FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has called on the management of the FCT College of Education, Zuba, to run an all-embracing curriculum that is rich, globally compliant and locally relevant.
Mahmoud, who spoke at the combined 3rd convocation ceremony of the college, also noted that by adapting the curriculum, the college should be able to produce sound graduates that would be marketable, globally competitive and relevant.
While congratulating the 6,068 new graduates on the successful completion of their various courses and programmes of study at the college, she charged them to put into practice the knowledge, expertise, and skills they have garnered to the noble cause of national development.
The minister acknowledged that the FCT administration was aware of the infrastructural deficits in its education sector, noting that the administration has made deliberate and sustained efforts to surmount these challenges by spending over N13 billion in its school renovation programme.
“The current FCT Administration will not relent in its commitment to following due process, preserving the sanctity of the rule of law, securing the lives and property of our people, and rehabilitating or upgrading our critical infrastructure,” she affirmed.
Mahmoud called on the college to continue to adjust to the ever changing demands of the modern day world, by repositioning itself through training and retraining of staff, especially in the area of the use of ICT based technologies in teaching, so as to encourage impactful education that would bring about sustainable development.
She added that”this college should be the vanguard of research and community service in line with their tripartite mandate.
“Our college, as citadel of learning, should take the lead in championing demand-driven research that would serve the society in making human lives better and enriched”.
The minister commended the college for the industrial peace between the staff and student unions, while hoping that it will continue so as to ensure that the territory has a stable higher education sector that positively contributes to national and global competiveness.
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Mahmoud assured that the current FCT administration would give maximum support, within the available resources, to every planned and sincere effort that is geared towards excellence.
Provost of the College, Dr. Sule Mundi, in his remarks revealed that a total of 6,068, comprising 4,625 NCE regular and 1,443 NCE part-time graduands have been found worthy both in character and learning for the award of Nigeria Certificate in Education of the college.
Mundi therefore, appealed to the FCT administration for adequate funding to enable the college expand its academic programmes by introducing the technical component such as automobile technology, building, electrical and electronics.
He stressed that the importance of such courses cannot be over -emphasised, especially as such categories of teachers are looking at the basic and post basic level in addition to the fact that they provided a platform for self-reliance.
The highpoint of the convocation ceremony was the conferment of fellowship awards and
certificates of excellence to the best graduating students.
