Eighty eight thousand (88,000) candidates are taking part in the 2022 National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) Certificate.
The Chief Executive Officer of NABTEB, Ifeoma Isiugo Abanihe, stated this in Abuja on Thursday, while monitoring the 2022 NABTEB examinations in Federal Government College Orozo and Government Technical College, Garki, Abuja.
She said the Board since 2018 has been recording increase in numbers of candidates sitting for the exams.
Isiugo said the surge began in 2015 when the first recorded 55000 enrollments for the exam while it increases steadily to 83000 in 2018.
She disclosed that for the 2022 exams, about 88,000 candidates applied to write the NABTEB exams nationwide.
“This year, we have significant increase in the enrollment and we have 88,000 candidates in the past five years. It’s been increased every year.
“Starting from 2018, it was about 55,000 candidates, but this year you can see last year was 83,000 plus so there has been steady increase in enrollment and I think it is because of the realisation that TVET is the way to go.
“In the world today there is need for skills acquisition there is need for empowerment in skills, self reliance, and its at the bottom of development and that is why there’s more realisation that is a very, very crucial aspect of education,” she added.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Director human resources of the Federal Ministry of Education, David Gende called for an end to the demeaning of NABTEB Certificate.
The minister said skills acquisition is what the government is promoting hence the need to prepare for skilled work force and take over the Nigerian business and Technical workspace.
“People need to stop demeaning this very certificate, so that people can pick up the skills that are required. we need to stop those who are taking over our space you know if those space were available, the young ones who cannot continue after this level, at least have some skills to carry on and take over the space.”
He further said the government was presently directing students towards the sector as option for those who cannot fit into the formal sector.
“That’s the way to go. And that’s where we’re directing our students to go those who cannot fit into other professional areas of of their college. There are other sound options that we know is acceptable anywhere, and it’s even contributing greater to the development of our country.”
