By Ahmed Ahmed
Provost Aminu Saleh College of Education (ASCOE) Azare Bauchi State, Prof. Asabe Mohammed, has expressed concern over the declining enrollment of students in the college
Mohammed made the lamentation in an interview with our Correspondent on Tuesday in Bauchi,citing a significant drop from over 20,000 to 9,062 in the 2023/24 session.
She attributed the low enrollment of students in the college to various factors, including unemployment, inflation, competition among tertiary institutions, and the proliferation of illegal Colleges of Education.
“Despite the college’s moderate and affordable enrollment policies and system, the institution is struggling to attract students.
“In a bid to address this challenge, we calling on the state government to support the college in securing the dual mandate initiative,
“Which would enable ASCOE Azare to produce both National Certificate of Education (NCE) and degree graduates autonomously, without affiliation with universities,” The Provost said.
According to Prof. Mohammed, the dual-mandate initiative requires a curriculum review to accommodate special needs courses and harmonize teaching courses in NCE to dovetail into the degree program.
“This, I believe, would enhance the college’s competitiveness and attract more students.
She however commended Governor Bala Mohammed for his continuous support and funding of the College’s various infrastructural developments and initiatives.