The Federal Government has commenced the revamping of the 110 Federal Government Colleges/ Unity Schools across the country.
Minister of state for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, announced this yesterday, Tuesday November 23, 2021, in Gombe, while declaring open the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Principals of Unity Colleges in the country.
TheFact Nigeria observed that many of the Unity Schools in the country lagged behind private schools in completing their termly scheme of work.
Nwajiuba, in his opening speech titled “Repositioning Federal Unity Colleges” said, the Federal Government was determined to bring back quality and standard to Federal Unity Colleges across the country.
To achieve this, the Minister said President Muhamadu Buhari had set the ball rolling through a bumper welfare package for teachers, which he approved last year.
The package, the Minister said included, the extension of length of service, new salary structure for teachers, automatic employment to deserving graduates, a new housing programme and pension scheme among others.
The Federal Government, Nwajiuba said was committed to restore the past glory of the Federal Unity Colleges through adequate funding, strict supervision and re-evaluation of the entire system.
Sounding a note of caution, the Minister said, the Ministry will not spare any officer found wanting under the new dispensation, as such officers will be shown the way out of service, adding that change had come into the education sector for good.
He stressed the need for training and retraining to prepare teachers for the unfolding dispensation, which is fast ushering in new developments that will contribute to the evolution of a strong democratic, prosperous, invisible and sovereign Nation.
The Minister is optimistic that resolutions reached at the 2021 AGM will help tremendously in addressing some of the challenges bedeviling the education sector, not only in Unity Colleges but in Nigeria as a whole.
Gombe State Deputy Governor, Dr. Manasseh Daniel Jato told the gathering that the Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya led administration at it’s inception, declared a state of emergency in the state’s education sector, which led to the establishment of the Leadership Training Center in the state, massive renovation of Infrastructure in schools amongst others.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Arc. Sonny Echono observed that the theme of the AGM was apt especially now that the country was going through security challenges, and youth restiveness, drug addiction and examination malpractices.
Echono posited that, with quality education, deviant behaviours caused by complex interactions could be effectively tackled.
