The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) have raised objections to the ongoing trend of transforming public colleges of education into universities, citing concerns over the implications for teacher training and basic education in Nigeria.
Speaking at a national conference in Abuja, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, expressed dismay at the move, emphasising the critical role of colleges of education in producing teachers for primary schools.
Echono questioned the rationale behind converting these institutions when there is already a shortage of educators at the basic education level. Stating, “This penchant to want to convert colleges of education to universities, frankly I see no need for it. Universities already have faculties of education. And many of the conventional universities have this already. Why don’t we produce enough for this basic level first? We can have some level of specialisation because improvements come. And some of them already have that. But do we want to convert all our colleges of education to universities when we are not producing enough for our primary schools?
“And you know the concept of the pyramid. The highest number of enrolment is at the primary level. Because people begin to drop out as they move to higher level. So that’s where we need the highest number of teachers. And in countries that get it right, I can give examples of Germany and Japan. It is the teachers at the basic level that earn more than the teachers even at the tertiary level.”
COEASU President, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, echoed Echono’s sentiments, warning of negative consequences if colleges of education are phased out.
Olugbeko criticised the government’s emphasis on converting educational institutions to universities, calling for a re-evaluation of priorities and a shift towards enhancing technical education.
