The Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin has stressed the importance of technical and vocational education in addressing the high rate of unemployment and poverty in the country.
Hon Ogundoyin stated this while commenting on a motion brought by Hon Oluseyi Adisa (Afijio) on the need to improve technical and vocational education to enhance youth development.
The Speaker who said since practical skills and knowledge are taught in technical colleges therefore added that there is the need for the colleges to be given necessary support and attention to enable them meet the manpower needs of the society.
Hon Adisa while presenting the motion had earlier identified poor funding, inadequate staff and lack of necessary infrastructure as problems confronting the five Government technical colleges in the state adding that to foster youth employment and entrepreneurship the problems must be addressed.
The house in its resolutions directed its Committee on Education to furnish it with the state of technical colleges in Oyo State as well as what the present administration is doing or plans to do to improve and enhance vocational and technical learning and training in the colleges.
The House also urged the Executive arm of Government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to urgently constitute the Board for Technical Education, release fund for the board to procure equipment to facilitate effective instructions and learning and equally take proactive measures to accredit courses offered at the colleges.
It equally called for a working relationship between the colleges and other well established companies and factories for absorption of students for on the course practical and working experiences.