ATPP Opens Professional Licensing Pathway for 250,000 Serving Teachers

ATPP Opens Professional Licensing Pathway for 250,000 Serving Teachers

Education | General News |

9:06 PM

9/18/2026 9:06 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-18T20:06:06Z

NYSC DG Charges PROs to Strengthen Communication, Protect Corporate Reputation

NYSC DG Charges PROs to Strengthen Communication, Protect Corporate Reputation

General News |

10:54 AM

10:54 AM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-18T09:54:01Z

FG Sets October for National Youth Confab, to Engage Young Nigerians from 360 Constituencies

FG Sets October for National Youth Confab, to Engage Young Nigerians from 360 Constituencies

General News |

4:53 PM

9/17/2026 4:53 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-17T15:53:25Z

FG, Labour Strike Five-Point Deal Over King’s College Dispute

FG, Labour Strike Five-Point Deal Over King’s College Dispute

Education | General News |

1:04 AM

1:04 AM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-17T00:04:25Z

FG Retains Unity Colleges, Assures No Fee Increase or Job Losses Over King’s College Plan Alausa says King’s College partnership is designed to attract additional funding without transferring government ownership The Federal Government has dismissed concerns over the possible sale, concession or expansion of the proposed management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos, assuring that no Federal Unity College will be sold or concessioned. The government also stated that the arrangement being considered with the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) would not result in higher school fees or the loss of jobs for teachers. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the assurances on Wednesday in Abuja while responding to questions from journalists on the controversy surrounding the proposed management arrangement between the Federal Government and KCOBA. Alausa made it clear that the initiative would remain limited to King’s College and would not be extended to other Federal Unity Colleges. «“No. We’re not extending it. Government still has its responsibility,” he said.» The minister was equally categorical that the Federal Government had no intention of selling any of the 115 Federal Unity Colleges under its management. «“Let me be unequivocal, Federal Government is not selling any Unity College.”» He added: «“Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College.”» According to him, the ownership of the institutions remains with the government. «“That is the government position, and go and write it down and hold on to that, we are not selling the government institutions,” he said.» KCOBA Partnership to Address Infrastructure Deficit Alausa explained that the proposed partnership with KCOBA was conceived as a means of attracting additional resources to rehabilitate and modernise King’s College while ensuring that the institution remains under government ownership. He said the move became necessary after the government observed the extent of deterioration in infrastructure at the historic school and the need to restore the institution to the standard for which it had traditionally been known. The minister disclosed that he had personally undertaken an unannounced visit to King’s College, where he observed poor conditions in some of the hostels, bathrooms, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities. He also recalled that the school experienced a prolonged electricity outage during his visit. He subsequently contacted the relevant electricity distribution company, leading to the restoration of power to the Senior Secondary School section. Security was another concern identified by the minister. He said part of the school premises had been used as a commercial car park, allowing unrestricted access to members of the public. Alausa said the arrangement posed security risks to students and directed that it be discontinued. He further disclosed that KCOBA had indicated its readiness to commit substantial resources to the development of the institution through a non-profit foundation. According to the minister, the association also assured the government that admission would continue to be based on merit and that students from different parts of the country would retain access to the college. KCOBA, he added, had stated that it had invested more than N2 billion in infrastructure support for the institution over the years. Government Faces N2tn Unity Colleges Funding Challenge The education minister said the Federal Government was confronted with a major funding challenge in rehabilitating the country’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges. He explained that decades of accumulated infrastructure deficits could not be resolved immediately through government resources alone. «“President Bola Tinubu is investing in infrastructure, including the sub-sector, but there's so much, significant infrastructure gap that has happened for 40 years and we don't have the funds.”» Alausa estimated that even N2 trillion would not be sufficient to completely address the infrastructure requirements of all the Unity Colleges. As part of efforts to bridge the funding gap, he disclosed that the Federal Government had obtained approval to repurpose approximately $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme for the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected Unity Colleges. About 20 schools have been selected for the intervention, with the funding expected to support schools in different parts of the country. The minister also disclosed that the estimated cost of rehabilitating Federal Unity Colleges in the South-West alone was close to N100 billion. He said this financial reality made it necessary for the government to consider additional funding mechanisms, including partnerships, without surrendering ownership of the institutions. No Increase in King’s College Fees Addressing concerns surrounding school fees, Alausa said categorically that the King’s College arrangement would not lead to an increase in fees. He explained that the agreement contains stringent Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) intended to safeguard the interests of both the government and students. The Ministry of Education, he disclosed, has also constituted an implementation and monitoring team that will carry out unannounced inspections at the school to ensure that the terms of the agreement are followed. Alausa said the government remained willing to engage with education unions and consider genuine concerns capable of improving the arrangement. He also encouraged journalists to visit the affected schools themselves and independently examine their conditions before forming or publishing reports on the controversy. No Teacher Will Lose Job, Says Minister of State The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, also assured teachers that the King’s College arrangement would not result in the termination of their employment. Ahmad said teachers affected by the arrangement had been allowed to indicate their preferred locations for redeployment in accordance with the Public Service Rules. She added that the government was implementing teacher capacity-building programmes as part of wider efforts to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning across the Federal Unity Colleges and other schools. According to her, a committee had been established to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and address concerns raised by stakeholders. She further disclosed that union representatives would be incorporated into another committee responsible for monitoring implementation of the agreement. «“There is no fee increase in this arrangement. It is part of the MoU we signed.”» Commenting on the ongoing workers’ protest, Ahmad said discussions could not proceed effectively while ministry operations were being disrupted. «“With the worker's protest, we cannot meet with them when they have shut the ministry.”» She added: «“Normalcy must return to the ministry if the unions want us to listen to them.”» Ahmad said the government’s broader objective was to restore the quality and excellence historically associated with the Federal Unity Colleges. She noted that the decline in infrastructure and standards had occurred over several decades and would require sustained investment in school facilities as well as continuous development of teachers. The minister disclosed that the government was also examining different public-private partnership models as possible avenues for rehabilitating the Unity Colleges, with the model adopted in Kano among the approaches being considered. FG, Unions Reach Six-Point Agreement Meanwhile, Alausa disclosed that the government had held discussions with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other labour unions over the issues affecting the schools. According to him, the engagement with the TUC leadership resulted in a six-point agreement, following which a communiqué was issued urging workers to resume their duties. He, however, said another faction of the unions had continued its protest despite the agreement reached with the TUC. The minister said the government had invited the faction for further discussions, but requested that ministry workers first return to their offices and that the gates of the ministry should not be blocked. He explained that the conditions were necessary to protect officials, maintain order and ensure the safety of everyone within the ministry premises. Alausa condemned alleged incidents involving harassment of staff, destruction of government property and obstruction of ministry entrances. «“We will not tolerate that as a government. We've given them all the room and scope to do their protest within the ambit of the law,” he said.» The minister reiterated that the Federal Government would continue discussions with the unions while pursuing solutions to the infrastructure and management challenges confronting the Federal Unity Colleges. He maintained that the administration’s objective was to restore the quality, standards and reputation of the institutions while preserving their ownership by the Federal Government. DIP CONNECT ONLINE NEWS

FG Retains Unity Colleges, Assures No Fee Increase or Job Losses Over King’s College Plan Alausa says King’s College partnership is designed to attract additional funding without transferring government ownership The Federal Government has dismissed concerns over the possible sale, concession or expansion of the proposed management arrangement for King’s College, Lagos, assuring that no Federal Unity College will be sold or concessioned. The government also stated that the arrangement being considered with the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) would not result in higher school fees or the loss of jobs for teachers. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the assurances on Wednesday in Abuja while responding to questions from journalists on the controversy surrounding the proposed management arrangement between the Federal Government and KCOBA. Alausa made it clear that the initiative would remain limited to King’s College and would not be extended to other Federal Unity Colleges. «“No. We’re not extending it. Government still has its responsibility,” he said.» The minister was equally categorical that the Federal Government had no intention of selling any of the 115 Federal Unity Colleges under its management. «“Let me be unequivocal, Federal Government is not selling any Unity College.”» He added: «“Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College.”» According to him, the ownership of the institutions remains with the government. «“That is the government position, and go and write it down and hold on to that, we are not selling the government institutions,” he said.» KCOBA Partnership to Address Infrastructure Deficit Alausa explained that the proposed partnership with KCOBA was conceived as a means of attracting additional resources to rehabilitate and modernise King’s College while ensuring that the institution remains under government ownership. He said the move became necessary after the government observed the extent of deterioration in infrastructure at the historic school and the need to restore the institution to the standard for which it had traditionally been known. The minister disclosed that he had personally undertaken an unannounced visit to King’s College, where he observed poor conditions in some of the hostels, bathrooms, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities. He also recalled that the school experienced a prolonged electricity outage during his visit. He subsequently contacted the relevant electricity distribution company, leading to the restoration of power to the Senior Secondary School section. Security was another concern identified by the minister. He said part of the school premises had been used as a commercial car park, allowing unrestricted access to members of the public. Alausa said the arrangement posed security risks to students and directed that it be discontinued. He further disclosed that KCOBA had indicated its readiness to commit substantial resources to the development of the institution through a non-profit foundation. According to the minister, the association also assured the government that admission would continue to be based on merit and that students from different parts of the country would retain access to the college. KCOBA, he added, had stated that it had invested more than N2 billion in infrastructure support for the institution over the years. Government Faces N2tn Unity Colleges Funding Challenge The education minister said the Federal Government was confronted with a major funding challenge in rehabilitating the country’s 115 Federal Unity Colleges. He explained that decades of accumulated infrastructure deficits could not be resolved immediately through government resources alone. «“President Bola Tinubu is investing in infrastructure, including the sub-sector, but there's so much, significant infrastructure gap that has happened for 40 years and we don't have the funds.”» Alausa estimated that even N2 trillion would not be sufficient to completely address the infrastructure requirements of all the Unity Colleges. As part of efforts to bridge the funding gap, he disclosed that the Federal Government had obtained approval to repurpose approximately $20 million from a World Bank-supported programme for the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected Unity Colleges. About 20 schools have been selected for the intervention, with the funding expected to support schools in different parts of the country. The minister also disclosed that the estimated cost of rehabilitating Federal Unity Colleges in the South-West alone was close to N100 billion. He said this financial reality made it necessary for the government to consider additional funding mechanisms, including partnerships, without surrendering ownership of the institutions. No Increase in King’s College Fees Addressing concerns surrounding school fees, Alausa said categorically that the King’s College arrangement would not lead to an increase in fees. He explained that the agreement contains stringent Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) intended to safeguard the interests of both the government and students. The Ministry of Education, he disclosed, has also constituted an implementation and monitoring team that will carry out unannounced inspections at the school to ensure that the terms of the agreement are followed. Alausa said the government remained willing to engage with education unions and consider genuine concerns capable of improving the arrangement. He also encouraged journalists to visit the affected schools themselves and independently examine their conditions before forming or publishing reports on the controversy. No Teacher Will Lose Job, Says Minister of State The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, also assured teachers that the King’s College arrangement would not result in the termination of their employment. Ahmad said teachers affected by the arrangement had been allowed to indicate their preferred locations for redeployment in accordance with the Public Service Rules. She added that the government was implementing teacher capacity-building programmes as part of wider efforts to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning across the Federal Unity Colleges and other schools. According to her, a committee had been established to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and address concerns raised by stakeholders. She further disclosed that union representatives would be incorporated into another committee responsible for monitoring implementation of the agreement. «“There is no fee increase in this arrangement. It is part of the MoU we signed.”» Commenting on the ongoing workers’ protest, Ahmad said discussions could not proceed effectively while ministry operations were being disrupted. «“With the worker's protest, we cannot meet with them when they have shut the ministry.”» She added: «“Normalcy must return to the ministry if the unions want us to listen to them.”» Ahmad said the government’s broader objective was to restore the quality and excellence historically associated with the Federal Unity Colleges. She noted that the decline in infrastructure and standards had occurred over several decades and would require sustained investment in school facilities as well as continuous development of teachers. The minister disclosed that the government was also examining different public-private partnership models as possible avenues for rehabilitating the Unity Colleges, with the model adopted in Kano among the approaches being considered. FG, Unions Reach Six-Point Agreement Meanwhile, Alausa disclosed that the government had held discussions with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other labour unions over the issues affecting the schools. According to him, the engagement with the TUC leadership resulted in a six-point agreement, following which a communiqué was issued urging workers to resume their duties. He, however, said another faction of the unions had continued its protest despite the agreement reached with the TUC. The minister said the government had invited the faction for further discussions, but requested that ministry workers first return to their offices and that the gates of the ministry should not be blocked. He explained that the conditions were necessary to protect officials, maintain order and ensure the safety of everyone within the ministry premises. Alausa condemned alleged incidents involving harassment of staff, destruction of government property and obstruction of ministry entrances. «“We will not tolerate that as a government. We've given them all the room and scope to do their protest within the ambit of the law,” he said.» The minister reiterated that the Federal Government would continue discussions with the unions while pursuing solutions to the infrastructure and management challenges confronting the Federal Unity Colleges. He maintained that the administration’s objective was to restore the quality, standards and reputation of the institutions while preserving their ownership by the Federal Government. DIP CONNECT ONLINE NEWS

Education | General News |

8:46 PM

9/16/2026 8:46 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-16T19:46:07Z

JAMB Begins Review of UTME, Targets Life Skills and Critical Thinking in Admission Test

JAMB Begins Review of UTME, Targets Life Skills and Critical Thinking in Admission Test

Education | General News |

8:31 PM

8:31 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-16T22:28:53Z

2026 BATCH C STREAM ONE ORIENTATION COURSE SET TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 30

2026 BATCH C STREAM ONE ORIENTATION COURSE SET TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 30

General News | Health |

10:09 PM

9/15/2026 10:09 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-15T21:09:15Z

OLAWANDE SEEKS STRONGER FG, STATES PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

OLAWANDE SEEKS STRONGER FG, STATES PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

General News | Health |

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10:05 PM WAT

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ALAUSA ASSURES KING’S COLLEGE STAFF OF JOB SECURITY AS TUC SUSPENDS STRIKE

ALAUSA ASSURES KING’S COLLEGE STAFF OF JOB SECURITY AS TUC SUSPENDS STRIKE

Education | Entertainment | Family | General News |

9:25 PM

9/14/2026 9:25 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-14T20:25:44Z

ALAUSA ENGAGES KING’S COLLEGE STAFF UNIONS, ASSURES WORKERS OF FAIR TREATMENT

ALAUSA ENGAGES KING’S COLLEGE STAFF UNIONS, ASSURES WORKERS OF FAIR TREATMENT

Breaking News | BUSINESS | Education | General News |

5:44 PM

5:44 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-14T16:44:21Z

FG Commits ₦10.5bn to Digital Training for 32,000 Nigerians

FG Commits ₦10.5bn to Digital Training for 32,000 Nigerians

Education | General News |

4:53 PM

4:53 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-14T15:53:57Z

Youth Minister Launches NYSC E-Training Portal, Calls for Skills-Based Youth Development

Youth Minister Launches NYSC E-Training Portal, Calls for Skills-Based Youth Development

Education | General News |

4:25 PM

4:25 PM WAT

Last Updated 2026-09-14T15:25:10Z