By SANI IDRIS-ABDULRAHMAN

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has responded to concerns raised by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) regarding the outsourcing of quality assurance activities.

The response was contained in a statement issued to newsmen by Fatimah Abubakar, the Head of NBTE?s Media Unit on Sunday in Kaduna.

She appreciated ASUP?s commitment to maintaining high standards in regulating Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria.

Abubakar explained that the proposed framework was aimed at addressing the challenge of regulating over 800 institutions, with less than 100 Programme Officers of the board.

She added that the outsourcing initiative, approved by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, was for physical accreditation exercises, to enable institutions with poor ICT infrastructure to upgrade and come onboard the digital platform.

According to her, the initiative also seeks to enhance efficiency, leverage external expertise and align with global best practices.

?The outsourcing model is structured to maintain transparency, avoid conflicts of interest and uphold the integrity of the accreditation process.

?The digital platform remains the mainstay for accreditation and quality assurance processes in NBTE,? she said.

Abubakar added that the board was open to constructive dialogue with stakeholders, including ASUP, to refine implementation strategies.

She disclosed that a stakeholders? dialogue was held with Rectors and union leaders to discuss the new initiative.

She said NBTE looked forward to continued engagement with ASUP and other stakeholders to strengthen the regulatory framework of TVET institutions. (NAN)

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