To bolster healthcare education in Nigeria, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) ) has launched initiatives to tailor curricula specifically for Environmental Health and Family Healthcare Technology programs.
The initiative involves the creation of Higher National Diploma (HND) courses focusing on environmental health technology, specifically pest and vector management. Additionally, National Diploma (ND) programs in family health care technology are also in the works.
The collaboration between NBTE and the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) signifies a concerted effort to address crucial aspects of public health through specialized education. Commencing on February 5th, the joint endeavour aims to design curricula that encompass various environmental health specialities.
This move is expected to not only bolster the skill set of healthcare professionals but also contribute to the overall improvement of health standards across the country. With a focus on cutting-edge knowledge and practical expertise, these curricular developments aim to equip students with the tools necessary to tackle emerging health challenges effectively.
The specialities are environmental health (8 options), public health (3 options), epidemiology and disease control (3 options) and water sanitation/hygiene (WASH) (2 options).
During a pre-critique on the development of the HND curriculum for environmental health technology, and ND in family health care technology, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof Idris Bugaje, said the board had, since inception, never had such voluminous reviews.
Bugage, represented by the board’s Director of Human Resource Department, Mr Lawal Hafiz, said the curricular development in the options was a sign that the board was changing the narrative from the usual practice.
He added that it was challenging to bring the health sector to the fore of technical occupation education and development.
Bugage also said that given the importance of environmental health and family healthcare technologies, the sector needed to be standardised, and regulated, to ensure that it gave the expected value.
The ES said that since the inception of the NBTE, it had sustained collaboration with the right institutions and experts in ensuring that the standard being set was updated and of international best practice.
He said the aim is to sustain the nation’s educational and trade environment.
He, therefore, stressed that the curriculum, when completed, would enable lecturers to have directions on what to teach and what not to and test the competence of those trained.
He thanked the EHCON and the Family Health Care Technicians and Technologists Association for collaborating with the board, and their dedication towards the realisation of the curricular development.
Earlier, NBTE’s Director of the Curriculum Development Department, Dr. Hatim Koko, said that the final critique for the family healthcare technology signified that it had reached the level of implementation in various colleges and institutions.
He said that the EHCON had lined up a series of functions in the HND environmental health technology in Nigeria.
Koko explained that part of it was the pest and vector management, where they previously in the seminar, developed a curriculum for food safety and hygiene.
“We now have about 16 options for HND, particularly those in environmental health practices,” he said.
Koko, however, noted that there was no curriculum for pest and vector management.
“It is this team that will develop the curriculum and it will be finalised in another critique similar to that of the family health care,” he said.
He urged the curriculum development team to give their best in coming up with a curriculum that would stand the taste of time.
Also, the Registrar of the EHCON, Dr Yakubu Baba, said environmental health was a multidisciplinary field that encompassed various specialities, including water, sanitation, hygiene, air quality, occupational health, waste management, and food safety, among others.
Baba, represented by the Deputy Registrar of the council, Mr Isah Adamu, added that each of the areas was crucial to the promotion of public health and the preservation of the environment.
He, therefore, said Nigeria’s educational programmes needed to reflect the current challenges and advancements in the specialities, to produce competent and well-prepared environmental and family healthcare professionals.
“Our goal is to create curricula that are comprehensive, innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of our society.
“It is essential that our programmes equip students with the theoretical knowledge, technical skills, and practical experience necessary to tackle complex environmental and family health care issues,” Baba said.
The Registrar of the Family Health Care Technician and Technologists Association, Dr Sunday Joseph, explained that the pre-critique would consider the curriculum to incorporate the most recent research findings, global best practices and emerging trends in environmental health and family health care.
He said doing so would foster a culture of continuous learning and ensure that Nigerian graduates were well-prepared to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world to environment and family health.
He urged the participants, resource persons and experts to engage in constructive discussions, share valuable insights, and work together to shape the future of environmental health technology and family health care technology in Nigeria.
NAN
