By Jack Acheme, Kano,
The Vice Chancellor of Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education in Kano state, Prof. Yahaya Isa Bunkure, says the institution is offering free education to physically challenged students.
He stated this during an interactive session with the leadership of Kano state Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
According to him, tuition and registration fee for physically challenged students who enroll in the university are totally free.
He further stated that, “for us here in Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education, I want to tell you that we are running a partial free education system. Tuition fee is free for all students, including indigenes and non-non indigenes in this institution.
“Those with physical deformity are enjoying free education. The policy was initiated by former Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.”
He further said that the university would be ready to absorb students who drop out from other universities because of exorbitant registration and tuition fees, but would be guided by the admission limit as stated by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The Vice Chancellor, who appealed to corporate organizations and good-spirited individuals to support the university with funding, however, commended the state and Federal Government for their efforts towards funding the university.
He particularly expressed gratitude to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) for its consistent support to the funding and development of the institution.
According to him, during his tenure as the Vice Chancellor, the university accessed about N3 billion intervention fund from TETfund.
He said the TETfund intervention fund were used to construct befitting accommodation and office blocks for academic and non-academic staff; construct 10 different types of lecture rooms; four well-equipped laboratories; N280 million block for Early Grade Reading to serve Colleges of Education in the North-West; training and re-training of lecturers, among other projects.
He further stated that 70 per cent of the funds for the university comes from TETfund, but expressed optimism that the new government of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf will pump in more funds to develop the university, as already promised by the Commissioner for Higher Education.
According to him, the institution, which was formerly Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, became a university on February 13, 2023 when it received licence from the National University Commission (NUC).
He said out of the 20 programmes currently run by the university, 60 per cent are inclined to Science and Technology.
“We lay much emphasis on Science and Technology. We are technology-oriented. We are in touch with modernity.”
He also appealed to the National Commission for Colleges of Education to checkmate and regulate the proliferation of sub-standard Colleges of Education in the country which are producing quack NCE holders as teachers.
