The Provost of the Federal College of Education Yola, Professor Abdudulmumini Saad has cautioned against reintroduction Grade II Teachers Colleges.
Professor Abdulmumini dismissed calls for the revival of teachers colleges, saying the National Certificate of Education (NCE) should remain the minimum teaching qualification in Nigeria.
He noted that positive changes in policy and in curriculum had occurred as the NCE replaced the grade II certificate as the minimum qualification for teachers, saying return to the old system would be tantamount to lowering the minimum requirement.
“To bring back teachers colleges is certainly going to be very problematic, because the curriculum has changed a long time ago. Now the minimum teaching qualification is N.C.E., if you bring back grade II, you are saying that the minimum qualification is grade II, which I went through. So which one is better, is it for you to be taught by a grade II teacher or by an NCE graduate?”, he noted.
“I have always had a different view on the issue of falling standard of education. When you look at our curriculum you find that alot of improvement has taken place and alot of quality assurance mechanism put in place, the issue is actually between what we used to learn in the past and what we learn now “ Professor Sa’ad said.
Calling for increased funding for tertiary education, the provost disclosed that FCE Yola could not afford to pay monthly electricity bills of N3 million, so the management resorted load shedding where each section of the school enjoyed electricity supply for some hours”, he said.
He, however, commended the TETFUND for funding infrastructure development in the school including the Directorate of Undergraduate Studies which made it possible for the college to run a degree programme.
