Abstract

Evaluation of Vocational Education in Nigeria: A Review of the Roles of the Regulatory Bodies

Ovbiagele, Abraham Otaigbe

Vocational education holds the key to the economic and industrial revolution of Nigeria in that it emphasises employable skills needed for self-reliance. It is currently gaining high level of acceptation in Nigeria. This is due to the increased commitment on the part of government to the proper management and evaluation of this all important type of education which holds the potentials for the socio-economic development of the nation. Much has been said and written on the need to train Nigerians to develop and acquire employable skills for self-reliance in the absence of white collar jobs for the teeming population of graduates from the conventional types of education hitherto provided by our tertiary institutions. This work examined the management of vocational educational right from the upper basic level to the tertiary level of our educational system. The roles of the various regulatory bodies viz: NUC, NBTE, NCCE and NABTEB were examined to give insight to the popularity of this skill-based education and as a way of determining the commitment of government to training Nigerians in employable skill conclusion was drawn that the regulatory bodies have fared well in the their regulatory roles. Recommendations were made amongst which was the need for proper funding of vocational education programmes in Nigeria tertiary educational institutions.