BEVERLY HILLS, June 02, (THEWILL) – Senators Ali Ndume representing Borno South and Biodun Olujimi, PDP-Ekiti, have asked the Federal Government to establish a College of Education for both senatorial districts.
Both lawmakers said this at separate interviews on the sidelines of a Public Hearing on A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza, Borno and A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Federal College of Education Omuo-Ekiti and other matters connected therewith, in Abuja.
The hearing was organized by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TetFund.
The lawmakers said it is possible to realize the proposals if the government is willing to undertake on the project.
“Well, if the Federal Government decides to do so, it is doable because we have 109 senatorial districts in the country.
“And by my estimate is that an investment of like N1 billion per annum can take care of the modest tertiary institution like that so I didn’t just say that off head.
“So, supposing we are going to establish one federal college of education in each senatorial district and it will cost N1 billion to run it every year which means with 109 billons allocated to that, it is doable.
“So, I didn’t just say it because of politics. As I said, the establishment of sound college of education that will train teachers to teach the children in primary and secondary schools is very fundamental.
“When you have that institution and you give the children sound and disciplined education, they will grow up to be patriotic citizens, educated citizens, citizens that are well disciplined, citizens that are well mentored, that can groom this country in the future”, Ndume explained.
Stating her position, Olujimi said that having colleges of education in each senatorial district was the way to go.
“I believe that is the way to go because I just told you one school in my local government has enrollment of 1870.
“That is huge. The students must come out of school and when they come out of school there will be somewhere to put them in the interim while they are looking for whatever else to do and it will prevent them from following Yahoo Yahoo boys and the betting system that they are all interested in.
“Our youths must not be idle. It will just be a way to mop up our youths from the roads”.
Earlier, Chairman Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TetFund Ahmad Babba Kaita, said that establishing the two institutions would certainly, remedy the acute shortage of well-trained manpower needs of most schools.
“Therefore, the efforts of the sponsors of these two Bills are commendable”, he said.
Declaring the hearing open, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said, although the two locations already had tertiary institutions in their numbers, but the new move was not just about increasing the quantity of institutions.
Lawan who was represented by Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu said establishing the institutions was about adding to the list of specialized institutions in the country.
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