The Federal Government has announced plans to overhaul agricultural education in Nigeria’s polytechnics and colleges of education by increasing practical training to 80 per cent of the curriculum.
The initiative is aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills that can help them become job creators, farmers and entrepreneurs across the agricultural value chain.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the report of the committee responsible for reviewing agricultural curricula for polytechnics and colleges of education.
Alausa said the reform was part of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to transform agriculture from a largely theoretical field into a skills-based sector capable of creating jobs, improving productivity and generating new economic opportunities.
Under the revised curriculum, practical training will account for 80 per cent, while theoretical learning will make up the remaining 20 per cent, replacing the previous 70 per cent theoretical and 30 per cent practical model.
The minister said the new approach would ensure that students graduate with practical competencies that could be applied immediately in farming, agro-processing, agribusiness and other areas of the agricultural sector.
“The ultimate objective is to ensure that young Nigerians acquire practical skills that can be applied beyond the classroom,” Alausa said.
He explained that the reform was designed to bridge the gap between classroom education and labour market demands, stressing that agriculture should increasingly be viewed as a productive, skills-based industry rather than simply an academic discipline.
According to him, the reviewed curricula and newly developed National Occupational Standards would provide young Nigerians with the technical skills required to participate effectively in the agricultural economy.
However, Alausa warned that the success of the reform would depend largely on proper implementation.
He called for extensive sensitisation of industry players, academics, teachers and other stakeholders to ensure that the objectives of the new curriculum were clearly understood and supported.
The minister also emphasised the need to train teachers adequately and provide the necessary facilities and institutional support for polytechnics and colleges of education to deliver the practical-oriented programme effectively.
COMMITTEE PRODUCES 36 ND, HND CURRICULA
Earlier, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, commended the committee for its work, noting that the review involved collaboration between the National Board for Technical Education, Skills Council, industry representatives and academics.
She said the collaboration helped ensure that the revised curricula reflected the current realities and skills requirements of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Presenting the committee’s report, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje, said the exercise produced 36 new and reviewed National Diploma and Higher National Diploma curricula, three National Certificate in Education curricula and 31 National Occupational Standards.
He disclosed that 27 of the occupational standards were newly developed, while four existing standards were reviewed to strengthen the national framework for agricultural skills development.
Bugaje said the exercise had been completed and the resulting documents approved by the relevant regulatory bodies.
He added that the full set of revised curricula would be formally unveiled at a later public event.
Alausa assured that the ministry would continue working with NBTE, educational institutions, industry stakeholders and other relevant bodies to ensure that the reviewed curricula are effectively implemented in classrooms and training centres nationwide.
He said the government’s priority remained equipping Nigerian youths with practical, market-relevant skills, strengthening the agricultural workforce and turning the country’s agricultural potential into sustainable economic opportunities.
