FG to reverse technical, science colleges merger

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has expressed displeasure over the merging of technical colleges with colleges of science, saying it eroded the gains of establishing technical colleges across the country.

Mamman spoke this in Abuja on Wednesday at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on “The Challenges and Issues Affecting Technical Colleges” in the country.

He said technical colleges ought to be strictly for pupils with an interest in technical education.

“At what stage do we have the technical colleges become science and technical colleges? They were supposed to be Federal Government Technical Schools.

“So, at what stage did we smuggle in science because I don’t understand? We know that science is very key to everything we are doing but that is not the agenda for this institution.

“Those who want to do science programmes should go to regular colleges and continue their programmes there. So it was clearly a mistake at whatever stage this decision was taken and with the rest of my colleagues minister of state, the permanent secretary, and the directors. We are going to take a hard look at this decision,” he said.

He bemoaned the low enrolment of students in the technical colleges, noting that technical colleges were to teach skills to transform the country.

“This is really important because the technical colleges are at the heart of what this ministry and government want to achieve for this country.

“It is about our educational system and as it has been said, when you’re able to achieve it in education, the nation succeeds.

“This is because we provide the primary manpower for the country which has an impact in all sectors of the country,” he said.

The minister, however, commended the Universal Basic Education Commission smart school initiative, saying it would provide the robust digitisation needed for the growth of the country.