By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The management of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, Ebonyi State, has announced the approval of 27 degree programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC), alongside a scholarship scheme offering 1,500 prospective students free education and hostel accommodation.
The Provost of the institution, Dr Francis Nwangbo Azunku, disclosed this on Tuesday while presenting the management’s scorecard at the second town hall meeting between the college management and staff at the School of Vocational and Technical Education Hall.
Azunku 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 to obtain 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 operated on a full-time basis at the college’s main campus, stressing that the management had no approval for part-time, sandwich or outreach-campus delivery.
According to him, the approved programmes cut across the Schools of Education, Management and Social Sciences, Sciences, Languages, 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, adding that management was also developing additional skills-acquisition initiatives to make graduates self-reliant.
He listed artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, 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,” he declared.
On the scholarship initiative, the Provost announced that 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.
According to him, the scholarship slots would be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, following increasing interest from prospective students within and outside the South-East.
“Our school fees is N35,000, and when we say free scholarship, we mean free everything, not just tuition. We also have free hostel accommodation for the students,” he said.
He, however, clarified that beneficiaries would be responsible for their feeding, as the institution’s scholarship package did not include food.
Azunku further disclosed that admission into the college for the 2026/2027 academic session had commenced and would remain open until January 2027, when the institution plans to hold its matriculation ceremony.
He explained that candidates seeking admission into the NCE programme would not be required to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), in line with the admission arrangement announced for colleges of education.
According to him, candidates with at least four credits in their relevant O’Level subjects could be considered for provisional admission, subject to meeting the stipulated requirements before completing their programmes.
He added that candidates who had already written JAMB but failed to secure admission into their preferred institutions were also eligible to apply.
The Provost further announced that the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) had granted full accreditation to the college to run the Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) programme.
He said the programme, which had already commenced at Abakaliki High School Preschool, had attracted about 100 students as of the preceding Saturday.
Azunku explained that the PDE was designed for graduates whose first degrees were not in education but who wished to acquire the professional qualifications required to teach.
He listed engineering, medicine and law, among other non-education disciplines, as areas whose graduates could benefit from the programme.
He said successful participants would subsequently sit for the TRCN professional qualifying examination to obtain the necessary teaching licence and professional certification.
On infrastructure, the Provost disclosed that the management, in partnership with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Gosima Group, would lay the foundation for a 240-room hostel project.
He said the initiative was part of efforts to expand the institution’s accommodation capacity in anticipation of increased student enrolment.
Azunku, who disclosed that the present management assumed office on March 16, 2026, said the town hall meeting was designed to explain management policies, address staff concerns and promote institutional harmony.
He maintained that the college had zero tolerance for cultism, examination malpractice and other forms of academic misconduct, assuring prospective students and their parents of adequate security within the institution.
“We have zero tolerance for cultism. Our security personnel are always on ground, particularly around the hostel areas, to ensure that unauthorised gatherings and activities do not take place,” he said.
Responding to concerns about the institution’s infrastructure and capacity to accommodate an anticipated increase in enrolment, Azunku said the college had continued to utilise its TETFund allocations for infrastructural development.
He disclosed that the institution operated from its take-off campus and permanent site, both located in Isu, adding that management was also exploring partnerships with private investors to expand hostel facilities.
The Provost appealed to prospective students, particularly Ebonyi indigenes, to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the institution, describing the scholarship scheme and newly approved academic programmes as efforts to widen access to tertiary education.
He urged the media to publicise the admission opportunities, noting that the initiative was intended to provide more young Nigerians with access to affordable higher education and professional technical training.
