The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says it is building an Entrepreneurship Skills Development Centre to promote entrepreneurship education in secondary schools.
Dr Mohammed Ladan, the Director/Secretary, FCT Secondary Education Board, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, on the sideline of a two-day training of FCT teachers on innovation and entrepreneurship education.
Ladan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the centre, sited at Government Secondary School Giri, was expected to be ready by end of the year.
He said that the centre was being built in collaboration with Brunel University Business School, United Kingdom, which promised to furnish and equip it when completed.
He explained that the centre would serve as hub for entrepreneurship education for the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
He added that the centre would also be used in the training of stakeholders and other entrepreneurship teachers in skill acquisition centres across the country.
He said “we are tired of students graduating without a job; we are tired of saying no job, no job, no job. Our students, this time around, will begin to create jobs for Nigerians.
“We want to tackle the problem of unemployment with Abuja as the lead.”
The director explained that what the FCTA was doing was to prepare school children to identify societal problems that could be solved with resources in the environment.
According to him, some of the students are already providing solutions, particularly in converting waste to wealth.
He identified some of the products being produced by the students as interlocks using waste nylon and polyethene bags, toilet paper from used cartons, sweet syrup from date fruits, and flowerpots, among others
He added that the students were being equipped with entrepreneurial skills in welding and fabrication, fashion design, plumbing, brick laying, electrical fittings, shoe making, and hair styling, among others.
The director explained that the teachers training was the third in the series of training conducted to reposition FCT schools for innovation and entrepreneurship education.
“The first training was conducted for school principals, that is the administrators who are the accounting officers of schools.
“The second phase of the training was conducted for vice principal academics, who are the custodians of the entrepreneurship curriculum.
“The third batch, taking place today, is for teachers who would drive the programme and we have more than 400 of them from junior secondary schools, senior secondary schools and teachers from private schools,” he said.
Ladan added that the fourth batch would be organised for artisans to help in deepening skills development and help school children to realise their potential. (NAN)
