By Mariam Abeeb
The Federal Government has set to close the gender gap currently experienced in the National Business and Technical Examinations.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman said this during the monitoring of the examinations conducted by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) in Abuja .
Mamman said that the ministry is introducing skills programmes in schools from basic to tertiary education noting that schools would be bound to implement the programmes.
“We have a lot of policies and measures to foster female participation in technical courses.
“ I have been in the university and I know how the numbers are growing rapidly in engineering, environmental sciences, medical and allied courses, the ladies are practically taking over .
“For us in the ministry, there are programmes already in place that is supporting the boasting of female education and I believe in no distance time we will see overall parity closing completely.
“Once the skill programme is adopted, all schools will be bound to implement it and it’s going to be a game changer,” he said.
He encouraged students to take up skills programme so as to address the problems of quality and employment.
He explained that once students were able to acquire skills, they would be ready for absorption by employers of labour.
He also assured the students that the challenge of funding their university education was over urging then to take advantage of the newly introduced scholarship scheme of the government to finance their education.
On her part, the Registrar of NABTEB, Prof. Ifeoma Isiugo-Abanihe said that societal attitude was the bane of low female participation in technical education.
