The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) have voiced strong opposition to the growing trend of converting public colleges of education into universities. This stance was articulated by TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, and COEASU President, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, during a three-day national conference and workshop on Digital Pedagogy and Fundable Research Proposal Writing organized by COEASU in Abuja.
Echono expressed his dismay at the trend, questioning the rationale behind such conversions when existing colleges of education are not meeting the country’s need for primary school teachers. He emphasized the vital role that colleges of education play in producing qualified teachers for the basic education level, which is crucial for the nation’s educational foundation.
“This penchant to convert colleges of education to universities is unnecessary,” Echono stated. “Universities already have faculties of education, and many conventional universities offer these programs. Our focus should be on producing enough teachers for the basic level first. We need specialization and improvements in existing colleges rather than converting all of them to universities.”
Echono urged both federal and state governments to prioritize education at the basic level. He highlighted examples from Germany and Japan, where teachers at the basic education level are better compensated than their counterparts in higher education, underscoring the importance of strengthening primary education.
Dr. Smart Olugbeko echoed these sentiments, warning of the negative consequences if the trend continues. He argued that the move reflects a misplaced priority on the part of the government and urged officials to take cues from countries like China, where universities are being converted into technical institutions to better serve national development goals.
Olugbeko specifically condemned the developments in Lagos State, where all state-owned polytechnics and colleges of education have been converted to universities. “This will have dire consequences on the state’s educational system. Countries advancing in technology are converting their universities to polytechnics, as seen in China. Yet, in Nigeria, we see our legislators sponsoring bills to convert colleges of education to universities simply because they have existing structures. This approach will severely impact our educational framework,” he warned.
Both leaders called for a reevaluation of educational policies to ensure that colleges of education are preserved and strengthened to continue their essential role in teacher training. They argued that a balanced approach to educational development, one that includes robust support for colleges of education, is necessary to meet the country’s educational needs and ensure long-term progress.
