…as FG declares TVET “free and priority,” vows urgent rehabilitation
A nationwide assessment of Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions has revealed deep-rooted infrastructural decay, acute teacher shortages and weak industry linkages, with fewer than 10 per cent of colleges having adequate internet access and an average of 58 students sharing one teacher.
The findings, presented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on behalf of development partners, paint a troubling picture of decades of under-investment in the sector critical to youth employment and industrial growth.
Speaking on Wednesday at the presentation of the July 2025 Institutional Needs Assessment conducted across 320 TVET institutions in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, UNESCO representative, Mr Oladeji Adeyemi, said the data underscored urgent system gaps.
He said: “The median student-teacher ratio was about 58 students to one educator,” Adeyemi disclosed. “Institutions with adequate internet are less than 10 per cent of the 320 schools assessed, while less than 25 per cent have reliable power for digital training.”
Adeyemi added that over half of the institutions reported unreliable or no electricity, and only about 30 per cent had stable internet connectivity.
The assessment, conducted in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education, GIZ and the World Bank, evaluated infrastructure, staffing, curriculum relevance, industry partnership and digital readiness.
According to UNESCO, 60 per cent of classrooms and workshops require window rehabilitation, with many plagued by poor flooring and inadequate lighting. Over one-third of the schools face sanitation challenges, while water supply is unreliable in many institutions. Hostel facilities are largely inadequate, forcing most colleges to operate as day schools.
On staffing, Adeyemi revealed that 63.2 per cent of teachers in the institutions are non-technical, leaving only 36.9 per cent as technical instructors. Worse still, just 10.5 per cent of teachers have updated pedagogy training, and less than 20 per cent are trained in digital teaching methodologies.
“Only about 32 per cent of teachers have workplace industry experience. If someone without industry experience is preparing students for the world of work, we know what that means.”
The report also raised concerns about gender imbalance, noting that less than 30 per cent of teachers are female, alongside minimal inclusion of persons with disabilities due to unfriendly infrastructure.
In curriculum and training delivery, the assessment found that practical training accounts for only 35 per cent of instruction time, far below the recommended 80 per cent practical and 20 per cent theory ratio. Most institutions continue to focus on traditional trades such as auto mechanics, welding and electrical installation, with limited offerings in renewable energy, digital and emerging technologies.
Industry engagement remains weak, with fewer than 25 per cent of institutions having formal Memoranda of Understanding with companies for internships. Although 61 per cent of schools require internships, completion rates hover around 30 per cent.
Despite the sobering findings, Adeyemi expressed optimism as he said, “Nigeria has a nationwide TVET network and strong government commitment. If reforms are sustained, TVET can become a driver of youth employment and productivity.”
He pledged UNESCO’s support in curriculum reform, teacher development and global best-practice partnerships.
Responding, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, said he was not surprised by the revelations, attributing the rot to “25 to 30 years” of neglect.
“The report shows what we know. I’m not particularly surprised because of the under-investment in technical and vocational education that has gone on for the past three decades.”
The minister decried what he described as the false characterisation of technical education as inferior, stressing that skilled workers earn competitively across the world.
“You go to Europe today, a plumber earns as much as a doctor or more. In North America, an electrician can earn more than a lawyer. Skills are the present and the future,” he stated.
Alausa said the Federal Government had placed TVET at the top of its education renewal agenda, making federal technical colleges tuition-free and adopting at least one technical college per state for full government support, including feeding and learning materials.
“Today, our federal technical colleges are free.
Students will not pay a dime; food, feeding, everything,” adding that over 100,000 young Nigerians had been enrolled in the first cohort of the government’s TVET initiative across skill training centres and vocational enterprise institutes, with trainees receiving stipends while institutions are funded on a per capita basis.
“We’ve reduced about 98 trades to 28 priority trades based on labour gap analysis. We are aligning skills with what the industry needs.”
While noting that aggregated national data may mask improvements in some federal and state-owned colleges, he admitted that “we still have a lot of problems” and pledged to disaggregate the findings to guide targeted interventions. We have been waiting for this report. We will use this report beyond your own imagination,” the minister assured development partners.
He added that funds had been earmarked for the rehabilitation of workshops, provision of electricity and internet connectivity, and deployment of digital platforms in technical colleges nationwide.
