…As FCE, Abeokuta marks 25th Convocation Ceremony and 48th Founding Day Anniversary
Dr. Soyele briefing the press yesterday.
A notable educator, the Provost of the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Dr. Rafiu Adekola Soyele has made a passionate plea to the Federal Government to allow colleges of education in the country to adopt the Dual-Mode Programme of awarding degrees along with their National Certificate of Education (NCE) program instead of phasing out the colleges.
Briefing journalists on Monday at the press conference called to itemise the activities lined up for FCE, Abeokuta’s 25th Convocation Ceremony and 48th Founding Day Anniversary which had started with Jumat Prayer last week Friday and will reach its crescendo on Thursday, this week when the college will be convocating 6,444 students, Soyele noted that the country will be the loser if it allows colleges of education to die.
The provost posited that if the colleges of education are phased out, methodologies and professionalism may die out of the country’s teachers education.
He said teachers produced by colleges of education are more thoroughly grounded in the profession and could compete anywhere even among university graduates.
According to Dr. Soyele, the Dual-Mode Programme will entail a two year program for the NCE program, after which the student will go for a year practical and attachment in a school and will return to school for another two years for the degree program.
“The world is changing and education is not static. As a teacher, you must be prepared to teach anywhere, even professors can teach in secondary or primary schools as it is practiced abroad”, Dr. Soyele noted.
He said the proposed Dual-Mode Programme will help the country more to create needed qualified manpower for all levels of education.
Dr. Soyele observed that: ” A person with NCE cum degree will perform better and the proprietors of schools will prefer such well trained teachers”.
The provost whose school, the FCE, Abeokuta is reputed to be a leader amongst its peers noted that the school is already gearing up for this function if the country’s education authorities allow it. As part of the week long activities of the Convocation Ceremony and Founding Day Anniversary, a lecture is slated to educate the school community more about the Dual-Mode Programme.
The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission and Professor of Public Policy, Lead City University, Tunji Olaopa is delivering the Convocation Lecture, titled “Dual-Mode Programme in Colleges of Education as Catalyst for Advancing Teachers’ Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities”.
Former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Peter Okebukola will be the Chairman at the lecture which is to be held at Dr Kunle Filani Academic Theatre in the school campus, tomorrow, Wednesday.
Some other programs lined up to commemorate the college’s double celebration include a Health Awareness programme scheduled to hold today, Tuesday by 9.00am while a musical presentation and Convocation Play will be held by 11.00am at the Theatre Arts auditorium and a novelty match by 3.00pm on the same day.
Also on Wednesday, March 6, there will be exhibition by Schools, Directorates and Departments by 8.00am at Dr. Kunle Filani Academic Theatre along with commissioning of projects.
There will be Award and Cultural Day by 3:30pm at FENACOMS Hall, and
Alumni Night by 7.00pm.
The Conferment of Fellowship Awards and Awards of Prizes holds on the graduation day at Aduke Maina Hall by 10.00am
