Shortage of technical manpower hits technical colleges

From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

The National Business and Technical Examinations Board, (NABTEB) has said that out of the 27,782 candidates that sat for the 2022 November/December NBC/NTC examinations, 21,103 scored five credits and above, including Mathematics and English Language, representing 75.96 per cent.

The Registrar, Prof Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe, said this in Benin City, during the release of the 2022 NABTEB examination results.

She also said 26,561 candidates scored five credits and above with or without English Language and mathematics representing 95.61percent adding that the performances are slightly better than those of the previous year where 25,915 candidates representing 76.30 per cent obtained five credits and above including English and mathematics and 29,923 candidates, representing 88.1percent of all the candidates that sat for the examinations obtained five credits and above with or without English Language and mathematics.

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Prof. Isiugo-Abanihe, while stating that 123 persons were cut in the web of examination malpractices, indicating a decrease from the previous year, said the board would continue to make more efforts by stepping up training of examination personnel and the use of technology to further check examination fraud.

The NABTEB Registrar added that a total of 31,656 candidates, consisting of 19,004 males and 12,652 females registered for the examinations in 1,678 centres.

Isiugo-Abanihe further decried the dearth of qualified technical teachers, stressing that those hitherto handling the teaching of those various subjects are retiring without a replacement.

She however listed a grossly inadequate number of state-owned technical colleges in some states compared to the number of conventional secondary schools, a lack of technical manpower, equipment and materials for effective practical activities and training and increasing cost of materials and equipment and inadequate funding for Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (TVET) Programmes as some of the teething problems slowing down the progress of the technical studies in Nigeria.