FG Considers Converting Colleges of Education into Universities, Says Minister

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has stated that the ministry is evaluating a proposal to transform all federal colleges of education across the nation into universities of education.

Alausa shared this information during his ministry’s 2025 budget presentation to the joint House of Representatives Committees on Education at the National Assembly in Abuja.

He explained that the proposal became necessary because fewer students are seeking admission to colleges of education.

The minister pointed out that, despite financial allocations to these colleges, some of them have fewer than 1,000 students enrolled.

“Do we need these colleges of education? They don’t exist in the United States of America and several other advanced countries. Let us convert them to universities of education,” he remarked.

Alausa added that this year’s budget proposal is aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s eight priority areas, to be carried out through ministerial deliverables for 2024-2027, in line with the education sector’s strategic plan.

He noted that the budget aims to achieve the goal of “that we provide opportunities for children to return to school, make the teaching and learning environment safer, improve the capacity of teachers to deliver curricula that are contemporary and globally competitive and improve the capacity of our tertiary institutions to produce appropriate human resource base for our national development.”

Currently, there are 54 federal universities, including four inter-university centers, 36 federal polytechnics, 32 federal colleges of education, and 118 federal unity colleges categorized into conventional, sciences, and science and technical disciplines.

Alausa mentioned that this year’s education budget of N2.5 trillion includes N348.3 billion for the Ministry of Education, N816.7 billion for its agencies, N226.7 billion for polytechnics, N139.3 billion for colleges of education, N811.9 billion for universities, N171.6 billion for Unity Colleges, and N3.1 billion for UNESCO Paris.

The Chairman of the House Committee on University Education and the joint Committee Chairman, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, said that the committee will use its constitutional powers to prevent disruptions in academic activities and focus on improving the standard of education in the country.

He also mentioned that due to limited funds to meet various demands, the ministry and relevant institutions should ensure the proper and effective use of the allocated funds.

Fulata cautioned the heads of MDAs to avoid ignoring invitations and summons, emphasizing that the legislature performs checks according to the constitutional provisions to ensure that MDAs act appropriately.