Chevening Alumni ask Buhari to bring vocational and tertiary education ‘to par’ in Nigeria

The Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria (CAAN) says the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government must bring vocational education and tertiary education to par in Nigeria.

This was disclosed at the maiden edition of the National Chevening Alumni Leadership Summit/Re-union Gala, which held at Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria analyzed every sector of the country’s economy and extracted feedback from various discussion groups on collectively moving the nation’s economy forward.

CAAN emphasized the importance of vocational education in the country as a bridge that fills the gap left by the more traditional higher education and a platform that contributes to the country’s economy.

For CAAN, the definition of vocational education is changing; going beyond past notions of an apprenticeship programme and becoming a more dynamic tool of empowerment of our nation’s youth.

CAAN further posited that the country’s educational planners and regulators must put in place measures that would make vocational education attractive to our teeming population.

Indeed, the country’s educational framework must put vocational education at par with higher education, as this would leap-frog job opportunities in areas requiring technical expertise and human capital development.

The association listed new job opportunities in the non-oil sectors such as shipping, logistics, agro-allied industries, manufacturing, ICT, aviation and the semiconductor industry as areas that would expand Nigeria’s economy.

Members of the Chevening Alumni Association are products of various top universities in the United Kingdom and recipients of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship.

After the one year course of study, these Cheveners return to Nigeria to contribute to the socio-economic development of the nation.

Nigeria has over 1,400 Chevening Alumni drawn from across  the private and public sectors and civil society.

Amongst them are Chukwudi Amasike, renowned legal practitioner , Kenneth Amaeshi, senior lecturer University of Edinburgh, Amina Oyagbola of MTN, John Momoh,  President and Chairman of Channels TV, Adesola Adeduntan, CEO of First Bank Nigeria Limited, Herbert Wigwe, CEO of Access Bank, Simon Kolawole, founder and CEO of TheCable, among other distinguished Nigerians.