THE government of Osun State has set up a committee to look into the rationalisation of tertiary institutions in Osun State. Speculations were rife before the submission of the committee's reports. These speculations became wider and wilder after the committee submitted its report.A major component of the committee's recommendations, according to the speculations, is that the College of Education, Ilesa, becomes the Institute of Education in the University of Osun (UniOsun). The day such a recommendation is accepted for implementation by any government of Osun State, will be a sad day for the state, and a sadder one still, for the Ijesa nation.The College of Education, Ilesa, was established in 1977, actually, in the old Oyo State, as the Oyo State College of Education. It was the only College of Education in the old Oyo State, hence, the oldest tertiary institution in the present Osun State.At inception, the college was set up to produce NCE holders and later, degree holders in the area of teaching-education. However, for years, the vision of producing Bachelors degree holders in education remained unrealised.This is in spite of several favourable reports and recommendations by various visitation panels, led at different times, by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the University of Ibadan, to which the college was affiliated.It is, however, heartwarming that for over a decade now, the college has turned out thousands of Bachelors degree graduates in Education under its affiliated programmes with the Lagos State University and the University of Ibadan.Though the college is Osun's, the Ijesa people, in their usual aggressive way, have made tremendous contributions to the physical and infrastructural developments of the College. Over the last 35 years, Ijesa's investments and commitments will be counted in the present day billions of naira. All these have been in the hope and belief that the college will turn one new day into a full-fledged university.Turning that college into anything other than a university, will be a stupendous mistake. Those in the field of education confirm to me that, presently, the infrastructure and facilities in the College can sustain five different faculties of a university. If turned to an institute, these facilities will become grossly under-used. The college will lose its identity, implying that, it will no longer qualify for any institutional support, say from the Education Trust Fund (ETF), European Union(EU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), or from any multilateral organisation, as is presently the case.Perhaps, and more importantly, this should interest you. There are about 1,000 students pursuing full-time NCE, part-time LASU and UI degree programmes in the college. They are not the children of the political, bureaucratic and business elite, who probably did not vote for you, and may not do so in future. The students are the children of those who most probably voted for, and remained loyal to you, and who, ordinarily, should do same in future.They are the children of the poor: farmers, like my father, who was astoundingly poor, carpenters, like yours of blessed memory, motor drivers/mechanics, roadside sellers of pepper, tomatoes, fried plantain, etc. These are children whose parents cannot secure 'cash and carry' places for in private universities once they miss JAMB's cut-off. They are the children of the already disadvantaged members of our society. If the college is turned to an institute, the chances of these category of candidates will be reduced by a factor of, at best five, but probably 10.Thus, putting all considerations together, the historical antecedents of the college, including several attempts to upgrade it to a full-fledged university. The patriotic involvement, commitments and attachments of the Ijesa community to the college, and the facts that the college opens an opportunity of higher education to thousands of students, a large majority of whom come from the already disadvantaged members of the societyNo amount of money spent on education can be considered a waste or a loss, as any step short of upgrading the college to a full-fledged university will be a grave mistake, and a wilful waste of resources. Such step will inflict a surprise, 'and thou too Brutus,' blow on Ijesa nation and their psyche. It will not just be unfair to, it will be a betrayal of the poor, that unfortunate constituency, from which you and I emerged.Please, transform the College of Education, Ilesa, to the University of Education, and make it the nucleus of the South-West Regional University. History will record what you did, not what you intended to do. Osun a dara, Ijesa na oni baje o.Daramola, a civil engineer, wrote in from Daramola Cresent, Imo quarters, Ilesa.
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