TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: TOWARDS ENTRENCHING CREATIVE INNOVATION FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Technological advancement of any nation is largely dependent on its ability to innovatively apply scientific knowledge and skills in addressing societal problems. This presupposes that when skills are acquired and applied creatively toward satisfying a need, individuals are not only transformed but, the nation also develops economically. The knowledge and skills needed to bring about this transformation are garnered through special education system designed to build learner’s capacity for efficient service delivery. This paper emphasized that TVET is that type of special education designed to impart in individuals, requisite skills and competencies for sustainable living. This underscores that TVET, in addition to being an indispensable tool for training the mind to understanding scientific principles, empowers the hands to manipulate equipment and tools in solving problems which involve constructing, producing, repairing and modifying or rebranding technological products. However, with the level of globalization modernization has brought humanity, life would have been apparently miserable to man without technological products which include electronic gadgets, electrical devices, automobiles among others. Inclusive education in this context, grapples with education system that allows every learner the opportunity to learn and assimilate knowledge in accordance with his capabilities and vulnerabilities; hence, inclusive education avails every citizen including the physically-challenged and mentally-retarded persons, the opportunity to participate in a learning process that could enable them discover their potentials, acquire employable skills and knowledge to sustain themselves as well as fit into the society and contribute towards nation building. The paper therefore contends that integrating inclusive education into TVET could foster rapid technological advancement of the nation as well as recommends among others that, TVET and inclusive education should be systemically entrenched at levels of Nigerian education system to engender creative innovations to stimulate sustainably productive enterprises in order to boost and optimize its economic potentials.