Education
FG Sets Target For Private COEs
The Federal Government is committed to ensuring quality and standards in privately-owned colleges of education, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Mohammed Junaid, said in Abuja at the commencement of accreditation visits to private colleges of education in the country.
He said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that private colleges of education complied with the Federal Government’s guidelines and the NCCE regulations or face sanctions.
He said that it was the first time the Commission would be verifying private colleges to assess the quality of schools that produced teachers for the country.
“We will assess the level of infrastructure in the colleges, the student/teacher ratio, the quality of teaching staff and facilities,’’ he said.
The executive secretary said that the number of colleges of education was on the increase while the Commission approved only 36.
“The number of private colleges of education is soaring. “Whereas in 1971 we had only two private colleges of education, this figure rose to 21 between 1977 and 2008.
“Thirteen more were established in the 2009 and 2010 period, giving a total number of 36 privately owned colleges of education that has been sanctioned by the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
“You know that quality is the other side of the quantity coin. “While numbers are soaring and multiplying, then the other issue of quality becomes very critical. “So one of the major objectives of our coming out is to ensure that the standards that we have set for the Nigerian certificate in education are being maintained.’’
Junaid said that teachers were very critical in the education system because they lay the foundation for development and were usually assigned to students whether they liked it or not.
He said that students could not choose who their teachers should be, unlike doctors or lawyers, who could be changed due to dissatisfaction in their services.
“We don’t want to wait for the products of our colleges to be out before the users tell us that they are not good quality, we have to solve all the issues now.”
“We carried out verification exercise to states and federal colleges of education in 2007 and 2008, and today we are flagging off the verification exercise to privately owned colleges of education across the country.
“There would be many other teams visiting privately-owned colleges of education throughout the country doing system assessment, comparing what we have on the ground with the norms and standards that we have set at the Commission for the running of colleges of education.
“One of the things we’ll be looking for is compliance with the Federal Government regulations and the National Commission for Colleges of Education policy guidelines for running of colleges of education; we would verify that these are being complied with.”
Junaid said that henceforth accreditation and verification by the Commission would continue in all federal, state and private colleges of education.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, emphasised the need for students to go beyond academic achievements during the university’s 43rd Convocation ceremony.
The theme, “The University Culture In Practice, The IAUE Experience,” highlights the importance of embracing cherished traditions and intellectual values that define great universities.
Prof. Onuchuku encouraged the new graduates to work hard and persevere, noting that their convocation marks a new beginning in their careers and personal lives. He emphasised that they must prove themselves worthy of the certificates and prizes they have received.
According to him, out of 2,887 first-degree graduands, four made First Class, 403 secured Second Class Upper, 2,030 got Second Class Lower, and 450 graduated with Third Class. Additionally, 1,492 postgraduate students graduated, including 306 PhD holders.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), praised the university’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional maturity. He commended the Acting Vice Chancellor for achieving full accreditation for 47 academic programmes and implementing the NUC’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards.
The administrator urged the new graduates to uphold the positive values instilled in them by the university and strive for continuous knowledge and improvement.
By: King Onunwor
The Niger Delta Students Union Government, Rivers State Chapter (NIDSUG), has suspended its planned protest against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) state office in Port Harcourt. The suspension followed an intervention by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The students had planned to protest on Thursday, citing alleged neglect by the NDDC, particularly in welfare and capacity-building programmes for students from the state. However, after the police intervention, the students agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion with the commission to address their concerns.
NIDSUG leader, Comrade Loveday Njoku, expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s alleged exclusion of students from benefiting from its programmes. He presented a seven-point demand, including the reintroduction of scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Njoku emphasised that education is crucial for community development and urged the commission to invest in the future leaders of the state.
The students warned that if their demands are not met, they will resume the protest and occupy the state commission office until their demands are addressed. Despite previous attempts to reach out to the commission’s management team, the students claimed their efforts were unsuccessful.
By: Akujobi Amadi
As part of efforts to improve the welfare and overall quality of education for students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Sole Administrator, Sir (Dr.) Clifford Ndu Walter DSSRS, FCAI, JP, paid an unscheduled visit to Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi.
During the visit, Sir Walter expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of the school and its surrounding environment. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the development of the education sector, stressing its critical role in nation-building.
“I have visited the primary school in Ogbogoro, and now I’m here at the Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi. I am not satisfied with what I’ve seen,” he stated, indicating that more surprise visits to schools would follow.
To address the issues, the Sole Administrator directed the Council Engineer to commence process for rehabilitation of the school.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at conducting on-the-spot assessments of educational facilities to determine the level of intervention required by the local government council.
Dr. Walter also assured the teachers of his unwavering commitment to revamp the school and improve the learning environment for both staff and students.