In a major push to close the widening skills gap between education and industry needs, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has unveiled a comprehensive plan to strengthen technical and vocational education and training across the state.
Gov. Zulum announced while receiving a report from the Committee on Repositioning Technical and Vocational Education in Borno State.
The event took place at the Government House Council Chamber in Maiduguri.
The initiative, which will span the three senatorial zones of Borno State, according to the governor, is aimed at empowering youth through practical skills development aligned with modern industry requirements.
Gov. Zulum stressed the urgency of revamping vocational training systems to address the growing disconnect between graduates and labour market demands.
“The mismatch between our graduates and the labour market is deep,” Gov. Zulum said. “If we want to address that, we must ensure that robust technical and vocational education is firmly established.”
He acknowledged that while progress had been made in youth skill development, more needed to be done, adding that “we have achieved a lot in providing vocational skills to our youth.
“However, we believe that we are still not doing enough. That’s why we set up this committee to reposition technical and vocational education in Borno State.”
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Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Goni Ibrahim, revealed that the recommendations in the report were based on extensive site visits, stakeholder consultations, and comparative studies with other regions.
In a related move, Gov. Zulum also directed the Ministry of Education to begin exploring the integration of vocational training into the almajiri school system, in a bid to extend technical education to underserved populations.
“I have instructed the commissioner of education to liaise with the executive secretary of the Sangaya Education Board to consider introducing technical and vocational education in our sangaya schools,” Gov. Zulum said.
The governor commended the leadership of the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Lawan Wakilbe, for his ongoing efforts in transforming the education sector.
