Oyetola seeks more investment in technical,vocational education

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has called on government at all levels to invest more in technical and vocational education as panacea to the country’s socio-economic and political quagmire.

Oyetola made the call while declaring open the 79th Plenary Meeting of the Joint Consultative Committees on Education (JCCE) on Monday in Osogbo

The meeting with the theme, “Education for Self-Reliance: A Tool for the Achievement of Education 2030 Agenda,” had Permanent Secretaries of Ministry of Education from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory and other stakeholders in the sector in attendance.

The governor said there was an urgent need for an improved technical and vocational education system that could compete in the 21st Century knowledge-and-technology-driven world.

He implored stakeholders in the education sector to develop a technical and vocational education roadmap to take care of middle-level manpower and create jobs for the teeming youths.

Represented by the Head of Service, Dr Festus Olowogboyega, the governor said the nation’s unsteady development since independence remains the proof that the education sector had not responded appropriately to the needs of the people.

Oyetola enjoined the participants to come up with recommendations that would assist the various participating state governments in achieving qualitative and functional education capable of lifting the nation out of the lingering quagmire in the education sector.

He said his government had developed a road map to tackle decadence in the education sector and continually increase access to quality education that would empower citizens to realise their full potentials.

In his remarks, Mr Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, represented by Dr Lami Ahmodu, Director, Basic Senior Education, said the meeting was organised to chart a new course to address the decadence in the education sector.

Echono, who described education as the only instrument to achieve human, capital and socio-economic developments, said the time had come for government at all levels to give education its prime position.

Mr Festus Olajide, Permanent Secretary in Osun Ministry of Education, gave an assurance that the meeting would come up with useful and workable recommendations to help promote education to engender self-reliance.