COEASU faults FG’s UTME waiver for NCE candidates

… Warns on falling standards

ABUJA — The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) on Wednesday faulted the Federal Government’s decision to grant admission exemptions to candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education, warning that the move could undermine the quality of teacher education in the country.

The union said it was not consulted before the policy was announced and cautioned against what it described as unilateral reforms capable of weakening standards in the nation’s education sector.

National President of COEASU, Lawan Bazza, who addressed journalists in Abuja, maintained that any major reform affecting teacher education must involve critical stakeholders, including unions and education professionals.
Bazza said although efforts to boost enrolment into Colleges of Education were commendable, such measures should not come at the expense of quality teacher training and long-term national development.

“We were not consulted in the discussions that led to the development of this policy or shift,” he said.

“Anytime government has a policy on ground and is muting the idea, it must engage critical stakeholders and have discussions so that we understand the reason and why such policies are being pronounced.

“That is why we always call for a bottom-top approach, not a top-bottom approach.”

He disclosed that the union would convene an emergency meeting of its National Officers’ Council alongside former presidents of the union to deliberate on the policy and make public its official position.

The COEASU president stressed that teacher education remained central to national growth and warned that lowering admission standards without broad consultation could have grave implications for the quality of teachers being produced across the country.

Bazza spoke while presenting resolutions reached at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held between May 6 and 9 at the Delta State College of Education.

He reiterated the union’s support for ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening Colleges of Education, particularly the implementation of the Federal Colleges of Education Act 2023, which retains the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) as the minimum qualification for teaching in Nigeria.

According to him, the union endorsed a five-year training structure for student teachers under the dual mandate arrangement, saying the model would provide all-round professional development through deeper grounding in pedagogy and subject content.

Bazza commended the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, for efforts toward implementing the Act in line with its original intent.

On labour matters, the union raised alarm over what it described as increasing intimidation of lecturers in some Colleges of Education, alleging that certain provosts victimise academic staff for participating in legitimate union activities.

The COEASU president also welcomed the appointment of Angela Ajala as Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

He further disclosed that the union had successfully concluded and signed a renegotiated agreement with the Federal Government after nearly 16 years since the last agreement was reached in 2010.

Bazza urged the government to fast-track negotiations with other education sector unions to avert disruptions across tertiary institutions, insisting that both academic and non-academic workers should operate under harmonised agreements.

The union also expressed concern over poor salary structures in several state-owned Colleges of Education, accusing some state governments of paying lecturers what it termed “peanuts.”

States specifically mentioned by the union included Kwara State, Gombe State, Osun State, Ebonyi State, Ogun State, Kaduna State, Yobe State, Oyo State, Borno State, Adamawa State, Abia State and Imo State.

According to Bazza, the continued poor remuneration of workers in the colleges could threaten industrial harmony within the institutions.

“NEC noted with grave concern and dismay the attitude of some states still paying peanuts as salaries in our respective colleges of education,” he said.

He called on the Federal Government to engage state governments to ensure full implementation of agreements reached with education unions nationwide in order to sustain industrial peace and improve standards in the tertiary education sector.