FCT NUT Chairman Criticises UTME Waiver for Colleges of Education

The Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, has expressed concerns over the federal government’s decision to remove the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination requirement for admission into Colleges of Education.

Shafas warned that the policy could negatively affect the quality of teacher training and weaken educational standards across the country. He made this known during a press conference held at the FCT Teachers House in Gwagwalada on Friday.

According to him, although the union supports initiatives aimed at increasing access to teacher education, completely waiving the UTME requirement may create long-term challenges for the education sector.

He explained that the union’s major concern is that the policy could reduce academic standards and lower the quality of candidates entering teacher-training institutions.

Shafas noted that the UTME serves as a standardized method for assessing students’ literacy, numeracy, and reasoning abilities before admission into tertiary institutions. Without such a benchmark, he argued, candidates with weak academic preparation may gain entry into Colleges of Education.

He further stated that the policy could affect subject mastery among future teachers. According to him, students who begin professional teacher training with poor foundational knowledge may struggle to gain the level of understanding needed to teach effectively in primary and secondary schools.

The NUT chairman also stressed that teaching requires more than subject knowledge alone. He explained that teachers must possess analytical thinking, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities to deliver lessons effectively in the classroom.

He maintained that the UTME has traditionally acted as a screening process to identify candidates with the cognitive skills necessary for successful teaching and learning.

Education stakeholders have continued to debate the proposed admission policy, with some supporting it as a way to encourage more students to study education-related courses, while others fear it could weaken the overall standard of teacher preparation in Nigeria.