Olu Samuel
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has offered approval to Federal College of Education (FCE) Okene to run degree programmes without affiliation with any university.
Jibril Abdulrahaman, Director of Information and Public relations,confirmed this in a statement on Saturday.
According to him “NUC gave the approval on Thursday sequel to the successful resource verification visit by the team of panelists from the Commission.
The team of panelists who are renowned Professors in their different disciplines, were in the College to assess the institution’s capacity to deliver on the dual mandate.”
He said that the team expressed satisfaction with the human and infrastructural capacity of the College to run the programme satisfactorily.
In his welcome address, the Provost of the College, Dr. Ibrahim Ismaila Mosimabale, described the event as an epoch making, as it would launch the College to realizing her longtime dream of providing higher quality education.
He therefore appreciated the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa CON for listing the College among the fifteen Federal Colleges granted the approval to award their own degree autonomously alongside with the NCE programme as captured in the new Federal Colleges of Education Act,2023 ( Gazette part 1 section (d-e) and 2 section ( c-e) which is often referred to as the dual mandate.
The Provost hinted that admission into the degree programmes begins next week for UTME and direct entry.
Recalled that the College has been running degree programmes in affiliation with University of Ibadan and Ekiti State University in which the graduates had impressive results.
It is therefore going to be advantageous for the College to assume this new status of autonomy, considering the availability of manpower and infrastructural capacity.
While congratulating the College for this landmark achievement, Mr. Theophilus Ogber, a Deputy Director from the National Universities Commission ( NUC), charged the College to be ready to start doing things different, as according to him, change has happened in the College with the dual mandate.
“You must create a renewed vision, chart a clear mission, draw fresh strategic goals that would reflect your new status”Ogber added.