The Provost of Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, in Oyo State, Prof. Kamoru Usman, on Saturday expressed the need for greater commitment and collaboration from all stakeholders in the education sector so as to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for education. He stated this during a press conference to mark the commencement of the 17th convocation ceremony of the college, held at the institution’s conference room in Oyo town.
Usman said, “The reality today is that the Federal Government alone cannot shoulder the burden of providing education that will make us achieve the SDG 2030 Goals for education, not to talk of the much-needed resources to implement special education teacher training.
“There is a need for greater commitment, collaboration, and partnership from all stakeholders including the federal, state, and local governments as well as international and multinational organisations, non-governmental organisations, philanthropists, and indeed all those who believe in our common humanity under God.”
Speaking on the convocation, the provost said a total number of 13, 364 graduands would be officially conferred with the Nigeria Certificate in Education in various disciplines of special education.
He stressed that the college remained unique among the 158 Colleges of Education in Nigeria and the only one that caters for the training of special education teachers for all the states in the country. Related News
“Of all the 32 Federal Colleges of Education, Oyo is the only one with a mandate to train teachers and other para–professionals in special education for the disabled, the gifted and other different learning challenges.
“The college has the largest concentration of students with disabilities that could be found in any higher institution in Nigeria. These include people that are hearing impaired, visually impaired, physically impaired, and those with multiple disabling conditions.
“That this college should be specially funded by the government will be an understatement. It must, however, be stressed that FCES has not been funded in the reality of what it takes to qualitatively provide training for teachers in special education.”
The provost, therefore, called on the government and stakeholders to commit greater resources to the college to facilitate the pursuit of her mandate.
