Education Minister Alausa Targets Youth Employment via Sports Training

Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, has initiated a plan to integrate sports training programs from the National Institute for Sports (NIS) into the Federal Government's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative. This integration aims to expand employment opportunities for Nigerian youths by providing practical skills in sports coaching, facility management, and groundskeeping.

Alausa announced this during a meeting with NIS Director-General Comrade Philip Shaibu, discussing collaboration between education and sports sectors. The proposal will allow young Nigerians to access vocational training at NIS centres across eight states, with programs lasting up to six months, pending approvals.

The initiative builds on the success of the TVET program, which has trained over 250,000 Nigerians through approximately 1,200 centres in the past 12 to 18 months. Alausa emphasized the need for local expertise in sports infrastructure management and revealed a common curricular framework developed with various educational and sports organizations, covering six areas related to sports education.