Bauchi Assembly adopts motion closing down 42 illegal Colleges of Education

Bauchi State House of Assembly on Tuesday during its plenary adopted a motion calling for the immediate closure of 42 Colleges of Education operating across the state illegally having not been duly registered by NCCE.

The adoption which was done unanimously followed the presentation of the recommendations of the House Committee on Education.

The recommendations were contained in the report of the committee in respect of the motion calling on the executive arm to see reason in regulating the incessant proliferation of illegal private NCE-awarding institutions in Bauchi state which was laid by the chairman of the committee, Hon. Babayo Muhammad representing Hardawa constituency.

The committee explained that in the course of its assignment, it requested the Ministry of Education to provide the names of all the private NCE-awarding institutions in Bauchi State.

It also requested the Provost of the institutions to be present during their visits to receive the committee, a questionnaire was designed and the private Colleges of Education were requested to complete and submit it to the committee.

The committee also visited all four public institutions owned by the State Government with a view to collecting input on how the incessant proliferation of illegal private NCE-awarding institutions in the state affected them.

It was found that Bauchi state has the highest number of private NCE-awarding institutions in Nigeria presently as there are 58 NCE-awarding institutions and only four are Public institutions owned by the State Government.

54 are private NCE-awarding institutions established by businessmen as profit-making ventures. Similarly out of the 54 private NCE-awarding institutions in my 12 were found duly registered with National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) while the unregistered institutions are operating without meeting the prescribed minimum basic requirements by NCCE in terms of personnel, physical infrastructures and appropriate teaching and learning facilities.

According to the Committee, the existence of these unregistered private NCE-awarding institutions is negatively affecting enrollment of prospective candidates into existing conventional and accredited public institutions in the State as they are not admitting students up to 50% capacity thereby reducing their inflow of revenue generation.

The committee also found out that the majority of the unregistered institutions operating in the state are affiliated with other Colleges of Education operating in other states.

The existing policy of the NCCE on affiliation prescribed that no institution can register or grant an affiliation right to any other sister institution of the same ranking or status for the running of NCE courses apart from the commission itself but the Institutions flouted the order to detriment of the system.

The committee observed that the public institutions owned by the State Government have huge modern facilities that are underutilized due to the smaller number of students population while the majority applied to get admitted into the unregistered institutions without meeting admission requirements.

It further found out that the AD Rufai College of Education, Legal and General Studies, Misau is facing a dwelling admission problem and the College is on the verge of collapsing.

It was, therefore, recommended that the State Government be advised to enforce the total closure and prescription of all the illegal colleges of education with a view to redeeming the lost glory of the education sector of the State and that all the illegal private colleges of education be blacklisted and prosecuted appropriately for deterrence.

It further recommended that the Bauchi State Ministry of Education be stopped from granting approval and recommending to NCCE for the establishment of any College of Education without meeting the stipulated requirements of the Commission.

The committee recommended that a string Taskforce Monitoring Committee be established to enforce the total closure of all the illegal private NCE-awarding institutions across the State as allowing them to continue operating could be dangerous in fostering the graduation of incompetent and quack teachers who would only succeed in causing have to the system.

Other recommendations included; that the State Government be advised to reestablish the Ministry of Higher Education in the State in order to supervise, control, coordinate and manage the State Tertiary Institutions most effectively and give them the rightful attention they deserve.

Also, the State Government be advised to henceforth recruit only products of recognized and registered NCE-awarding institutions in the State, that the Bauchi State Government through its Ministry of Information be mandated to mount serious awareness campaigns to dissuade candidates who are ignorantly applying to illegal private NCE-awarding institutions for studies.

Furthermore, the media, seminars billboards should be used as means of disseminating the information, that the students from the affected Institutions who may be found qualified to have met stipulated admission requirements into the NCE studies should be transferred to any available accredited NCE-awarding institution within the State for direct absorption.

The Executive Arm of Government is advised to give special intervention to AD Rufai College of Education, Legal and General Studies Misau so that it will establish degree courses that will attract more students so that the College will stand its feet.

According to the Committee, the duly registered private NCE-awarding institutions with NCCE are: Bauchi State Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies Bakari Dukku; Bilyaminu Usman COE Dass; College of Education Dutsen Tanshi; Da’awa College of Education Bauchi; Sunnah COE JIBWIS Kofar Wambai and College of Education Bogoro.

Others are Adamu Garkuwa College of Education Toro; Sarkin Yamma COE Tilde; College of Education Darazo; JIBWIS College of Education Jama’are; Danyaya College of Education Ningi and Climax College of Education Ningi.

The unregistered NCE-awarding institutions operating illegally and closed down are Garba Ibrahim College of Education Alkaleri; Apex College of Education Liman Katagum; ECWA College of Education Bayara; Ibn Abbas College for Arabic and Islamic Studies Bauchi; Matori College of Education Kofar Ido and College of Islamic Studies Bauchi (Sa’adatu Rimi COE Bauchi Outreach).

Others are Sahib College of Education Bauchi; Sardauna College of Education Bauchi; Sheikh Sama’ila Bajoga College of Education Bauchi; Mbula College of Education Bauchi; Ahmad Adamu Muazu COE Biyo and College of Education Bununu.

Also affected are Muhammad Ibrahim College of Education Magama Gumau; College of Arabic and Islamic Studies Toro; Maidawa COE Magama Gumau
16. Sunnah College of Education JIBWIS Toro; College of Arabic and Islamic Studies Toro; Darazo College of Education Akuyam; JIBWIS College of Education Dambam; Da’awa College of Education Darazo.

The list also included Danyaya College of Education Miya Campus; Annur College of Education Burra; Annur College of Education Warji; Garko College of Education Gamawa; Sa’adatu Rimi COE Gololo; Annur College of Education Gade; Annur College of Arabic and Islamic Studies Abu Kilishi Azare; Annur College of Education Azare; Markazil Islam Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies Azare and Annur College of Arabic and Islamic Studies Katagum.

The rest are Sa’adatu Rimi COE Gidan Marayu Katagum; Kafin Madaki COE Ganjuwa; Da’awa College of Education Dagauda; Maikalam College of Education Bauchi; Da’awa College of Education Gamawa; Da’awa COE and Islamic Studies Bauchi; Institution of Management and Computer Studies Bauchi; Da’awa College of Education Kafin Madaki; Thomas Moor Institute Bauchi; Urat Memorial College of Education Bauchi; Gindiri College of Education Warji and Sunnah College of Education Warji.

The Speaker, Abubakar Y Suleiman who presided over the plenary commended the Chairman and members of the Committee for perfectly executing the assignment given to it.

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