The Imo House of Assembly, on Wednesday, passed a motion calling for the rehabilitation of technical colleges in the state to tackle unemployment and promote self reliance.
The motion, sponsored by the Mbaitoli representative, Innocent Ikpamezie, urged Gov. Hope Uzodimma to rehabilitate and upgrade technical colleges in the state by providing them with modern equipment, functional workshops, and well-trained instructors.
Presenting the motion, Mr Ikpamezie said that technical education plays a crucial role in national development by producing skilled manpower in areas, such as motor vehicle mechanics, building and concreting, among others.
He said that the existing technical colleges in the state were suffering from poor infrastructure, the lack of modern tools, inadequate qualified instructors and low student enrollment due to years of neglect.
He also said that rehabilitating and equipping the institutions would help bridge the gap between education and employment, creating job opportunities and promoting self-reliance.
The lawmaker said that a dedicated training facility for technical teachers will also increase qualified instructors.
According to him, the provision of hostel facilities in technical colleges will improve access to technical education for students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
He, therefore, called for the provision of modern equipment and tools to upgrade the colleges and introducing a scholarship scheme that will encourage enrollment in the colleges.
Mr Ikpamezie also prayed the House to urge the governor, through the ministries of education and tertiary and technical education, to rehabilitate and upgrade all technical colleges in the state, providing modern equipment, functional workshops, and well-trained instructors for them.
He advocated strong partnerships between technical colleges and private industries to facilitate internships and employment opportunities for graduates of the colleges.
Supporting the motion, Kennedy Ibeh (Obowo constituency) said the motion effectively captured the core challenges of the state, including unemployment, drug abuse, misdirected youths and hunger.
Mr Ibeh said the first line of action should be taking a look at the laws establishing technical education in the state and ensuring they were brought up to date with the current realities.
He urged the sponsor to consider coming up with a bill to cement the desired progress in the encouragement of technical education.
Also supporting the motion, Sam Osuji (Isiala Mbano constituency) said the motion was timely, given the current state of affairs in society.
He said that promoting technical education could be a “potent instrument that can be used to challenge the recruitment of people into insecurity”.
Following more contributions and votes in support of the motion, the Speaker, Chike Olemgbe, ruled in favour of the motion.
He also directed the Clerk, Chinelo Emeghara, to convey the resolution to the Office of the Governor and other related agencies.
(NAN)
