The Federal Government has earmarked over N1.46bn to rehabilitate and equip the 104 Federal Unity Colleges in the country, Punchng report.
Of that amount, N473,389,940 was set aside for the purpose of rehabilitating and equipping laboratories, while N573,389,940 was targeted at rehabilitating classrooms and hostels.
The sums were obtained from the Ministry of Education Budget proposal for 2019, with the ministry highlighting over 50 capital projects to be carried out this year.
The ministry’s budget reads, “Rehabilitation of classrooms, laboratories and hostels in Federal Unity Colleges – N573,389,940; Rehabilitation and equipping of laboratories in 104 Federal Unity Colleges – N473,389,940; Continuation of inauguration and follow-up action of reform desk officers in all the parastatals and in the 104 Federal colleges – N1,593,341;
“Monitoring and evaluation of technology and science education projects (Science laboratories, vocational enterprise institutions and development partners) N11,312,718; organising science, technology, engineering and mathematics for 500 students nationwide to increase female enrolment and quality – N19,241,931; capacity building of 500 science, technical, vocational, mathematics, information and communication technology for teachers on usage of modern equipment in schools – N47,319,930
“Sensitisation on reform agenda for staff and students of the 104 Federal Government Colleges – N2,061,970; capacity building on reform agenda for reform desk officers of the 104 unity colleges across the six geo-political zones and monitoring and evaluation of implementation status in the 104 Federal Government Colleges – N937,259.”
Other projects listed were the production of science equipment and laboratory course training for 1,000 Science, Technical and Mathematics teachers on the use, maintenance, repair, improvisation and fabrication of school science equipment, as well as teaching of difficult concepts which was put at N9,372,592.
Another aspect was the compilation and dissemination of skills-based pupils texts for primaries one to six, Junior Secondary School one to three and teachers’ manual on nutrition education and technology for schools, in line with the national policy on food and nutrition critique and harmonisation, which was put at N5,389,240.
