The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has expressed its support for the proposed establishment of 10 new Colleges of Education across Nigeria.
At a public hearing on the bills, the Commission urged the House of Representatives to prioritize states that currently lack Colleges of Education.
According to NCCE Executive Secretary, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, 27 states already have Colleges of Education.
He advocated for the new institutions to be established in the following states, which have none: Bayelsa, Kwara, Taraba, Jigawa, Ondo, Plateau, Niger, Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Imo.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Deputy Chief Whip Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka, noted that Nigeria has 205 federal, state, and privately-owned Colleges of Education.
However, with a population of about 230 million, over 60% of whom are under 24 years old, the demand for education far exceeds the current supply.
Chairman of the Committee on Federal Colleges of Education, Hon. Adamu Tanko, who is also a sponsor of the bills, highlighted the importance of education as the foundation of national development.
Other sponsors, including traditional rulers, echoed this sentiment.
The 10 proposed institutions include Federal College of Education, Technical, Ile Ife, Federal College of Education, Faskari, Katsina, FCE, Oyin Akoko, Ondo state and FCe, Ijesha, Lagos state amongst others.
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