ABUJA — The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has inaugurated the new Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and charged it to lead a revolution in practical skills. He described Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a strategic national priority and said it should no longer be seen as a fallback for those who fail to secure university admission. Alausa told the board to focus on strategy and oversight while leaving day-to-day management to the Executive Secretary. He asked it to speed up the Recognition of Prior Learning framework with the Industrial Training Fund, so that artisans can be certified under the National Skills Qualification Framework and move freely for work across ECOWAS. The minister also called for outcome-based curricula aligned with modern industry, including artificial intelligence, automation and green and digital technologies, and urged polytechnics to phase out non-technical programmes outside their mandate. The board chairman, Prof. Babatunde L. Salako, pledged the board's support, while the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris M. Bugaje, noted that the board comes after more than five years without one.