…As College Provost Urges FG to make supplementary provision for takeoff grant to newly established Colleges
The federal government has been urged to make supplementary provision to the take off grants given to newly established colleges of education in the country.
This is believed would ameliorate myriads of challenges of funding being faced by the institutions in their effort to grow and develop.
The provost, Federal College of Education in Iwo, Prof. Rafiu Adebayo made the call in his address during the maiden matriculation ceremony of the Institute held at its temporary site in Iwo, Osun State.
The institution is one of the six colleges established by the federal government in each of the nation’s geo-political zones as parts of measures to improve on the number and quality of teachers to be deployed to primary and secondary schools across the country
Speaking at the matriculation, Prof. Adebayo, appreciated president Buhari and the minister of education for their vision on the establishment of the colleges but appealed to the federal government to improve on its funding to enable the education institutions sustain the vision.
“Like other new institutions, the College is facing some challenges, the major one is inadequate allocation of funds to Colleges of Education generally. While the Federal Government is commended for establishing new Colleges, we observed that the take-off grant allocated to the newly established Colleges of Education is grossly inadequate to cater for institutions taking off from scratch.
“Inadequate power supply to the College is also a serious challenge the College is facing. The College is spending a lot on diesel and petrol to fuel its generating plants especially when there is a power outage from the national grid.
“Inadequate facilities in terms of offices and furniture is another challenge the College is facing now. The dearth of funds is constituting a serious threat to our aim of procuring the necessary equipment for the staff and students, as the College does not presently have any source of income, Prof. Adebayo stated.
The Provost equally appealed to the Osun state government to support the institution in the area of healthcare services and efficient transportation facilities.
He said “To our dear host State, Osun State, the College appreciates the Government of Osun State for giving us this Mini Campus for the College to take off. We however humbly request for the perfection of all documents in this regard.
“We equally want the State Government to come to the aid of the College to construct for us a more spacious College Clinic for effective healthcare delivery. We intend to upgrade our Medical Centre to be able to serve the entire Iwo community. In the same vein, your Excellency sir, the College is in dire need of an eighteen passenger-bus to ensure the free movement of staff from the Mini campus to the Main campus of the College.”
He assured parents of the students that the college will strive to create enabling environment that will encourage, inculcate and sustain right values and attitudes that will enhance teaching skills and education in the country
In their separate goodwill messages, the Oluwo of lwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi who led other monarchs to the event and the chairman of the college’s Governing Council, Liadi Tella admonished the matriculated students on moral and education integrity.
The federal college of education kicked off its academic programmes with the matriculation of 823 students to study different courses.
