Senate advances bill to convert Kogi college of education to federal varsity

A bill seeking to establish the Federal University of Education in Ankpa, Kogi state, has passed its second reading in the senate.

Sponsored by Jibrin Isah, senator representing Kogi east, the bill proposes the upgrade of the existing Kogi state college of education in Ankpa to a federal university.

Leading the debate on Tuesday, Isah said the proposed institution would play a vital role in boosting teacher education, manpower development, and curriculum innovation in Nigeria.

He said the institution would not only offer academic and professional programmes but also serve as a hub for research in modern teaching methodologies and curriculum development.

“Among the various educational institutions through which the nation hopes to achieve its developmental goals, specialised universities of education should take preeminence because they are set up to train the trainers,” Isah said.

He noted that the college of education in Ankpa already has affiliations with six Nigerian universities and runs degree programmes — a foundation he said would ease its transition and reduce financial burden.

Quoting the National Policy on Education (1981), Isah described education as “the greatest investment that a nation can make for the quick development of its economic, political, and social systems”.

He added that the bill complies with order 76 (3) of the senate standing rules (2023 as amended), which permits such legislative upgrades when basic infrastructure already exists.

Diket Plang, senator representing Plateau central, supported the proposal, describing the bill as “timely” and “progressive”.

“We will not succeed if there is no technical place to improve the knowledge of teachers,” Plang said.

“It will improve the quality of teachers in our country. This bill is very timely, it is a progressive bill. It is a bill that will also improve our professionals.”

Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central, said the proposed university would have national impact beyond Kogi state.

“It is a specialised university that will train teachers nationwide, not only Kogi state,” Aliero said.

“If we have institutions like this, it will go a long way in improving the educational standard in the country. When fully upgraded, it will certainly take care of teachers who want to be trained or retrained.”

Anthony Ani, senator representing Ebonyi south, also backed the proposal, describing it as both timely and necessary.

“It is not only timely, it is apt. Every institution requires good teachers to teach. This university will help in addressing the issue of shortage of teachers,” Ani said.

Isah appealed to his colleagues for support, saying the university would address the rising demand for qualified educators and support balanced growth across the north-central region.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the sponsor and referred the bill to the committee on tertiary institutions and TETFund for further legislative work. The committee is expected to report back within six weeks.