OGHAREKI, DELTA STATE — A newly completed technical college in Delta State has enrolled 369 students in its first week, as the institution prepares for official commissioning.
The Oghareki Model Technical College began academic activities with strong demand from parents, according to the Commissioner for Technical Education, Hon. Smart Ijeoma Ufoh, who inspected the facility on Sunday.
Ufoh said 87 students are already resident in the school hostel, while admissions remain open.
The current enrolment comprises 135 students in JT1, 113 in JT2 and 121 in ST1, where students are expected to receive more intensive practical training.
Nineteen students transferred from the technical college at Omadino after the campus was taken over by the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun.
From 30 Per Cent Completion to a sophisticatedly built and Fully Equipped College
Ufoh said the Oghareki project was about 30 per cent complete when Governor Sheriff Oborevwori assumed office.
He said the government had since completed and equipped the institution with modern classrooms, laboratories, workshops, hostels and other facilities.
The commissioner declared the college ready for commissioning, adding that classes were already underway.
“Today is September 27, 2026, and I want to categorically state as follows: this school is ready for commissioning. All the classes have resumed,” Ufoh said.
The college has specialist workshops for fabrication and welding, fashion and design, building and construction, motor mechanics, refrigeration and air-conditioning, auto electricity, auto body repair, ICT, solar installation, electrical installation, furniture and carpentry.
It also has laboratories for Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Practical Skills at the Centre
Ufoh said the ICT workshop has more than 100 computers, with dedicated solar power, air-conditioning and CCTV surveillance.
The building and construction workshop, he added, has equipment capable of producing up to 100 blocks per hour.
The aim, he said, is to move students beyond conventional classroom education and give them practical skills that can support employment and entrepreneurship.
“We are training students here to become employers of labour tomorrow,” Ufoh said.
The commissioner said investment in technical education was intended to increase the supply of skilled workers, strengthen local production and help reduce unemployment.
Staffing Gap Remains a Challenge
Despite the progress, officials acknowledged that staffing remains a major challenge.
Ufoh said the college would require 133 teaching staff and 26 non-teaching staff, including professionals qualified to operate specialised equipment and teach practical subjects.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technical Education, Dr Anthony Okwunze, thanked the state governor for the beautiful project. He said the current workforce was below the required level.
“The teaching staff we have in this place are just about 13, including the principal and the vice-principal,” Okwunze said.
He said additional teachers would be needed to ensure that the newly installed workshops were put to productive use.
School Appeals for Bus
Okwunze also appealed for a school bus, saying reliable transportation would be important given the college’s location.
He said a bus would allow students to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions and other activities outside the institution.
Okwunze praised the security arrangements, including the perimeter fencing, barbed wire, security post and CCTV cameras.
Industry Links Planned for Students
The government also plans to connect the college with industries through industrial training and partnerships.
Ufoh said students would be given opportunities to gain practical workplace experience before graduation.
He said businesses and investors attracted through the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit could also provide opportunities for industrial exposure.
The commissioner said some parents in Oghareki had already begun transferring their children from conventional secondary schools to the technical college.
He described the first-week enrolment of 369 students as evidence of growing interest in technical education.
Ufoh urged students to obey school rules, protect the facilities and make full use of the equipment and practical training available to them.
With admissions continuing, the Oghareki Model Technical College is now awaiting its official commissioning, marking another step in Delta State’s expansion of technical and vocational education.