Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah has commenced the construction of eight Science, Technical, and Vocational (STV) schools, beginning with the Government Technical College.
Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, Commissioner for Education, made the announcement during an inspection of work at the GTC in Enugu, noting that the STV Schools will be divided into three models: Science and Technology, Building and Architecture, and Industrial Agriculture.
He regretted that the GTC in Enugu had lost its lustre, emphasising the Mbah Administration’s intention to refocus the state’s youth on science, technical, and vocational education, bolstered by hands-on learning, to prepare them for the 21st-century industry.
“As you can see, this historic institution established in 1948 has lost its former glory. The buildings all around us are in different stages of dilapidation.
“But we are happy to share with Ndi Enugu the good news that the Enugu State Government has already embarked on a very audacious education reform project to establish eight brand new Science, Technical, and Vocational Schools servicing SS1 to SS3 in the STVSMB category of schools, starting with GTC.
“The governor believes that we are now in a new age of industry and technology. So, we want to bring back the lost glory of GTC, but making sure that it reflects the new opportunities and realities of industrialisation, of economic development, and of youth empowerment We will be establishing one new STV School in each of the eight federal constituencies in Enugu State over the next two years. The very first is being sited at this historic location, GTC, Enugu.
“There will be three models of the Science Technical and Vocational schools. The first model is focusing on science and technology. These are schools that are going to train our young people, who have finished from basic schools and the Enugu Smart Green Schools as well as graduates, who have no job. We are going to train them in the areas of emerging technology, preparing them to be ready for industry, the areas of robotics, mechatronics, coding, programming, ICT, and others with the objective of getting these young people ready for industry.
“The other model is the School of Building and Architecture. These are vocational schools where our children will learn all components of building – from bricklaying to electricals, plumbing, roofing, among others. We will manufacture our materials in these schools and we will build.The third model is the Science Technical and Vocational School of Industrial Agriculture,” he said.
Prof Mbah also announced the government’s plans to create a smart green school on the grounds of the GTC in Enugu to provide children with a simple pathway to science, technical, and vocational education in the same setting.
He said the move reflected the administration’s 33% allocation to the education sector in the Enugu State 2024 budget, and that the government also planned to develop smart secondary schools around the state.
“We have model senior secondary schools that are also smart schools that are forthcoming. And there is also historic milestone investment in our tertiary institutions. So, this is once again a very important milestone in the achievement of the educational reform vision of Governor Mbah for Enugu State,” he concluded.
Principal of GTC, Enugu, Mr. Christopher Isife, described the STV School project at GTC as a game changer for the long forgotten and dilapidated institution.
“It has never been better in the past years of our existence as a college, but today, the talk-and-do-governor has come to wipe away our tears. So, the GTC community, students, and teachers are very, very happy and we are grateful to him,” he said.