The minister of state for education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has restated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the quality of education in the 110 Unity Colleges in the country.
Nwajiuba stated this while declaring open the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Principals of Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) held in Gombe on Monday.
The Theme of the AGM is, “The Role of Education in Eradicating Social Vices as a Guiding Tool in this Era of Insecurity.”
He stated that the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, was committed to improving the quality of education generally.
“Federal Government is committed to restoring the past glory of the FUCs through adequate funding, strict supervision, and evaluation of the entire system,” said Nwajiuba.
The minister stated that the government’s determination to bring back quality and standard to Federal Unity Colleges across the country resulted in the 2020 announcement of a welfare package for teachers.
“The package includes the harmonized bill for the new retirement age of teacher/education officers, plans to increase teachers’ quality through payment of a new teachers’ salary structure.
“Others are automatic employment after graduation for graduates of education courses, stipends for science teachers in rural areas and also providing modern facilities/infrastructure to accommodate the ever-increasing population of students,” Nwajiuba stated.
He decried the decay in some of the colleges as a result of the negligence by school administrators, warning that punitive measures awaited anyone found guilty of bad behavior and indiscipline.
He added that the ministry would not relent in showing officers found wanting the way out of service.
He further stated that the ministry was investigating cases of those that had not contributed meaningfully to the education sector in their schools after six years in such a location, adding “we will do the needful.”
While urging the principals of unity colleges to maintain an environment conducive for effective teaching and learning, Nwajiuba expressed optimism that the resolutions from the AGM would help address some of the salient challenges bedeviling education.
On his part, the permanent secretary in the Federal ministry of education, Mr. Sonny Echono, said the theme of the 2021 AGM was apt as the country was bedeviled by an increase in social vices.
Echono stated that the abyss of moral decadence into which the Nigerian society had fallen was responsible for most of the woes facing citizens in the country today.
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He said the essence of education was for positive change to fight the complex interactions of psychological, sociological, economic, and biological forces that encouraged individuals to rebel against societal norms.
“I am confident that, with your collective experiences and professional insights, germane policies would be formulated on practical ways of promoting discipline in our colleges and the nation at large.
“As the custodians of human knowledge, you are entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the minds, attitudes, talents and morals of the young ones,” he stated.
The permanent secretary called on the participants to initiate globally accepted practices and strategies to advance quality education.(NAN)
