The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) called on the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu to vigorously promote the passage of the bill in order to review the “College of Education Act”, which has yet to be considered by National Assembly.
According to COEASU President Nuhu Ogirima,the passage of the bill and the final approval of the President, Muhammadu Buhari will undoubtedly bring new light to the education colleges, especially the six recent onesupgraded to a federal institution.
On the Composition of the Management Officers/Principal Officers and Governing Councils of the six (6) new FCEs, COEASU lauded the Federal Government for the manifestation of the rare spirit of confidence and trust exhibited in considering a good percentage of those appointed into the various leadership positions.
It said the Union is not oblivious of the limitations or constraints imposed by the Acts establishing the COEs and the NCCE, currently undergoing appropriate legislative process at the National Assembly, which may have informed some decisions on choice of officers.
Ogirima added that, if anything, such a development should rather be seen as strengthening inter-institutional bonds and the promotion of cross-breeding of intellectual ideas among academics in tertiary institutions.
He said in the interim, the fulfillment of pledge to repositioning the sector and government’s recourse to merit in these appointments rather than primordial considerations coupled with the uncommon political will to establish the new colleges is a proof of FGN’s pragmatic sense of purpose to ease access to tertiary teacher-education.
The COEASU Boss took to a statement on Tuesday in Abuja to commend the government, where he equally emphasized the need to be purposive and comprehensive in handing over the instructional mandate of the various institutions to the appointed Provosts of the six colleges.
The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Commission For Colleges of Education NCCE should properly guide the processes of accessing the funding windows available to enable the systematic but firm take-off of the institutions.
He further stated that, “Such processes need take cognizance of the noble anti-corruption policy of the FGN. To us as a Union, the composition of the various bodies is a step towards fulfilling the age-long quest for efficiency, consistent with the statute, in service delivery.
“Councils need be cognizant of their roles and should, as much as possible, avoid the overbearing tendencies more often than not exerted on College Managements. The FME would need to address this critical concern with the desired urgency, given its implication on industrial relations in the institutions.”
