Few days to the expiration of the tenure of the Dr Goodluck Jonathan administration, four federal colleges of education were converted into federal universities of education. It is expected that this milestone will bring unprecedented joy to the colleges of education community but as events unfold, matters still arise as its union is not just asking for more of such but urging the government to look into other grey areas as it affects the institutions. Kuni Tyessi writes.
The Colleges Of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, while appreciating the federal government for its decision towards the conversion of four federal colleges of education to federal universities of education, it has said with a strong voice that upgrading the institutions to degree awarding schools was the initial proposal for most colleges and not their conversion, more so the conversion of just four.
Its no longer news that most of the colleges were running (and some of them are still running) degree programmes in affiliation with some conventional universities and it was hoped that such colleges would be upgraded and given full autonomy to run degree programmes. This is in a bid to upgrade the colleges and give them a right standing in the sector especially as the issue of access has continued to be a burning issue.
According to the union, the recent conversion of four colleges to universities sought, indeed, to create more space for admission into degree programmes. Although the Union is not averse to the creation/expansion of space or degree programmes for the teaming Nigerian youths, it is quite expedient to note that due cognizance should have been given other factors especially the interest of candidates and or the views of stakeholders before such consideration. This stems from the available statistics which indicates that just well over 2% of candidates seeking admission into degree awarding institutions subscribe to programmes in the field of education. By implication, there is gross disinterestedness in teaching. The sad development -in teaching – cannot be far-fetched from the despicable attention being paid the profession, and those in it, by government at all levels.
The Union has, for decades, canvassed a dual mode for the college of education system not only with respect to access and expansion of space for degree programmes in Nigeria but also professionalism. This has also been found practicable and so recommended, given the experience of some advanced countries in the same vein, by successive government committees saddled with the responsibility of examining its feasibility especially the 1999 Federal Government committee to examine modalities for mounting degree programmes in selected federal polytechnics and colleges of education and raising the salary scale of principal officers and chief lecturers to HATISS 15, especially the observations in item 5.0 and recommendations in 6.0;
The defunct presidential technical committee for the consolidation of Federal Tertiary Institutions in 2007, especially the term of Reference No. 9, as well as the observations and recommendations therein; and the recent, 2014, inter-ministerial committee on the feasibility of autonomy for federal colleges of education to award degree in edcation.
The Union’s insistence on a dual mode system – a system whereby the colleges found qualified are granted autonomy to offer degree programmes concurrently with the NCE programmes has been predicated on its inherent benefits for the country. By such a system, the NCE graduates simply transit onto the degree programmes only by direct entry. Graduates of such a system would, no doubt, be grounded in knowledge of both content and pedagogy. There is also the socio-economic benefit for the nation in general i.e. the fact that the issue of staff being disenfranchised would not arise, as everyone is retained and employment opportunities are further created.
Further, it is expedient to mention that the dual mode is not entirely a new concept. The foremost colleges (those recently converted to universities) have been offering degree programmes in affiliation with universities for decades, since inception. Indeed, except for the supervision and certification by the affiliate universities all other aspects of the process; requisite facilities and manpower, have been those of the colwleges because they have been found to have measured up to acceptable standard. Today, forty-one (41) public colleges of education are in affiliation and offering some degree programmes in education.
Nevertheless, the implication of the conversion especially on the aspect of full integration of the Union’s erstwhile members remains of great concern.
We, therefore, appeal to the statutory bodies saddled with the responsibility of transition; the NUC, NCCE and the FME in particular, to tread cautiously on the placement of the academic staff in the new dispensation for a meaningful integration into the university system. The Union believes, and do hope, that the appropriate authorities would expedite action to put the necessary legal framework in place to facilitate a smooth transition.
While the Union acknowledges the determination of the current administration to stem all shades of criminality, the Union appeals to government to incorporate the issue of safety/security in the campuses of education institutions nation-wide in the fabric of security networking.
This is against the backdrop of being victims of insurgency and such abhorable acts of criminality as kidnappng.
It also appreciates the on-going efforts at correcting the anomalies on the implementation of CONTISS 15, the Union urges government to ensure a speedy conclusion of the verification exercise for full implementation of the outcome. However, there remain some unresolved issues most of which are administrative and structural: Seemingly intractable are the issues of funding, especially on capital and certain recurrent votes; implementation of Needs assessment.
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