The Federal Government has announced the conversion of all Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTCs) into full-fledged Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs), with effect from September 2025.

The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

According to Bugaje, the reform is part of a comprehensive strategy to reposition Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector as a credible and attractive pathway for employment, entrepreneurship, and national economic development.

“This is a very smart and timely intervention,” Bugaje stated. “Before now, we had federal technical colleges, but science subjects were gradually introduced into their curriculum. Students preferred to enrol in science programmes while ignoring the technical aspects, defeating the core mission of the colleges.”

He added that starting from the next admission cycle in September 2025, all new intakes into these institutions will be strictly for technical education. Students currently enrolled in science-based programmes will, however, be allowed to complete their studies.

The transition, he explained, has received presidential approval, including enhanced provisions for infrastructure, modern equipment, and upgraded facilities to make technical education more attractive to students.

Highlighting the imbalance in the current education system, Bugaje noted that Nigeria has only 129 technical colleges nationwide, compared to over 15,000 conventional secondary schools. This, he said, is a major reason why most polytechnics admit students from general secondary schools rather than from specialized technical institutions.

“We expect state governments to take a cue from this and begin converting some of their conventional secondary schools into technical colleges,” he urged. “Technical colleges are the proper feeder institutions for polytechnics.”

Bugaje expressed concern over the growing trend of converting polytechnics into conventional universities, warning that such practices undermine the country’s efforts to build a strong technical workforce.

Citing China’s example, where over 600 universities were converted into polytechnics and skills training centres in 2017, the NBTE boss proposed a similar approach for Nigeria. He suggested that if conversions must occur, the institutions should remain within the TVET framework as technical universities.

“This policy shift is aimed at ensuring that Nigerian youths are equipped with practical skills needed for employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation in a fast-evolving global economy,” he said.