Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, should be upgraded to university —Ex-provost, Prof Usman

Professor Kamoru Usman is the immediate past provost of the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo. In this interview by Saturday Tribune, the former provost, who completed an eight-year tenure, speaks on the importance of the college as a training ground for children with special needs, among other issues.

When did you join the college?

I assumed the office of the provost of the college on August 6, 2015.

What did you meet on the ground that you built on for the progress of the institution?

I took over the leadership of the institution at a time when the government was borrowing money to pay salaries. The college staff members were owed salaries and they were on strike. It was a bad situation.

How did you resolve situation?

I had peaceful dialogues with the staff members to resolve the issues. We spoke to the relevant authorities about the issues and eventually, we were able to redress the situation satisfactorily. In 2016, the Federal Government was able to pay some of the money it owned the college. So, within three years of my assumption of office, we were able to pay the debt.

What does it require to run a peaceful administration in the face of a crisis?

Openness. Transparency is critical to peaceful and progressive administration in any institution. It is very essential for leadership to carry along the staff and the students in the day-to-day activities of any institution. This is because the staffers themselves are conversant with every situation in the system. In this sense, they must be aware of every amount of money that comes into the system, and must be carried along in the spending process.

What does the FCE (Special) stand for?

The people who established the college meant well. They had a good dream for the education of people living with disabilities in Nigeria. The college started very well, but the people who were to implement the policy misplaced its priority. This is the only college in the country set up to train teachers for children with special needs. The college is not properly funded as the cost of running it is relatively higher than any other college of education in the country.

Although the government is trying its best in the funding process, I strongly believe that the college needs special vote to run efficiently. Even TETFund does not factor in the specialty of the college. The government is not paying enough attention to the college.

What can you say about the physical development ongoing on the campus?

It has been progressive. I met good structures put in place by my predecessors and my administration was able to add value to the existing ones. Today, by the grace of God, the college is wearing a new look. Moreover, my administration recorded a tangible development in the history of the college. I met about 972 staffers, but they have increased to 1,432. The quality of lecturers at the college is on the increase. The college is endowed with more skillful and trained teachers for every child with one disability or the other than any university can boast of. For our students, we are doing our best. It is good to note that more than 80 percent of graduates in Nigeria specialising in education of children living with disabilities passed through this college.

You suggested the change of the name of this institution. Why?

Yes. The college is overdue for upgrading to a degree-awarding university. In this regard, it should be changed to University of Special Education. If approved, it will be the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is good to note that the teaching and research facilities in the institution are underutilised. We have more than enough facilities to run degree programmes in special education. The major problem is that after students complete their education in special education in the college, they find it very difficult to find universities that run relevant degree programmes. Hence, they change their course. If the college is upgraded to a degree-awarding university, it will be very easy for them to further their education. Not many universities in Nigeria have what we have as facilities and human resources.

These days, university products are no longer relevant in the immediate labour market demand, even in terms of quality outputs. Why?

I want to say that the Nigerian tertiary educational system is being influenced by polarisation, religion and tribal sentiments. This is a very sad development. There is proliferation of tertiary institutions in the country. Although this is good, it does not follow due process. Politics, religious bias and tribal sentiment are destroying our tertiary education system gradually. Tertiary institutions should be established according to national needs only.

For instance, the college has the capacity to admit at least 5,000 students conveniently but we only have a maximum of 2,000 students annually. Now, another federal college of education has been established in Iwo, in Osun State, but very close to our college. What do we expect? Rivalry. Let us separate politics and religion from education to ensure quality outputs. With the way we run our tertiary education system, most of our graduates become unemployable. It is unlike in the past when the first-generation universities were adequately funded and supported with teaching and research facilities that enabled them to produce quality products. But today, the story is different. We need to go back to the drawing board and amend the situation. I am not saying that the government should not establish more tertiary institutions, but the establishment should follow due process and should be informed by necessity.

As a professor of Mathematics, how important is mathematics in nation building and how can it be made easy to learn at the secondary school level?

No nation can develop and progress technologically and technically beyond the knowledge of its mathematics. Globally, mathematics is an important subject and should not be held with levity. This is the reason the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN) was established in 1964 by a crop of mathematicians from primary to tertiary level to promote teaching and learning of the subject through seminars and conferences.

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