The federal government has declared that students attending technical colleges nationwide will receive a monthly stipend of N45,000.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Prof. Idris Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), revealed this.
He said, “With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualification, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria.
“This way, the whole sector is being repositioned. We are at the moment facing what you may call either a resurrection or a rebirth of TVET.
“During colonial days and early part of our independence, TVET had received attention.
”But, since 1980s, we have been going down the drains. That is why the number of technical colleges has dropped, from 129 at the moment, compared to 15,000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria.
“The N45,000 is not as a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back. We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education.”