By Alice Etuka, Abuja
In an attempt to curb the plague of youth unemployment in the country, the Universal Basic Education has unveiled the School -to -Work Scheme for learners at the basic education level.
The unveiling ceremony was held on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at a One-day Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Implementation of School -To-Work Scheme (STWS) in the UBE Programme for UBEC Management, Commissioners of Education, SUBEB Chairmen and Technical Committee of Members of School to Work Scheme in Abuja.
Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi informed that, “the National Council on Education (NCE) at its 2018 meeting, approved and mandated the Universal Basic Education Commission to design and implement a skills acquisition programme called SCHOOLto-WORK SCHEME”.
Bobboyi explained that the program was for young learners at basic education level, with the goal of equipping them with life-long skills and entrepreneurship for self-reliance.
He said, it was expected that ultimately, generations of school leavers who are productive, self-employed, and contributing to the economic well-being of the country will emerge.
He further disclosed that the target group for the scheme were learners in the junior secondary schools. Adding that it will provide opportunity to learners to detect early in life where their talents and potentials lie — between academic pursuit and vocational skills development.
According to the UBEC Boss, “the Scheme is structured to provide at least six months training, broken into two months per year of study in the junior secondary school. Within this period, the basics of a variety of trades will be taught, on which the learners can build after completing the junior secondary education.
“It is also designed to enable those students who may not be transiting to the senior secondary schools immediately to continue to specialise in their chosen trades until they are able to establish on their own”, he said.
In addition, he hinted that Vocational centres would be established and equipped to support training in a variety of trades in existing junior secondary schools. However, the Scheme will be piloted in some centres in the States and FCT before scaling it up across the country.
On her part, Director for Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Davies disclosed that “the school -to -work – scheme was designed to create a pathway to preparing our youths from the latent potentials they possess to actually making them economically empowered for various opportunities available in various degrees in work related environment”.
She noted that knowledge gained from the scheme could help the youths transit from classroom learning and thrive in a competitive work environment, locally and globally.
Similarly, Permanent Secretary of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, Mr Simon -Peter Okene said the program was a welcomed development as it would curtail youth restiveness. He averred that it would help in keeping them (especially school drop outs) too preoccupied to engage in vices.
