Reps Demand Better Oversight of TVET as Alausa Reports 250,000 Trainees

The House of Representatives has called for improved cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education to strengthen oversight of the government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, Fuad Kayode Laguda, made the call in Abuja on Tuesday during a meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

The meeting came after months of strained communication between the committee and the ministry over requests for updates on the programme.

Laguda, who represents Surulere I Federal Constituency of Lagos State, said the committee sent six letters between January 2025 and July 2026 without receiving a response.

He added that the minister and his representatives also failed to attend an earlier meeting scheduled for July, prompting the lawmakers to issue another summons in August.

“We wrote six different correspondences on the same subject matter, requesting status reports on TVET’s activities and programmes. We did not get any response from your ministry,” Laguda said.

The committee had subsequently directed the ministry to submit documents detailing the programme’s implementation. It also gave Alausa another opportunity to explain the ministry’s position.

At Tuesday’s meeting, however, the minister apologised to the lawmakers, saying he had not personally received the correspondence.

“I would have to profusely apologise and let you know that I did not get any of the correspondence that you sent,” he said.

Alausa attributed the communication gap to the transfer of a desk officer responsible for receiving correspondence from the National Assembly.

He acknowledged the legislature’s oversight responsibilities and pledged to improve communication between the ministry and the committee.

The minister also said he had directed his team to investigate the breakdown in communication and prevent a recurrence.

Following an executive session with the minister and his officials, Laguda described the engagement as productive, expressing confidence that both sides would maintain better relations.

“Our meeting was progressive and purposeful. We are satisfied and, like I said, we will be moving forward and having better engagements,” he said.

The committee chairman said regular access to information would help lawmakers assess the programme’s implementation and identify areas requiring intervention.

“Information is power. Having more knowledge about what is going on will aid us in carrying out our expected duties and having oversight functions,” Laguda said.

He explained that the committee wanted a clearer understanding of the programme’s operations, including funding arrangements, training delivery and employment opportunities for graduates.

Providing an update, Alausa said the administration of President Bola Tinubu had revived technical and vocational education as a major component of the country’s education system.

He said the government was using the programme to address shortages of skilled workers, improve employment prospects and encourage young Nigerians to establish businesses.

“Before this president came in, technical and vocational education was almost totally dissipated in our country. But I can tell you, in a short three years, we’ve brought that back,” the minister said.

Alausa disclosed that more than 250,000 Nigerians were undergoing training at about 1,200 centres nationwide.

Under the programme, each trainee receives a monthly stipend of N30,000, while the government pays participating training centres N50,000 per student monthly.

He said the funding would enable centres to employ qualified instructors, acquire modern equipment and upgrade their facilities.

The ministry has also reduced the number of available trades from nearly 60 to about 22 priority areas. These include fashion design, solar photovoltaic installation, electrical installation and plumbing.

According to Alausa, the programme has attracted far more applicants than available training spaces and funding can accommodate.

He said the first enrolment exercise recorded about 1.3 million applicants, while the second attracted nearly 1.4 million applications.

Beyond technical training, the government is working to connect participants with employers and support those seeking to establish businesses.

Alausa said the ministry had developed a job portal where trainees could upload their résumés and employers could identify candidates with relevant skills.

He added that the government was partnering with the Bank of Industry to support trainees who wanted to become entrepreneurs.

“We don’t just want them to be job seekers. We want them to be micro-entrepreneurs and do business themselves,” he said.

The minister also announced that technical education was free at all federal technical colleges and one selected state technical college in each state.

Under the arrangement, the Federal Government covers tuition and other school fees to reduce the financial burden on students seeking technical skills.

Alausa said the ministry was also partnering with institutions in Singapore to improve the capacity of technical college teachers and polytechnic lecturers.

The initiative, he explained, aims to strengthen practical instruction and improve the quality of technical education across the country.

He said the government ultimately wanted a private sector-led TVET system, with the public sector providing funding, regulation and an enabling environment.

The House committee’s renewed engagement with the ministry is expected to improve legislative scrutiny of the programme as the government seeks to equip more Nigerians with industry-relevant skills and bridge gaps in the labour market.