Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres have commenced the use of biometric methods for taking trainee attendance across various states in the country. The verification process is linked to the payment of monthly stipends, as only verified trainees will be eligible for payment.
In a notification by one of the centres obtained by Nigeria Startup News on Sunday, the administrator stated: “Please be informed by this notice that the biometric method of taking attendance (as earlier communicated) will officially commence on Monday. Fingerprint capturing will be carried out the same day, 09/02/2026, by 8:00am.
“Also, note that attendance will henceforth affect the payment of your monthly stipends.”
At some centres, biometric capturing will be conducted on Tuesday, January 10, 2026, by 8:00am, depending on the skill or course.
Trainees who are not captured will automatically be considered not registered for the TVET programme.
Many TVET trainees have reacted negatively to the development, as some are still expecting pending stipends, while others face challenges reaching their centres due to distance. As for the distance problem, FME reopened portal for 2026 TVET centre registration.
This development follows an earlier email from the Federal Ministry of Education to training centres dated January 8, 2026, directing the purchase and mandatory use of biometric attendance devices for all accredited TVET training centres.
Training centres have also been provided with approved software applications to be used on the biometric devices.
All centres are required to commence biometric verification for daily trainee attendance recording. Centres that fail to comply will be deregistered from the programme, and their trainees reposted to other centres. Trainees who are not captured will also not receive the ₦22,500 monthly stipend.
