Funmi Ogundare
The Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Dr. Wahab Azeez, has called on the federal government to enact a policy on minimum qualification for teaching to attract people to the profession.
Azeez, who recently said this at the 2021/2022 NCE and Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) matriculation ceremony, bemoaned the low enrolment into some departments such as Integrated Science/Mathematics Education and Physics Education, Computer/Chemistry Education, Home Economics Education, among others.
“Specifically, the college of education is experiencing a sharp drop in student enrolment. Nigeria’s certificate in education is gradually going into extinction,” he stressed. “The first degree is made the minimum teaching qualification as many people will like to go for university degrees compared to certificates in education.”
The provost disclosed that the college introduced the Centre for Vocational and Entrepreneurship Development to offer skills to students.
“We have skill acquisition in programmes like barbing, tiling, tailoring, and cooking so that the students can on their own apply such skills to earn a living as far as they are still students here,” explained the provost. “The students on their own are also practising what they have learnt on their own. We want them to be entrepreneurs so that when they are not able to get a teaching job, they will be in a position to establish a business of their own.”
He congratulated the newly admitted students while imploring them to combine both academic and moral excellence throughout their stay in the college. Five hundred twenty-eight students matriculated in the college.
