EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ADMISSION POLICIES IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA (2004-2013)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background to the Study

Admission policies are laid down rules and regulations on how admissions are sought and obtained in a higher institution like College of Education. The principal aim of the admission policy of Colleges of Education is to offer admission to students of the highest intellectual potentials, irrespective of gender, social, racial, religious and financial considerations. Colleges of Education are dedicated to prepare qualified teachers at primary and Junior Secondary school levels, who will be responsible for educating the younger ones.

Teaching has been identified to be one of the oldest occupations known to man, but it is yet to be fully professionalized in the true sense of the term in Nigeria (Dare 2008). The real revolution in teacher education came with the Ashby commission of 1960. The Ashby Report pointed out that the country‟s manpower development depended largely on the availability of well-qualified teachers and recommended that priority attention be given to teacher education since the whole system of education depended on it. Following the recommendations in the report, two new schemes for teacher education were introduced. One was the well-qualified non-graduate Teachers‟ Certificate programme; the other was the full degree, that is, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science education programmes. In line with the expectations of the scheme, several activities were put in place. About 7,000 graduate teachers were expected to be trained between 1960-1970 in Nigerian Universities. Five Advanced Teachers‟ Colleges were established under the emergency scheme in 1962. The Colleges were located at Ibadan (which was later moved to Ondo),

Akoka, Owerri, Zaria and Kano. The most significant development in the teacher education sub-sector was the setting up of National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) under decree number 3 (section 5b & c) of 1989. This was in line with the policy decision to make the Colleges of Education autonomous in order to enhance their efficiency. The NCCE thus became a parastatal charged with the primary responsibility of making recommendations on the National Policy necessary for the full development of teacher education and professional preparation of teachers. The enabling decree mandates the commission to, among other functions, harmonize entry requirements and lay down minimum standards for all programmes of teacher education. This, no doubt, ensures closer monitoring, programme expansion and, of course, a boost to teacher production in the country.

EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ADMISSION POLICIES IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA (2004-2013)