By Usman Ibn A. Lapai
Kaduna
As part of efforts to boost the quality of technical education in the country, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), is to strengthen links between technical institutions and industries, its board Executive Secretary, Dr. Masa’udu Kazaure, said in Kaduna.
Kazaure spoke at the opening of a two-day annual national conference of directors of academic planning of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Nigeria.
The executive secretary, who was represented by the Director, NBTE Centre of Excellence, Dr Amina Idris, said that the current focus of the board was quality training that would ensure competent technical skills of graduates of TVET.
The theme of the conference is “Academic Planning and Research Activities in Polytechnics and similar Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.’’
He said that the theme was in consideration of the relevance of academic planning in the overall realisation of the objectives of teaching, learning, and research in polytechnics and technological education.
According to him, academic planning is key to the realisation of the board’s functions and statutory mandate.
“The time is right for polytechnics in collaboration with the NBTE to evolve and institutionalise a sector-wide system for improving academic delivery in our TVET institutions.
“This could be achieved through the institutionalisation of the academic planning functions.
“This was why in 2015, the NBTE established the Department of Academic Planning, Research, Statistics and ICT to coordinate all matters relating to academic planning in a holistic manner,’’ Kazaure said.
