Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) Executive Secretary, Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo, is challenging all to join the board in promoting technical and vocational education. She spoke with select reporters at the board’s office in Ikeja. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA was there.
To what extent has been an improved advocacy by LASTVEB for technical and vocational education gone?
To start with, the essence of this sensitisation is to inform the public that the days of white collar jobs are gone. All of us should join in this advocacy by encouraging our children to use their hands to trade. There is hardly a home that each day, you don’t need a plumber, an electrician, and so on. Even our architects and engineers can’t do much on site without these technical people.
There is a limited opportunity in the civil service and private sector now. Each year, we have about 1.7 million candidates writing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and only about 750,000 get admission in the end. So, what happens to the rest? Therefore, we should encourage those ones to take up one vocation or the other rather than roam our streets.
What is the extent of enrolment in technical colleges in Lagos?
As we speak, enrolment into technical colleges have increased by over 100 per cent, and I’m sure for the 2018/2019 session, it’s going to be more.
Facilities in the school have also improved.This is complemented by a lot of training for both teachers and students. In their second year, the students go for students industrial work experience (SIWES) Teachers, too, are exposed to training in the industry to familiarise themselves with top class equipment and tools. As a matter of fact, lot of reforms are ongoing in the sector right now.
The administration in Lagos is embarking on massive infrastructural projects all over the state. To what extent are your students incorporated into these projects?
The graduates of the colleges and also those in schools are sometimes taken to some of these construction sites to have real life experiences because they serve as practical for them. Some of our graduates are employed by construction companies working along Lekki Free Zone corridor. Ikeja Electricity Disco and Dangote, which continually employ them. Interestingly, the graduates we turn out are not even enough for their needs.
Our students are better off when they finish from technical school ad proceed to universities. So, we need to let people know that those In technical education are not drop outs. What we are doing is to showcase our ambassadors? We have our graduates all over Lagos that are making us proud.
Last year, you said the government would expand TVE with three more technical colleges in Alimosho, Ibeju and Badagry. Has this been done and how much has been spent on those colleges?
The construction of these new technical colleges have been recognised in the 2018 budget. So, I can assure you we shall complete them before the end of the year. I don’t want to give any figures, but let me say that I defended the budget both at the economic planning committee and the (Lagos State) House of Assembly. We have taken possession of the sites at the beginning. Go to Technical School, Meiran and you would see the extent of the work there.
Is it not possible for students interested in TVE to register as a part time in LASTVEB?
The essence of learning trade subjects in the senior secondary school cadre is to leverage whatever they had learned to sustain themselves while awaiting admission to universities. At present, we do not have such provision for part time, but we have graduates who have jettisoned whatever they learned in universities to learn a trade. We call it Modern Apprenticeship Training Programme. It runs for six months.
What we do is to disabuse their minds on whatever they had learned before, and prepare them for the new task. The opportunities are there, but we need to educate them. Sometimes, it’s ignorance, but I tell you, ignorance is no excuse.
Does the Board have provision for individuals that are intellectually not too sound, yet highly skilled with their hands?
If it’s for proficiency, you go to any of the skill acquisition centres in Lagos State. There, you do not need to have passed through any junior or senior secondary schools. You only need to be strong and willing to empower yourself. But once you get in here, you must do science subjects.
Do not forget that these students, having passed through technical colleges, can as well proceed to
