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In keeping with its
promise made to teachers, Association of Senior Civil Servants of
Nigeria, and the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, the Federal
Executive Council, yesterday, approved the restoration of the junior
secondary component into the federal unity colleges (FUCs).

The junior school
was scrapped from the unity colleges in 2008. Minister of Information,
Dora Akunyili, told journalists, at the state house in Abuja, that this
approval follows a recommendation made by the committee set up by the
immediate past minister of education to re-introduce the Junior School
component into the FUCs, since it does not contravene the UBEC Act. The
Education Minister, Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, thereafter sought council’s
approval for the restoration of the Junior School component into the
colleges with effect from the academic sessions commencing in September
2011.

“The 104 Federal Unity Colleges were established to promote national
unity, academic excellence and serve as model to states and other
proprietors,” said Mrs Akunyili. “Until 2008, each of the Federal Unity
Colleges had both junior and senior components, but the junior
component was cancelled as a result of wrong interpretation of the NCE
decision of 2005 on the disarticulation policy arising from the
application of the UBEC Act. Since the FUCs were not benefiting from
the UBEC intervention funds, they should have been disarticulated in
the first place. There had been outcries by the members of the public,
parents, other stakeholders, including trade unions, calling on the
federal government to re-consider its decision on the junior component
of the Federal Unity Colleges.” She added that the restoration was
approved because of the need to improve skills and enhance standards
and to answer the yearnings of parents. “The National Council on
Education had already adopted this in their 2009 meeting,” she said.