Abuja: The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) has taken a significant step in advancing environmental and public health education by unveiling 14 new curricula for Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes. These programmes focus on environmental health technology, public health technology, and epidemiology and disease control technology, specifically designed for Nigerian polytechnics and monotechnics.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Yakubu Baba, the Registrar and Executive Officer of EHCON, presented the new curricula in Abuja, marking it as a milestone in the development of environmental health education and public health. Dr. Baba stated that the curricula result from years of consultation, technical review, and collaboration between regulatory and educational institutions, aimed at addressing emerging national and global challenges.
Dr. Baba emphasized that the new curricula represent a shift from broad-based training to specialized, competency-driven professional education. These programmes are structured to equip students with scientific knowledge, practical skills, modern techniques, professional ethics, and technological capabilities. The goal is to produce highly skilled professionals who can contribute to improved sanitation, food safety, waste management, pollution prevention and control, disease surveillance, and climate-change mitigation and adaptation.
The initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on human-capital development, skills acquisition, disease prevention, environmental sustainability, and improved quality of life. It also supports Sustainable Development Goals related to health, zero hunger, water and sanitation, sustainable communities, climate action, and partnerships.
Dr. Baba praised the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), technical experts, curriculum developers, professional associations, and academics for their contributions, highlighting the importance of partnerships between regulatory and educational institutions in achieving national objectives. He urged institutions to ensure effective implementation by providing qualified lecturers, laboratories, modern equipment, teaching materials, field-training opportunities, and conducive learning environments.
EHCON plans to collaborate with NBTE and participating institutions in organizing capacity-building and train-the-trainer programmes to strengthen teaching competencies and promote uniform implementation nationwide. The council will also support institutional readiness assessments, programme accreditation, quality assurance, monitoring, and periodic curriculum reviews.
Dr. Baba called for stronger partnerships among training institutions, industry, government agencies, and communities to translate classroom learning into practical experiences. He emphasized integrating digital technologies, entrepreneurship, innovation, and applied research into programme delivery, ensuring graduates are employable and capable of creating employment and developing practical solutions for their communities.
He highlighted the need for adequate funding, institutional commitment, and sustained stakeholder cooperation for successful implementation. Dr. Baba appealed to the Federal and State Governments, educational institutions, development partners, and the organized private sector to support laboratories, equipment, digital learning facilities, scholarships, research grants, and practical training opportunities.
In conclusion, Dr. Baba reiterated EHCON’s commitment to producing technically competent, ethically responsible, and innovative professionals who can respond to society’s evolving needs and contribute to building healthier and more resilient communities.