The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has trained Registrars, Data Management Units (DMU) and Directors of ICT (DICT) of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to drive digital transformation.
The one-day sensitisation and train-the-trainer workshop held yesterday in Kaduna, centred on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), NBTE digital quality assurance and NBTE data management systems developed to support the board’s digital transformation agenda.
Declaring the training open, the Executive Secretary (ES) of the NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, said the platforms were central to the successful digitalisation of NBTE processes.
Bugaje, represented by Dr Babangida Albaba, his Technical Assistant and the board’s Head of ICT, explained that the critical stakeholders were mobilised because they were responsible for implementing digital processes in their respective institutions.
He explained that the data management system was designed to allow institutions to upload legacy data, adding that once the ERP was fully implemented across all TVET institutions, the need for separate data portals would be eliminated.
According to him, the ERP would replace existing portals used for data generation, gathering, management and analysis, creating a unified and efficient system for institutional data handling.
Bugaje said the NBTE digital quality assurance platform was equally critical, as it would fully digitalise the board’s quality assurance processes, noting that data was essential for informed decision-making.
He stressed that beyond data availability, NBTE required reliable and clean data to effectively regulate institutions, monitor programmes and guide policy implementation in the education sector.
He explained that the platforms would enable NBTE to access first-hand information from admission through graduation, allowing the board to track students’ progression across institutions.
Bugaje said this would strengthen NBTE’s regulatory functions and also support the federal government in the proper implementation of education policies.
He added that digitalising quality assurance processes would significantly reduce the cost of accreditation and resource inspection exercises, which often placed financial pressure on institutions.
According to him, the new system would eliminate unnecessary human interference, including the practice of institutions sponsoring visiting teams, which he described as uncalled for.
He explained that institutions would now upload all required documentation on the digital platform, which would be processed online, while only a few officials would be deployed for physical verification.
“This will bring sanity, accountability and transparency to the accreditation process,” Bugaje said.
He said the board had adopted a transformational agenda focused on digitalising NBTE’s activities.
The NBTE boss described the workshop as part of a broader strategy to ensure TVET institutions were digitally enabled, data-driven and quality-focused.
He said the digital platforms, developed and maintained by NBTE, would improve data collection, management and analysis, while promoting accountability, transparency and efficiency.
According to him, the initiative would enhance accuracy and consistency, reduce human error, support real-time monitoring and improve collaboration and communication among stakeholders.
He added that the platforms would also reduce the cost of visitations for accreditation, re-accreditation and resource inspections through continuous data analysis and feedback.
He said NBTE had directed the establishment of Data Management Units in all TVET institutions to ensure effective and reliable data generation and delivery.
According to Bugaje, this i in line with the Nigeria Education Data Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education.
He acknowledged the critical role of registrars, DMU officers and directors of ICT in ensuring effective coordination and management of data across the TVET ecosystem, describing their responsibilities as more important than ever.
Bugaje reiterated that NBTE’s core mandate was to regulate TVET institutions in Nigeria, with a vision to become a world-class regulatory body and a mission to promote skilled technical and professional manpower for national development.