Executive Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approached the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to support his quest to upgrade three Colleges of Education in the state to universities of Education.
AbdulRazaq disclosed this on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, during a visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, in Abuja.
He listed the three Colleges of Education earmarked for conversion to include Kwara State College of Education in Oro, the Kwara State College of Education (Technical) in Lafiagi, and the Kwara State College of Education in Ilorin.
The Governor said most state-owned colleges of education faced infrastructure challenges, poor investment, and lopsidedness where the non-teaching staff were far more than the academic staff.
He said it was on record that Kwara had one of the best university libraries in West Africa, courtesy of TETFund’s intervention.
He however said, “we need more support. By and large, we intend to convert all our Colleges of Education to universities of education and so we need your assistance to do that. It is easy to do that because the structures are there”.
In his response, Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono pledged to increase TETFund’s intervention for tertiary institutions in Kwara state.
He also pledged to help the state actualise its dream of converting some of its colleges of education to universities.
Echono commended Kwara for leading the north in education from the colonial period as seen in the number of institutions in the state.
“Kwara has been useful to the country in providing institutions that train teachers from the basic level of education”, he said.
Speaking on the issue of insecurity facing schools in the country, the TETFund Boss said the Fund had been engaging with security agencies, the Ministry of Education, and other stakeholders to guarantee the safety of schools in the country.
