By Lucky Isibor
The Registrar and Chief Executive of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Prof. (Mrs) Ifeoma Mercy Isiugo-Abanihe has called on governments at various levels to establish more technical and vocational education training centres as a first step in the attainment of sustainable development, youth empowerment, fighting poverty, unemployment and youth restiveness.
The NABTEB Registrar made the appeal Tuesday, in a speech she delivered on the occasion of the release of November/December 2017 NBC/NTC/ANBC/ANTC results at NABTEB headquarters, Benin City.
While acknowledging the rise In the candidates’ performance in vocational skills in 2017 as against 2016 which was quite low, Prof. Isiugo-Abanihe said: ” There are two issues that make this result significant. First is the slow but steady rise in the number of craftsmen and master craftsmen. In view of the sudden renaissance being witnessed in the world today, in the demand for skills, this is a significant result which may point to rising interest in vocational skills accusation in Nigeria.
“As NABTEB is the main awarding body that is saddled with the responsibility of assessment and certification of technical and vocational education at the post basic level, this aspect of the result points to the relatively low, yet significant rise, in candidates’ performance in vocational skills compared to previous years”.
Explaining the added advantage of NABTEB examinations, the Registrar said, “Secondly, the brilliant success of candidates in both the compulsory and elective General Education subjects is also worthy of note. This corroborates the fact that graduates of Technical and Vocational schools enjoy wide choices of subjects other than Technical subjects and as such, have assess to pursue further studies in any field that they passed the prerequisite subjects for admission”.
NABTEB conducts the National Business Certificate(NBC)/National Technical Certificate(NTC) examinations as well as the Advanced National Business Certificate(ANBC)/Advanced National Technical Certificate (ANTC) examinations in May/June and November/December every year.
Giving a break down of the results, the NABTEB Registrar said: “The examinations were held nation wide from Monday, 6th November to Friday 8th December, 2017. A total of 45,088 candidates enrolled for the examinations in 1786 centres nation wide.
“Analysis of the results further reveals that 21,159 candidates representing 52.74% of candidates that sat for the NBC/ NTC examinations obtained five (5) credits and above including English Language and Mathematics whereas, 31,369 candidates representing 78.19% scored five (5) credits and above with or without English Language and Mathematics. This represents an improved performance compared to the previous year’s, 2016 November/December NBC/NTC results where 21,476 candidates representing 47.48% of candidates that sat for the examinations obtained five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics. Also, 33,365 candidates representing 73.77% scored five credits and above with or without English Language and Mathematics.
While assuring of efforts by NABTEB to continue to engage in series of advocacy and sensitization activities to enlighten the public on the advantages of technical and vocational training and reverse the down ward trend in enrollment in the board’s certificate examinations, the Registrar made some far reaching suggestions.
According to her, ” Federal and State Ministries and Local Governments should be urged to give priority to technical vocational education training (TVET) as the bedrock for sustainable development and an instrument for fighting poverty, unemployment and youth restiveness. This requires massive investments and mobilization of the entire citizenry, institutions and corporate bodies using all available medium and instruments.
“Federal and State Governments should establish more Federal Science and Technical Colleges and Government Technical Colleges respectively, especially where there is need as urged by the National Council on Education (NCE) at its 60th meeting.
“The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) should play more role in mobilization of fund for more support of TVET programmes below tertiary education.
“The press and other concerned stakeholders should join NABTEB in the sensitization of the public about the importance of TVET”.
