Kano govt to partner UNESCO, Korea on technical, vocational education

Kano State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with UNESCO and the Republic of Korea on technical and vocational education through the Better Education for Africa’s Rise (BEAR III) project, aimed at enhancing education in the state.

The State Commissioner of Education, Dr Ali Haruna Makoda, gave the assurance during a meeting with the project’s technical team at his office.

“Kano State Government is therefore ready to work with this project under UNESCO and the Republic of Korea to enhance technical and vocational training, more especially among our students of technical colleges,” he stated.

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Dr. Makoda, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Bashir Baffa Muhammed, stated that the BEAR III project objectives aligned with the present administration’s policies of empowering youth with practical, market-relevant skills that foster innovation and job creation.

According to him, “the meeting intends to examine reports on crop value chains and institutional capacity assessment. Kano State will stand at a better chance to benefit from the report outcome.”

Dr. Makoda said the support given by UNESCO and the Government of the Republic of Korea to Kano in strengthening technical and vocational education training (TVET) remains a clear demonstration of their effort to enhance economic activities in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Public Enlightenment, Ministry of Education, Kano State, Balarabe Abdullahi Kiru, a copy of which was made available to the press in Kano.

Dr. Makoda then observed that the Technical and Vocational Education Training program has not been limited to education alone but covers areas of empowering young people, strengthening their livelihood, and ensuring sustainable economic growth.

He expressed confidence that with the expertise at the meeting, a clear consensus would be reached on the priority crops to be used for the agro-processing program and the appropriate institutions for the project implementation.

Presenting the project overview and update from the last meeting, the project regional coordinator of BEAR III, Manish Joshi, said the overall objective of the project is to equip young people with technical and generic skills to access decent employment through a strengthened TVET system.

Manish outlined some implementation updates of the project, which include, among others, the completion of the needs assessment of all technical colleges, the conduct of a seminar on improving work-based learning and apprenticeship for agriculture produce and technology, as well as the conduct of a strategic roundtable on career guidance and counseling.

In her remark, the Director of Technology and Science Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Olodo M.A., noted that the meeting is more than about reviewing a report but about aligning the effort of the technical team to create a resolution that would strengthen skills, transform agriculture, and open opportunities for young people.

The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Idris M. Bugaje, represented by Prof. Diyauddeen Basheer Hasan, said the Board is very keen on developing the capacity of the beneficiaries through the use of the right curricula that are applicable to Kano State.

“One good thing that I want to share with you is that we are looking more into seeing a developed curriculum in some certain areas which are much applicable to Kano, areas where we lay more emphasis on irrigation,” he stated.