Strict Adherence To Technical Skills’ Tenets Will Boost Industrialisation- OGSG
By Olu Osikoya, Abeokuta
Acquisition of technical and vocational skills will encourage industrialization globally, hence its tenets must be strictly adhered to, in order to make a meaningful impact.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical Education, Prof. Joseph Odemuyiwa stated this on a zoom study tour to Ogun State, by participants of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Senior Executive Course (SEC) 42, emphasising that enlightenment programmes would be vigorously pursued to change the negative mindset of people concerning Technical and Vocational Education.
In his presentation “Population Growth and Human Capital Development Through Technical Education: Challenges and Prospects, Prof. Odemuyiwa explained that technical education was relevant in driving the economic value and growth of a community, State or Nation, adding that human growth has contributed a lot to its actualization in terms of training and intelligence.
Odemuyiwa described technical education as acquisition of demonstrable skills that could be transformed into economic benefits and sustainable livelihood, saying challenges in the sector would be surmounted, if the public changes their negative perception towards technical graduates.
In her contribution, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. AbosedeOgunleye, noted that the Ministry was determined to wipe out illiteracy among the growing population and empower the youths with sustainable skills, through collaborative efforts with other stakeholders in the State.
She decried the low enrolment of female learners at technical colleges, urging parents and guardians to encourage their children to key into the benefits attached to technical education.
Earlier in her speech, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Industry, Trades and Investment, Ms. Sola Arobieke, advised on the need for synergy between the government and Non- Governmental Organisations in the State, towards effective implementation of mass education programme, to equip learners with technical and vocational skills in different trades or crafts.
In his submission, the representative, Office of the Presidency, Dr. Bamidele Amos, said skill acquisition was an essential prerequisite for human capital development, to facilitate the transition from informal to formal economy by embracing new standards of changing economics and new technologies in the context of globalization.
