Delta State Government has spent N2.5 billion for repositioning technical and vocational education in the state. The Commissioner, Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Chiedu Ebie, stated this during Ministerial Press Briefing in Asaba.

According to him, the state government’s aim of repositioning technical and vocational education is to boost the technical knowhow of the country. It was gathered that the amount was used to upgrade facilities in six technical colleges in the state to meet its standard. Three of the technical colleges are nearing 100% completion, while three are still under rehabilitation for harmonisation and enrichment of the curriculum of the National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB).

Ebie added that as a way to encourage enrollment in to technical college, the state government has decided to pay the NABTEB fees for students in technical colleges. He said that the subvention of post-primary schools in the state was drawn from the non-regular overhead and this has posted a challenge to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who had before now approved the sum of N150 million to be drawn from regular overhead as subvention to secondary schools in the state annually.

The Commissioner emphasised that the approved forms will enhance the performance of secondary school Principals and mitigate illegal collection of non-approval levies. He noted that the promotion of Human Capital Development in all categories of teaching and non-teaching personnel in Post-Primary Education Board (PPEB) and State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) from 2015 to 2017 was a good one, adding that the state government received recommendation from NUT in that regard.

SUBEB promoted 6,431 in 2015 also 6,422 and 3520 in 2016 and 2017 respectively. PPEB promoted 3,882 staff in 2015 also 5,028 and 2,250 in 2016 and 2017. Meanwhile, in the cause of ameliorating the challenges of low teacher quality and re-tool for upgrading and retaining teachers at various levels, the administration of Governor Okowa has established the Teachers Professional Development Centre (TPDC) in state.

The 2018 session received approval for the training of 6,504 personnel in the ministry and N-power volunteer Teachers at various community levels, Ebie said.

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