Federal Government inaugurates NBTE board after five-year gap, outlines TVET reform agenda

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, charged the new board to implement reforms aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on repositioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET to drive industrialization, job creation, and economic growth. The administration aims to shift Nigeria’s education system from an over-reliance on academic certificates to one that produces skilled graduates. Key priorities for the board include providing strategic leadership, accelerating the Recognition of Prior Learning framework, modernizing technical education curricula to incorporate emerging technologies, and ensuring prudent management of public resources.

The board is also tasked with working with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders to formally recognize and certify the competencies of skilled artisans. Professor Babatunde L. Salako, the board's Chairman, pledged commitment to expanding opportunities for young Nigerians and changing the perception of technical education as a second-choice pathway. Professor Idris M. Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, described the inauguration as historic, noting the agency had operated without a governing board for over five years.