Councils’ Chairmen Recommend Upgrade of Some Colleges of Education to Universities

The Committee of Chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Colleges of Education has recommended that some Colleges of Education (CoE) with adequate staff strength and infrastructure be upgraded to Universities of Education.

Ibrahim Shekarau, Minister of Education

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Emmanuel Anosike in an interview with THISDAY, cited Alvan IKoku College of Education which he said has over 180 doctorate degree holders as lecturers, while some universities do not have as many.

Anosike also listed Adeyemi College of Education, Federal Colleges of Education, Abeokuta and Zaria among those that have adequate staff strength and infrastructure for upgrade to Universities of Education.

He called for an urgent review of the Act establishing the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) so that it can become National Commission for Teacher Education.

“That way, CoEs can become

Universities of Education. We can also adjust our policies since most of this CoEs produce degree holders of universities they are affiliated to, why can’t the degree theirs?” he said.

He also lamented that lecturers that have fulfilled all requirements for becoming professors are denied that right because they are not teaching in the universities, nothing that such policy does not make sense.

“All the degrees are the same thing, Ph.d is Ph.d,” he said.

The Chairmen of the Councils had earlier called on the Federal Government to urgently lift the embargo on employment and recruit lecturers in Physics, Chemistry and other sciences.

It also called for recruitment of lecturers in special education particularly for the Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo, and increased attention to the school, because of its special status.

The Chairmen, in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting held in Owerri recently , frowned upon encroachment on the properties of some CoEs, particularly in Akoka and Owerri by some other government agencies.

The communique, signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Emmanuel Anosike,  noted that these were some of the challenges observed by the committees while touring the institutions, since their inauguration in April 2013.

“The Committee seized the opportunity to congratulate the President elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and pray that the almighty Allah will guide him aright in administering the country….aptly appreciated and thanked the outgoing administration for its past efforts at improving and facilitating the progress of Education sector through her various educational agencies in Nigeria,” the communique read.

Councils’ Chairmen Recommend Upgrade of Some Colleges of Education to Universities