Reps approves upgrade of Katsina-Ala College of Education to University

Nigeria’s House of Representatives has approved the report of the Committee on Tertiary Education and Services on a bill for an act to upgrade the College of Education, Katsina-Ala to Federal University of Education.
The latest ruling on the bill sponsored by Hon. Richard Gbande, member representing Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo federal constituency of Benue state, was read out during Thursday’s plenary.

“That the House do consider the report of the Committee on Tertiary Education and Services on a Bill for an Act to Provide for Establishment of Federal University of Education, Katsina-Ala; and for Related Matters (HB.539) and approve the recommendations therein,” Hon. Aminu Suleiman, House Committee chairman on Tertiary Education and Services (APC Kebbi) read.

The legislation was last year referred to the House Committee on Tertiary Education and Services by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.

The House of Representatives had in September 2021 approved a bill for an act to Provide for Establishment of the Federal University of Education, Katsina-Ala for a public hearing and subsequent passage into law after it passed second reading.

Gbande said the decision to establish the College of Education Katsina-Ala, was taken in 1976, while the college was later formally established by law, following the enactment of edict No.20 of 1984.

The lawmaker said the college has a staff strength of 804 and 10,339 students. Thus, the “college has capacity to be converted to a Federal University of Education so as to allow Nigerian students to benefit from the institution’s postgraduate programmes,” he said.