Isiyaku Ahmed
Since inception in 1987, FCE (T) Bichi boasts of a heritage of academic excellence which has been built and sustained over the years. As part of its history, the College was ranked as the overall best National Certificate in Education (NCE)-awarding institution in Nigeria.
Today, the over 30 years legacy of academic excellence is being truncated by the current Management of the College; no thanks to the leadership style of the College Provost, Professor Bashir Muhammad Fagge.
Comrade Muhammad Salisu Yunusa is the Chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi.
Speaking to newsmen, Tuesday, at NUJ Secretariate, Kano, he says: “I want you to see it as an opportunity to draw the attention of other stakeholders in the Nigerian education project and the world at large to the deplorable state of teacher education in Nigeria, using our own dear College, the Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi as a reference point.”
Yunusa says: “It is in a bid to salvage the precarious situations currently facing our dear College that we, the academic staff of Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi, under the auspices of the COEASU, FCE (T) Bichi Chapter, conveyed this Press Conference to let the world know the plight of our great College and to serve as a veritable platform for rallying the support of relevant stakeholders.
“Today at FCE (T), teaching and learning is taking place under the most unbearable conditions. Academic infrastructures are dilapidating due to lack of maintenance; laboratories, workshops and studios are not functioning optimally due to lack of equipment and consumables; insecurity and lawlessness is alarming due to the complacency of the current Management of the College
“Staff morale is at a low level, due to non-payment of staff allowances and other statutory entitlements, among other pressing issues.”
He also says the college is yet to issue college graduands their Teachers’ Registration Council (TRCN) certificate and National Certificate in Education (NCE) certificates for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 sessions.
“The failure to issue TRCN certificates to our former students may be viewed by the general public as a corporate fraud, considering the fact that they had paid for the processing of the certificates in advance as part of their NCE III school fees while in college.
“The non-payment of security personnel for about seven months has further threatened the security of lives and properties of the institutions. This situation has culminated in serious theft in the student’s hostels.”
The Union Chairman says: “It may interest you to know that as at August 2017, the College Management had incurred a debt stock amounting to about 80 Million Naira, being the cumulative sum of deductions from staff salaries that were not remitted to the College’s Staff Cooperative Society, before a part-payment of 55 Million was made by the College after much pressure from stakeholders, leaving a balance of about 25 Million Naira which is yet to be settled up till date.
“As partners in progress, we seek for your kind intervention to draw the attention of the government and relevant stakeholders in the colleges of education sub-sector to press on our current management to address the aforementioned issues so as to improve the quality of academic standard and return the institution to its former status.”
He says the Union has commenced a one-week warning strike and will not succumb to the intimidation of ‘No work, no pay’ by the college management until their demands are met.
