President Bola Tinubu has approved the sum of N120 billion to the education sector for the advancement of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET).

With this, over the next two years, the federal government is aiming to empower at least 650,000 youths with technical, vocational and digital skills required to meet the emerging industrial and labor needs.

Revealing this at the commissioning of the community and education centre at Ikot Abasi in Akwa-Ibom State, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba, Said Ahmed, said this was an effort to expand its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) agenda, as the ministry is set to introduce incentives to attract young Nigerians with payment of monthly stipends, starter packs and payments of take-off grants.

She stated that the unveiling of the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI, the Nigerian economy would move from resource-based to knowledge-based with several objectives.

She added that the objectives in line with NESRI’s pillars were TVET, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEMM), Out-of-school children, Girl-Child Education, Data & Digitalization and Education Quality Assurance.

According to her, “In line with this, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the release of N120 Billion to advance the TVET agenda of the Ministry of Education.

“Over the next two years, the Federal Government aims to empower at least 650,000 youths with technical, vocational and digital skills required to meet the emerging industrial and labor needs.”

She said the commissioned centre which was more than bricks was a beacon of hope, a sanctuary for knowledge, and a foundation for the dreams of generations to come.

In his welcome speech, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education, Prof. Simon Akpama, said embedded in its curriculum structure was a deliberate juxtaposition of a tripartite profile of basic literacy, post literacy, and vocational skills to empower the hitherto underserved youths and adults of Ikot Abasi extraction.