Delta, World Bank, EU spend N342m to revitalise vocational education

The World Bank in partnership with the European Union (EU) and the Delta State Government has spent N342 million on the rehabilitation and resuscitation of technical and vocational education in Delta State in the past four years.

The grant, which was released to the state during the period under review, came through its sponsored project in the state – the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) – the State Coordinator for the project, Benson Ojoko has said.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian in Asaba, Ojoko said that while the sum of N180 million was released in the first batch for the revitalization of six technical colleges and three vocational institutions (N20 million each to the various institutions), the sum of N162 million was released in the second batch to the six state technical colleges in the state with each of them getting N27 million.

The technical colleges that benefitted from the grants according to the state SEEFOR project coordinator include: Agbor Technical College, Sapele Technical College, Ogor Technical College, Issele-Uku Technical College, Ofagbe Technical College and Utagba-Ogbe Technical College.

According to him, the move was occasioned by the deliberate desire by the partnering donor agencies towards the resuscitation of technical education in the state, as well as other states where the intervention scheme is currently holding, just as he added that the vision has been yielding the desired result, particularly in Delta State.

“In the first circle of this intervention scheme, we gave each of the six technical colleges in Delta State N20 million, as well as three vocational institutions. In 2016, we also gave N27 million to each of the six technical colleges, excluding the three vocational institutions. The fund is meant to fund the activities that are documented in the various institutions’ improvement plans.

“It is indeed a medium term strategy that is targeted at developing costing activities that they (the various institutions) would want to implement in each of their workshops.

“Also, it will pass through the Ministry of Education Technical Committee for the SEEFOR project as approved by the commissioner, as well as the World Bank who gives the final nod.

“So far, I can tell you that the vision has since been yielding the desired result as testimonies abound within the state of the influx of massive enrolment of students into the various technical colleges across the state”, he said.