Freshers into the NCE1 programme for the 2023/2024 academic session of the Federal College of Education, Odugbo, matriculated on Wednesday, 23rd October 2024.
As a tradition, this year’s matriculation ceremony had a richly colourful heraldry with the appurtenance of ecstatic celebration and fraternity. It was a day photographers had a filled outing as students gathered in clusters with family members, friends and acquaintances for photo shoots to reminisce on the memories and scenery the occasion could afford.
It was an atmosphere of fanfare and grandeur as a group of marching band was on ground in a sonorous display that gave direction to the processions to and from the College auditorium where the matriculation was held.
Addressing the students and guests at the matriculation ceremony, Professor Joel Obo Eriba, the Provost of the College pointed out that the ceremony marked the formal admission of candidates into the institution and its various academic programmes which conferred on them the status of studentship through the administration of the Matriculation Oath. Professor Eriba enjoined the matriculating students to take cognisance of the fact that the oath covenants them and the authority of the institution to be of good behaviours at all times, violation of which would attract sanctions.
Furthermore, the Provost highlighted that the selection of candidates for admission was strictly based on the national minimum requirements for admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education programme as enunciated in the minimum standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE). Professor Eriba used the occasion of the matriculation ceremony in specially appreciating His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his immense investment in the provision of good quality education at all levels in Nigeria through his Renewed Hope Agenda.
Going down memory lane, the Provost recalled that Federal College of Education, Odugbo was one of the six Colleges of Education established in 2019 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He noted that the presidential assent for the establishment of the College was subsequently followed with the appointment of Principal Officers on 16th March, 2021 and the inauguration of the pioneer Governing Council of the College on 18th January, 2022 by the then Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.
Professor Eriba particularly used the occasion to acknowledge and appreciate Arc Sonny T. Echono, the former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education and current Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND for his philanthropy and nurturing capabilities in ensuring that the lofty ideal of citing the College in Odugbo came into practical reality.
He emphasised that as a demonstration of his dispassionate commitment, drive and resolve, Arc Echono personally donated his houses for use as take-off site for the College free of charge. In acknowledgment of his numerous investments towards empowerment of youths in diverse and critical ways as well as the uncommon display of tremendous goodwill towards the growth of the College, Professor Eriba stressed that the Executive Secretary, TETFUND had facilitated the award of scholarships to over 100 indigent students mainly of Odugbo extraction through the Linda Ene Echono Foundation.
Also, the elated Provost thanked the host communities of Odugbo and Obinda for not only donating their land for citing the College but providing a clement atmosphere for teaching and learning to thrive. He added that the pledge of these communities to partner with the College management in building the College to an enviable status was heart-warming.
He therefore emphasised that the rationale for the setting up of the college was to among other things enhance, promote and encourage teacher education in Nigeria, and to also ameliorate the challenges that many Nigerians face in accessing quality education.
However, Professor Eriba posited that despite the importance attached to teacher education as provided in the National Policy on Education stating that, ‘no nation can rise above the quality of teachers’, the quality of teacher education in Nigeria had nosedived in the last few decades due to a number of factors which included: negative attitudes of society towards teachers, very poor remuneration of teachers, lack of motivation of teachers by their employers and teachers’ poor image in society among others.
According to the Provost, in a drive to rewrite history and reinvigorate the education system, the Federal Government announced some welfare packages for teachers such as payment of teaching practice allowance to Education undergraduates by TETFUND, introduction of a special salary scale, increase in retirement age from 60 to 65 years, increase in service years from 35 to 40 years, payment of rural allowance for teachers posted to rural communities and increase in science allowance, peculiar allowance, automatic admission and tuition-free for kids of teachers at their places of work. Others included automatic recruitment of B.Ed graduating students, and payment of stipends to Bachelor of Education students or education special allowance, entitlement of education students in colleges and universities to special bursary awards and enhanced entry for graduating students into service and introduction of special teachers’ pension.
Professor Eriba stated that the College was poised to work towards the realisation of these lofty goals of Federal Government through her set vision, mission and objectives/mandates.
He reiterated that the vision of the College was to be a reputable institution that produces knowledgeable teachers for global competitiveness.
The Provost added that objectives/mandates of the College were to among others train teachers who are grounded in pedagogical skills that are child-centred, produce teachers who possess knowledge for delivering value to society as well as being self-reliant, inculcate into the teachers the need to be morally upright so as to instill same to the younger ones capable of contributing their quota to the developmental narratives of the community and Nigeria at large.
Professor Eriba therefore thanked agencies of government that have direct bearing in bringing to fruition the policies of government in the College. On this note, the Provost appreciated TETFUND under the effective leadership of Arc. Echono for the provision of funds towards the infrastructure development of the College through various intervention lines. He also appreciated Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB for showing unprecedented passion for Colleges of Education especially the new Six which has given FCE, Odugbo the leverage of becoming a testimonial to the hard work of the Registrar of JAMB. He also used the occasion to identify and appreciate the effective oversight function of the current Governing Council led by Arc. Alphonsus Baba Homsuk.
In his goodwill message, the Clan Head of Obinda, the host community, Chief Augustine Echono thanked God for the pioneering privilege given to Professor Eriba in building the needed foundation for the college that would stand the test of time. Chief Echono extolled the virtues of the Provost and his management team in providing quality leadership that has positioned the college in a pedestal of accelerated growth.
Barr Ehi Naomi Omojor-Onjefu, the Registrar of the College in her vote of thanks acknowledged that the admission of some of the students was divinely orchestrated given the circumstances that necessitated their consideration for admission. The Registrar therefore enjoined the new students to be diligent and circumspect in order to justify the sacrifices that went into their admission.
The ceremony was clad with the array of Deans of schools and students affairs, Heads of Departments, other teaching and non-teaching staff and some community members.