Pros and cons of upgraded colleges

When the news of the upgrading of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo,  Federal College of Education, Zaria; Federal College of Education, Kano; and Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri to universities broke last week, some workers and students leapt for joy.
The colleges have been awarding degrees in affiliation with some universities for over 30 years.
The journey to university status was long and hard.  For over 20 years, successive administrations set up panels that recommended that some polytechnics and colleges of education be converted into universities.  
On July 20, 2010, then minister of education, Prof Ruqayyat Ahmed Rufa’i announced the conversion of the four colleges, and the two oldest polytechnics, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and Kaduna Polytechnic (KADPOLY) to universities.  Government later reversed itself on the colleges.
But with last week’s announcement by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, and his Information counterpart, Mrs Patricia Akwashiki, the colleges’ status seems to have changed for good.
Feelings are mixed over the exercise. Some workers and students  are excited; others are sceptical about it.

Jubilation at Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri
Following the announcement, the school erupted in jubilation. Workers and students sang and danced round the school. The Provost, Dr. Blessing Ijioma, and other top management staff joined in the dance. They  closed ranks to celebrate a dream come true, after a 25-year campaign.
Established in 1963 as Advance Teachers Training College (ATTC), the college has been awarding degree in affiliation with the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) since 1981.
Addressing the students and the management, Dr Ijioma said the upgrade was long overdue.
“In the last 25 years we have desired autonomy to be a degree awarding institution. We have been doing it in affiliation with the UNN but we can now stand on our own. It is indeed a dream come true,” she said.
Dr Ijioma, who is an Associate Professor, said the college has in its 34 years of experience as affiliate of the UNN, built the requisite experience and manpower to run as a full-fledged university.
The Chairman of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Ukachi Wachukwu, who praised the government for the conversion, said the union was confident that the Provost could run the upgraded institution.
“We are grateful that at last the college has been upgraded and we are confident that the Provost can pilot the affairs of the institution. Given her antecedents, we are saying that she should be appointed as the pioneer Vice Chancellor to consolidate on her achievements,” she said.
Some of the students described the elevation of the school as a dream come true, adding that it would impact on their certificate.
Angela Ifeakanuba, a 200-Level student, said it would end discrimination against graduates of the college.
“We are happy because this elevation has ended the discrimination suffered by NCE holders and degree holders. It made it look as if our certificate was inferior to that of the university. Now we can proudly say that we are undergraduates of a Federal University. It is worth celebrating,” she said.
Another student, Mr Izuchukwu Ephraim, said it would put paid to his plans to transfer to the university.
“I can’t wait for the University to kick off fully, I have been dreaming of crossing over to a university but now my prayer has been answered. I am happy that I am now an undergraduate,” he said.
For current students, the Provost said the name of the new institution would appear on their certificates.
“Those of our students that graduated before, especially those that did the degree programme under the affiliation programme, their certificates will still bear that of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). But those currently under the NCE programme will be converted into degree programme when it fully takes off,” she said.
The only cause for anxiety at Alvan Ivoku was the fear of fee increment expressed by some students.
“The development is good but we hope that there won’t be increase in the school fees and other charges,” they said.
Relief at Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo
Adeyemi College of Education Provost, Prof Olukoya Ogen is a lucky man.  The expectation of many years was fulfilled last week barely three months after he assumed office.
The college, which runs 18 degree programmes in affiliation with the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was established in 1964.
Ogen, an alumnus of the college, sent a message to all workers shortly after the announcement,  congratulating and assuring them of better things to come.
The message reads: “Dear Colleagues, just last week, we were adjudged as the best College of Education in Nigeria out of the 99 Colleges of Education. Today the Federal Executive Council has upgraded our College to Adeyemi University of Education. This feat would not have been possible without your hard work, sacrifice and commitment. I felicitate with all of you. Rest assured, this is just the beginning.”
A lecturer, Mr Badmus Akinkuotan, said the academics were ready for the upgrade as many were already PhD holders – the minimum qualification approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to teach in a university.  He said some of the lecturers started their PhD programmes after the first announcement by Prof Ahmed Rufa’i.
“We are well prepared.  Adeyemi College is long overdue for this upgrade and we are happy that we were among the colleges finally upgraded by the federal government. We will like to commend President Goodluck Jonathan on this because he approved the upgrade before his administration ended. The college has best hands on ground and the upgrading is not really going to be a tough task,” he said.
A lecturer from Biology Department, Dr. Femi Olajuyigbe, described the conversion as a blessing from the government to the people of the state.
Olajuyigbe noted that if the structures on ground, both human and physical, were put into consideration by the Federal Government since, the college would have long become a university.
A Senior Lecturer in Department of English, Mr. Timothy Adebiyi, added: “If you look at the calibre of lecturers in this college, they are far better than some of the university lecturers. This is the only college which has facilities that can compete with other universities in the country.  For example, the English laboratory in this college is far better than most of the universities’ English laboratories.”
With its new status, Francis Kanu, a 200-Level Biology student, said the institution would be able to offer more programmes.
But for Olabisi Ogunmola, also of the English department, what is most paramount is that she would be able to hold her head high among her friends back at home as a university undergraduate.
“I was excited when I heard the news.  This will give me the courage to tell the people that I am a student of Adeyemi University of Education.  When home for holidays, many of my friends used to laugh at me for being a student of a college of education,” she said.

Muted excitement at Federal College of Education, Zaria
At the Federal College of Education, Zaria, in Kaduna State, the news of the conversion was not openly celebrated.Though the students are excited about the prospect, the college management still await official communication from the government before the news is openly acknowledged and celebrated.
When The Nation visited the institution on Monday, the management declined comment on the development, saying that there had been no formal communication from the Federal Government to the college on the planned conversion.
Head of the college’s Public Relations Unit, Hajia Rakiya Sidi, told The Nation that the information they had was from the news.
“We have read the news on social media and other platforms; we have also heard it on radio.  But as we speak, there has not been any official correspondence from the Federal Government to us.Therefore, it would be out of place to begin to talk to the press about the issue, even though, we received the news with joy,” she said.
She however promised that the school management will address the press as soon as they were formally informed by the government.
The students, who are obviously not disturbed by the formal communication to the authority, feel the conversion is as good as done. They are already feeling that the planned conversion will transform them from NCE to B.Ed holders.
On the campus located at Congo in the heart of Zaria city, the conversion matter dominated discussions among students, some of who were already addressing themselves as undergraduates of FUE (Federal University of Education).
One of the students (name withheld) said: “The conversion is well deserved, but I don’t think we should begin to celebrate because they (government) might come and say only first year students will benefit by graduating with B.Ed.”
However, her friend who sounded optimistic replied: “Yes, it might not affect us directly.  But I will still be proud to say I graduated from Federal University of Education, Zaria. Besides that, I still believe there is going to be an alternative for those of us close to graduation.”
She continued: “Don’t be surprised. We might just be given option of staying for one extra year and get B.Ed or graduate at our scheduled period and go home with NCE.  But I bet you, if we are given such option, 99.9 per cent of students will jump at the extra year to obtain B.Ed.”

Reactions from other stakeholders
The Governing Councils of Federal Colleges of Education in Nigeria have commended the Federal Government for elevating the colleges.
Senator Emma Anosike, chairman, Committee of Chairmen of Governing Councils, Federal Colleges of Education, said in a statement that the upgrade was laudable. He, however, urged the government to increase commensurate funding to the institutions.
“The magnanimity of the Federal Government in general and that of the Federal Ministry of Education in particular its truly appreciated by the entire members of the Committee and the College of Education Community for this laudable development by which we are further assured of the government’s drive for production of quality Teacher Educators in Nigeria.
“Our prayer for these newly upgraded institutions is for the Government to adequately fund the Teacher Education sector. Once again, we wish to collectively congratulate and felicitate with the four Colleges of Education for the feat attained,” the statement read.
Former COEASU chairman, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Otto/Ijanikin (AOCOED) Victor Akinola said the upgrade has justified the union’s agitation in the last 15 years.
He urged the government to do a periodic upgrade of mature colleges, every four years, rather than set up new universities. This is to meet the demands of the society with respect to inadequate teachers.
Akinola continued: “The UBE programme has also shown we do not have enough teachers and since universities are not doing enough, it requires that more areas of support come from colleges of education nationwide.
“I’ve always maintained that it is very costly setting up universities by government. But rather than establish new ones, the existing ones with strong facilities and personnel should be upgraded to universities.
Akinola urged his colleagues to see the development as a means to  improve further so they would not be sent away.
“We have to subject ourselves to critical analysis and rational judgment. Much as we all expect our colleges to keep changing to universities, personnel must also aspire to improve on their academic status so we don’t end up as victims eventually. After that, all that is left will be how to bridge the gap between Chief lecturer (highest academic status in colleges) and professors. I suggest our colleagues who have attained a reasonable number of research, conference attendance as well as publications, should enjoy direct conversion into professorial status,” he said.
But for the union’s former national Public Relations Officer, Femi Keshinro, the upgrade is not welcome, as it may spell doom for the NCE – like the Teacher’s Grade II certificate before it.
He said the position of COEASU is that the government should allow colleges of education remain but extend their mandate to issue a degree in education.
Keshinro said: “The government’s abolition of Grade II remains one of the greatest errors to the education system in Nigeria.  Now I suspect with this conversion, NCE may also be bidding a gradual farewell. Government says NCE is the minimum certificate to teach. Now if all colleges of education were to be upgraded to universities, what happens to NCE? That also goes into extinction, doesn’t it?”