By Oyibo Salihu Lokoja
, Federal College of Education (FCE) Okene , Dr Iyela Ajayi has called on the Federal Government to upgrade the institution to a full-fl edged University of Education. Ajayi made the call in Okene at the 15th joint convocation for the award of Nigeria Certifi cate on Education (NCE) and PostGraduate Diploma (PGD) in Education for the 2004/2005 to 2015/2016 graduands. He averred that with the quality and quantity of human and infrastructural resources at the disposal of the college, it could conveniently and independently run degree programmes without affi liating with any university.
According to him, the institution commenced degree programmes in affi liation with the University of Ibadan (UI) in 2013 and recorded fi ve First Class in 2015 with another 13 in 2016. Th e provost also appealed to the federal government to make masters’ degree the minimum qualifi cation for teaching in colleges of education to enhance the quality of teacher education. “In this regard, I make bold to suggest that the possession of Masters Degree should be made the minimum qualifi cation to teach in colleges of education since in the university system, Ph.D is the minimum qualifi cation” Ajayi said.
He further disclosed that the college had established an anticorruption and transparency unit to drive the college’s eff ort at fi ghting corrupt tendencies and a centre for Ebira Studies to promote the culture of the immediate community. Th e chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Engr Sa’ad Abubakar, while speaking, said the college from inception, 43 years ago, had evolved into a citadel of teacher education and had been able to guard against students unrest, industrial disputes and cultism.
He said that all the 29 NCE programmes run by the college had 100 per cent accreditation by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) just as the degree programmes had 100 per cent accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC). Sa’ad said the council was determined to articulate and implement policies that would consolidate on the achievements of the institution adding that “Council will work assiduously for provision of requisite infrastructures for teaching and learning in the college”
