- FG threatens to shut College operating outside license
- Union laments segregation
- Demand for commencement of stalled 2010 negotiations
- Union demand N15billion Revitalisation Fund
- Demand funding of staff demonstration school
CEM REPORT | The Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education, Nigeria (SSUCOEN) has called on the federal government to ensure immediate release of the N15 billion revitalisation fund approved for the various institutions arising from the NEED Assessment exercise.
The Union made this call through a delegation led by its President, Comrade Danladi Ali Msheliza, during a visit to Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in Abuja.
The meeting was to discuss lingering issues affecting members of the Colleges of Education sector.
Msheliza, further appealed for resumption of the stalled renegotiation of the 2010 FGN/SSUCOEN Agreement.
He lamented the segregation against Colleges of Education, by the federal government, noting that government had commenced renegotiation of agreements reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), leaving out Colleges of Education.
He however, commended the Federal Government for payment of arrears of minimum wages for Colleges of Education Staff, affirming all members of the Union have received their payment.
The minister responding to the delegates, disagreed on the segregation and promised that necessary steps would be taken to ensure release of the N15 billion revitalisation fund to Colleges.
However, Adamu, according to Nairametrics, vowed to withdraw licences of the tertiary institutions that are substandard and found to have deviated from their mandates for which licences were issued to them.
“I want to tell you that I have already discussed with the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission and I know that this would have gone to National Board for Technical Education and National Commission for Colleges of Education. I want to make sure that before I leave this place, I withdraw licences of some of these institutions.”
He added that most of the Colleges would have been moribund, if it was not for Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention, while commenting on the issues on poor state of some State owned Colleges of Education across the country.
The Union also urged the Minister of Education to revisit the funding of staff Demonstration Schools in Colleges of Education, saying the FG had erroneously stopped funding the schools because they were referred to as private schools.
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Msheliza argued that the Colleges of Education Staff Demonstration Schools are a requirement for graduating of students of primary Education studies (PES) and Early Childhood care education (ECCE).
He also called for reconstitution of the Governing Councils of Colleges of Education as well as push for quick passage of the Colleges of Education Amendment Act, said to have passed through 3rd reading in the National Assembly.
The Minister responding said the government would look into the issue of Staff Demonstration Schools, based on the explanation of the union. While pledging that all the issues raised would be given due consideration and expeditious response.