The Federal Government of Nigeria has unveiled plans to unbundle 115 Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) and transform them into basic and secondary schools.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, gave this hint on Tuesday during the opening session of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Principals of Unity colleges with the theme ‘Entrepreneurship Education: A Panacea for Self-Reliance and National Development’ in Abuja.
According to him, the plan to unbundle the Unity Colleges was in line with the National Policy on Education (NPE).
Sununu explained that the unbundling of the colleges would attract more funding to the affected institutions and improve their infrastructure, address teachers’ welfare, and create employment opportunities, among other benefits.
The minister said that the Ministry was determined to ensure that the colleges were successfully unbundled soon through the support from relevant agencies of government.
He expatiated: “I want to emphasise the significance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in our youths, a spirit that will propel them towards self-reliance and contribute meaningfully to our nation’s development.
“Unemployment remains a pressing concern, and it is our collective responsibility to equip our students with the skills and mindset necessary to succeed.
“Entrepreneurship education offers a solution to this challenge as it prepares students to think creatively, innovatively, and develop the confidence to take calculated risks”, the minister added.
While charging the principals as critical stakeholders to improve the educational system in view of the benefits to the country, Sununu specifically tasked the school principals to curb social vices, instil a maintenance culture in the students, and cooperate with their host communities for the overall security and growth of the colleges.
