The Federal Government is considering converting all federal colleges of education into universities of education due to dwindling student enrollment, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa revealed on Tuesday.
Speaking at a budget defense session before the joint House of Representatives Committees on Education, Alausa explained that many students no longer seek admission into these colleges, despite continued budgetary allocations. Some of these institutions, he noted, have fewer than 1,000 students.
“Do we need these colleges of education? They don’t exist in the United States and several other advanced countries. Let us convert them to universities of education,” Alausa stated.
He emphasized that the 2025 education budget is designed to align with President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s priorities, particularly in enhancing access to education, improving teaching and learning environments, and boosting teacher capacity.
The minister disclosed that Nigeria currently has 54 federal universities, 36 federal polytechnics, 32 federal colleges of education, and 118 federal unity colleges, which include conventional, science, and technical institutions.
The proposed 2025 education budget stands at N2.5 trillion, with allocations as follows: N348.3 billion for the Ministry of Education, N816.7 billion for parastatals, 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.
Chairman of the House Committee on University Education and joint Committee Chairman, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, assured that lawmakers would work to prevent disruptions in academic activities while improving education standards. He urged proper utilization of allocated funds and warned heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) against ignoring legislative summons, stressing the importance of accountability in public spending.
