By Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Goronyo
Dr. Balarabe Shehu Kakale, a medical doctor and former National Assembly member represented the Dange/Shuni, Tureta, and Bodinga federal constituency from 2019 to 2023, has applauded the significant efforts of the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in his quest of repositioning the Board in line with the global drive for education and skills manpower development.

Dr. Kakale made the commendation at the NBTE Center of Excellence during a Quality Assurance Assessors/Managers training sponsored by the NBTE.
The former commissioner of Health and Budget Planning from Sokoto state said he had read “Skills not degrees: The future of work globally” by Professor Idris M. Bugaje and appreciated the futuristic vision of the NBTE Executive Secretary in revolutionizing technical and vocational education in Nigeria.
“The book is about skills, and skills are all about making people self-employed and being creative within the ecosystem of Nigeria.”
“I was in Kaduna State today because of our interest in what NBTE is doing. I traveled to Kaduna to the Center to learn from the instructors, facilitators, and teachers of this training. This is truly one of the efforts of Professor Idris M. Bugaje in championing technical education in Nigeria,” Dr. Shehu said.
The sponsor of the Bill that established the National Commission for Almajiri Education and out of School Children emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to focus on skills development to promote national GDP and the employment ecosystem. He argued that the government cannot provide jobs for all paper school graduates and pondered on skills development and National Skills Qualification.
“We have a massive number of unskilled graduates in Nigeria. Professor Bugaje, being futuristic, clearly tells the story of what the world is driving towards in his book. Well, the emphasis is on skills rather than paper qualifications. Emphasizing skills will reduce the perpetual quest for paper qualifications, where many Nigerian graduates end up on the streets without a job,” the former member expatiated.
Regarding out-of-school children, the former lawmaker who actualized the establishment of the National Commission for Almajiri Education and out-of-School Children with 18 others, and signed into law by Muhammad Buhari, the former President of Nigeria, said the bill aims to democratize and liberalize education across all backgrounds and to empower learners with skills.
The former legislator seeks Nigeria government to decolonize the British method of teaching in Nigeria by changing the inherited methods of teaching to suit the needs of Nigerians’ psyche and thinking, for the benefit of Nigeria’s development.