THE training programme for the 255 Federal and State Polytechnic lecturers across the country on how to handle the 12.4 billion naira new technical equipments approved by the Federal Government for 51 polytechnics under the Science, Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) scheme, commenced last Monday in Kaduna.Besides, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the apex governing body for Polytechnics, has kicked off the training for 25 lecturers from five Polytechnics: Kano State Polytechnic; Lagos State Polytechnic; Delta State Polytechnic; Delta State Polytechnic; Delta State Polytechnic and Kwara state Polytechnic.According to the NBTE Executive Secretary, Dr. Mas'udu Kazaure Adamu, the revisal of the old curriculum of all Polytechnics in the country and the purchase of new equipment, which cost N12.4 billion naira was approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria in December last year.This project, Adamu argued, 'is for the procurement, supply, and installation of equipment in 51 selected Federal and State polytechnics across the country and for the training of the lecturers'.The NBTE boss who remarked that, while the training programme would take two weeks for each batch of five Polytechnics, also explained that all the 51 institutions were expected take possession of the equipment, derived from the latest technology around the globe.Said he: 'the approval was given in December last year by the Federal Executive Council and we started the project in January. The contractors have sent their orders to the manufacturers from Israel and that time, they began work. And sometime in April this year, we visited the factory where these equipment were being manufactured. We have seen it, and since then, we started shipping them into the country'.'As it is now, five out of the institutions have received the full package of the equipments. We expect each of these institutions' lecturers to be here for the two weeks training programme on the handling of the equipment. I also got information from the Rectors of the polytechnics in Auchi, Bauchi, Nassarawa, Nekede, and Kaduna that they have got full compliment of these supplies. So, they will be the next set of the trainees on this project. And we will spend additional two weeks for it'.Adamu, while tracing the history of the supply of the equipment to the institutions, remarked: 'three years ago, NBTE reviewed its curriculum, all the curricular we had in our polytechnics. When we studied the situation then, we realized that there was incompatibility between the new curricular and the equipment that were in the institutions because they were obsolete.'We then made recommendations and the President (Goodluck Jonathan) gave directives, which we call the Presidential initiative, for the procurement of equipment to match the revised curriculum. And the Federal Government entered into agreement with UNESCO to get the curriculum reviewed.'In December, after NBTE had followed all the due process, identified the short falls inside our institutions based on the accreditation lists, the Federal Executive Council gave an approval for the procurement of the equipment for the 51 polytechnics across the country. The project is a two-year project and we are almost half way to the end of the project. We believe that we are on course.'Meanwhile, the representative of the Manufacturing Company and the General Manager, Skill 'G' Nigeria Limited, Mr. Meir Dagan said: 'We are here today to fill a gap between human and technology. Our world is evolving at a rapid pace and it evolves around science and technology.'I stand before you today to say that the government of Nigeria is calling to service every strategy and tool that can help shape the course of Nigeria's scientific and technological advancement'.In the light of this 'President Jonathan through the NBTE, has deployed cutting edge TVET equipment to 51 federal and states polytechnics in Nigeria'.
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