The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to equipping graduates with practical, industry-ready skills, with a special focus on revitalising polytechnic education across the country.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, made this known in Abuja at a retreat organised by the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria. He announced a special TETFund intervention to upgrade engineering departments in polytechnics with modern equipment, similar to recent support given to medical colleges.
Alausa said the ministry is prioritising Technical and Vocational Education and Training to ensure graduates emerge as innovative problem-solvers capable of driving national development. He urged polytechnic leaders to strengthen entrepreneurship, research and industry partnerships, while also promoting transparency, accountability and ethical leadership.
He identified renewable energy, agricultural technology, digital manufacturing and climate-resilient solutions as key priority sectors and assured institutions of government support under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Chairman of COHEADS, Dr. Sani Tunga, described the retreat as timely, noting that polytechnics play a critical role in producing skilled manpower for economic diversification. He acknowledged challenges such as funding gaps, outdated infrastructure and governance conflicts, stressing the need for dialogue and collaboration to move the sector forward.
Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Prof. Idris Bugaje, said recent reforms have begun to reverse decades of neglect of technical education, expressing optimism that ongoing changes would reposition polytechnics as drivers of national development.
