Alausa Moves to Overhaul MBTE, Targets Skills Revolution

Nigeria's Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has initiated a significant restructuring of the Monotechnic and Technical Education Board (MBTE). This move is part of a broader effort to reposition polytechnics and monotechnics as key drivers of skills development, employment, and economic growth within the country.

The reform centers on a comprehensive institutional assessment conducted by KPMG, a global professional services firm. This assessment will review MBTE's organizational structure, internal processes, and operational framework. Dr. Alausa stated that this exercise is crucial for creating an agency capable of effectively overseeing polytechnics and monotechnics, thereby advancing President Bola Tinubu's "Renewed Hope Agenda."

Dr. Alausa emphasized that the restructuring is more than just an administrative change; it's a fundamental redefinition of MBTE's role to enhance its capacity in driving Nigeria's "skills revolution." He asserted that the effectiveness of institutions supervising technical education directly impacts the success of the Federal Government's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reform agenda. The goal is for MBTE to become a "fit-for-purpose" institution that ensures polytechnics and monotechnics produce graduates with practical skills demanded by industry.

Findings presented by KPMG Africa and KPMG Nigeria underscore the urgency of these reforms. Adewale Ajayi, a Partner at KPMG, revealed that approximately 93% of Nigeria's workforce operates in the informal sector, and about 12% of young Nigerians are neither in education nor employment nor training. Despite these challenges, Ajayi noted Nigeria's significant potential in TVET, ranking second only to Singapore globally in TVET graduate employability among assessed markets.

However, Ajayi warned that outdated curricula remain a major hurdle. Over 55% of assessed curricula are outdated across various fields, including engineering, science, and arts. Funding constraints and a slow curriculum review cycle contribute to this problem, although recent updates to the agriculture curriculum were cited as a positive step.

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Everything about the polytechnic is technical and vocational education and training. It is all about skills. We are simply discussing skills.