By: Moses Nwite, Abakaliki
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved 27 degree programmes for the Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, Ebonyi State.
The Provost of the institution, Dr Francis Azunku, announced this on Tuesday while presenting the management’s scorecard at the second town hall meeting between the college management and staff, held at the School of Vocational and Technical Education Hall.
Dr Azunku also announced a scholarship scheme offering 1,500 prospective students free education and hostel accommodation.
He said the approvals, which cover six academic schools, would enable the institution to implement its dual-mandate programme, combining the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) with bachelor’s degree qualifications.
He explained that under the arrangement, students would spend three years obtaining their NCE and, subject to satisfactory academic performance, proceed for another two years to earn a bachelor’s degree in education.
The Provost said the 27 approved programmes would be offered on a full-time basis at the college’s main campus.
He stressed that the management had no approval for part-time, sandwich or outreach-campus programmes.
According to him, the approved programmes cut across the Schools of Education, Management and Social Sciences, Languages, Sciences, Vocational Education and Technical Education.
The programmes include Early Childhood Education, Guidance and Counselling, Educational Management, Special Needs Education, Political Science, Economics, Social Studies and Civic Education.
Others are Biology, Human Kinetics, Health Education, Integrated Science, Chemistry Education, Mathematics Education, Physics Education, Computer Science, Igbo and English.
The approved vocational and technical programmes include Home Economics, Agricultural Education, Creative Arts Education, Entrepreneurship Education, Business Education, Building Technology, Electrical and Electronics Technology, Woodwork, Automobile Technology and Metalwork.
Azunku said the new academic opportunities were designed to reposition the institution as a centre for technical and vocational teacher education.
He said that management was also developing additional skills-acquisition initiatives to make graduates self-reliant.
He listed artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, and clothing and textile technology among the emerging areas in which students would acquire practical competencies before graduation.
“Our students will not be looking for jobs; they will be creating jobs at the end of their tenure as students, based on satisfactory performance,” the provost declared.
On the scholarship initiative, the Provost said management had approved full scholarships for 1,500 students admitted into the institution for the 2026/2027 academic session.
He said the scholarship would cover tuition and other approved school charges, while beneficiaries would also enjoy free hostel accommodation.
(Voice of Nigeria)
