The Federal Government has announced a monthly stipend of N45,000 for students enrolled in technical colleges across the country.
The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, disclosed this in Abuja.
Bugaje said beyond the monthly stipend, the government would also cover teaching fees, pay industry-based supervisors (known as “master class” instructors) where students undertake industrial attachments, and finance the cost of skill certification.
He said the government had allocated a N120 billion grant to support students under the new TVET initiative.
The grant, he said, would be disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
“The N45,000 is not as a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back.
“We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education,” he said.
To sustain and expand the programme, Bugaje said the Minister of Education is championing a legislative Bill to establish a National Skills Fund under a new Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
According to him, the bill is expected to be presented to the National Assembly in the near future.
“This was an idea we have been talking about in the past years, but the new minister has taken it up.
“The bill shall soon be presented in the National Assembly to establish the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework and under it, the National Skills Fund.
“The National Skills Fund will continue to fund TVET institutions, not only those in government colleges, but also those in the private sector,” he said.
