomes an entrepreneur.
TVE, key to ICT delivery:
Prof. Ma’aji has said that Nigeria’s economy needs human-ware embedded in Technical and Vocational Education (TVE), which is the real key to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the delivery of technical skills which hold the key to the nation’s lingering economic crisis.
Prof. Ma’aji told ITRealms at the 2013 conference of the German Alumni Association of Nigeria (GAAN) in Abuja recently, asserting that vocational and technical education (VTE) skills hold the axis of the country’s economy, which cut across the extractive, manufacturing and commercial sectors of the economy in order to create more entrepreneurs.
He also said that technical skills acquisition and entrepreneurship are viable tools for coping with the global economic crisis in Nigeria, describing these as cardinal to any economic development of a country and Nigeria precisely.
Training in general, he noted, has potential benefits which accrue to the individual, an organization and to the country as a whole, stressing that to an individual, training enhances future earning potential, career, progression and employability and to unemployed, training offers capacities to find ways of earning a livelihood, which could be through self-employment or setting up of a business.
At organizational level, the don pointed out that training results in company productivity and high profits, just as the company is expected to contribute to the wealth of the country through taxes, insisting that TVE and human degradation could be truly said that a country’s development and progress based on the ability to combat global economic crisis, largely depends on the availability and quality of its human resources, people with the right skills and the right attitude embedded in TVE skills.
Imperative of ICT in TVE
In a world being radically transformed by ICTs, Prof. Ma’aji pointed out the imperativeness to include ICT training in TVE, arguing that acquiring skills and knowledge on ICT is important for educators to teach their students, as such, a successful policy in ICT in TVE must provide a vision and medium-term strategic framework for the expected use of ICTs in Nigeria schools.
The implementation of such a policy, Ma’aji said, must embrace all key ICT components; hardware, software, electronic content, teacher professional development, promotion of learner-centred instruction, assessment, technical support, investment and recurrent financing needs.
In addition, he said, the policy should tap the respective comparative advantages of different players in public and private sectors, so that all knowledge and resources could be brought to bear in the integration.
“However, it must be remembered that the real key to ICTs in Technical skill TVE training is the ‘human-ware’, not the hardware of software, because it is extent and nature of the use or non-use of ICTs by teachers and students will determine the success of investing in ICTs in TVE,” he declared.
Underlining the recent statement by the World Bank which hinges on ensuring that focus of technology-induced education remains on students learning and skill development, rather than on procurement and installation of thousands of computers in school.
Historical perspective to technical skill acquisition in Nigeria
Prof. Ma’aji in giving historical background to technical skill acquisition, noted that around 14th century, during the pre-colonial era skill acquisition in vocational and technical education was still an informal way, where the learner lives with his master throughout the period of training.
“The instructional method was through observation and imitation of the master. Non-indigenous companies like the Shell BP and the UAC started training artisans among their employee’s but the training acquired was to save the skill needed by that particular company at that particular time. There was no arrangement for examination neither issuances of any certificate or any means to improve the learners ability to accomplish more complex task,” he said.
The don further explained that the first technical institute established in Nigeria was the Hope Waddell institute in Calabar in 1885; with the aim of providing education in rudiments training in the technical trades and teacher education. The first vocational and technical institute to be established in Nigeria was the Yaba Higher College in 1948, with the motive to train artisans, craftsmen and technicians, together with teachers of technical education to teach in the trade centres. Skills acquired during the pre independent period should have gone beyond technician’s level.
In Nigeria today, he said, there are over 40 federal polytechnics, state polytechnics, federal colleges of education, state University of Technology and a number of Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry.
Various skills have been acquired at various levels and in various fields from these institutions, thousands of students graduate annually with vast technical knowledge as to man different sectors of our economy.
On Nigeria’s efforts towards entrepreneurship development:
Prof. Ma’aji quoted Ebiring T, as declaring in Perspective: Entrepreneurship Development and Growth of Enterprises in Nigeria, that economic growth rates are often attributed to the role of the duo of government and entrepreneurs which is complementary and not mutually exclusive.
In Nigeria, as found in some other economies, the government helps to encourage entrepreneurship development, by providing security to safeguard life and property’ maintaining law and order and the freedom to do business and acquire technical skills.
The role of government, therefore, he said, in entrepreneurship development in Nigeria became significant only after the Nigeria civil war and particularly since the mid-1980s there has been an increased commitment of government to entrepreneurship development especially after the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) in 1986. Added to this is the establishment of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS) and, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Association of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
Fundamentally, Prof. Ma’aji said, the Nigeria government promotes entrepreneurial culture through initiatives that build technical skills, business confidence, positive attitude, pride in success, support and encouragement of new ideas, social responsibility, providing technological supports, encouraging inter-firm linkages and promotion of research and development.
We need functional TVE:
In order to provide the needed technical skills acquisition with regards to entrepreneurship and TVE training, Prof. Ma’aji advocated for the establishment of functional technical and vocational educational institutions for the training of skilled technicians by the government.
He also recommended that Oil and Gas companies should partner with government in the business of development of entrepreneurial skills for professionals in the economy; inviting those in authority in Nigeria to wake up and provide uninterrupted electrical power if entrepreneurial skills development and employment amongst the citizenry is to be achieved.
While calling for further investment in the area of the development of oil and gas fields vigorously to enhance this sector of the economy, Prof. Ma’aji emphasised the need for government and oil companies to integrate their host communities in poverty reduction programmes to reduce hostility.
Nigeria in dire need of TVE:
Earlier, the National President, German Alumni Association of Nigeria (GAAN), Sir Anthony Uko-Akpulu at the second national conference of GAAN, which held at the conference centre, National Bureau of Statistics, Abuja, presided over by Dr. Boniface Amobi, President, Nigeria Statistics Association, said Nigeria requires badly vocational education, which he is certain that with collaboration between the German government and federal government, the state government could establish vocational schools in all the states of the federation.
“Such schools are doing wonders in Germany and Nigeria will benefit greatly from such help,” he said, stressing that about 10 per cent of Nigerian youths are admitted into higher institutions annually and wondered what becomes of the remaining 90 per cent that are left unattended to.
Akpulu cited for instance, that the Metallurgical Training Institute (MTI) in Onitsha which was built with the help of the German Government over 20 years ago is doing well in Nigeria.
“We need more of such schools all over Nigeria,” he appealed, specifically to GIZ and other affiliate German organizations in Nigeria to assist GAAN by sponsoring some five members to Germany on facility tour of technical institutions in order to boost the desired upgrade of GAAN proposals to the national assembly recently on the establishment of Vocational Education as the bedrock of the economy in Nigeria.
GAAN he explained are made up of Nigerians who have graduated from German universities, vocational schools or worked in Germany so as collectively synergise on how to help Nigeria to improve positively, economically, socially and politically among others.
He applauded German embassy in Nigeria and GIZ for their aid and corporation so far, while soliciting for continued support for GAAN to enable it show the German literary light in Nigeria.
In his remarks, a representative of GIZ SEDIN Abuja, sponsors of the conference, Mr. Raymond Dangana commended GAAN for the conference, mostly on the theme for this year: Nigeria’s industrialization and vocational training: the impact on youths.
He also assured GAAN of GIZ continued support as part of the partnership to develop Nigeria in line with the international corporation agenda of the German government and its affiliates.
ITRealms recalls that since the formation of GAAN in Abuja some two years ago, efforts were made to form strong branches throughout the federation and as at the time of filing this report, Anambra State branch was formed in 1992, while other branches are gradually springing up in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Niger, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja branches.
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