Kano varsity gifts free education to physically challenged persons
By Aminu Garko
Education
Kano, Prof. Yahaya Bunkure, the Vice Chancellor of Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education, Kano, says the university is offering free education to physically challenged persons.
Bunkure disclosed this while receiving the leadership of Kano State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who paid him a courtesy visit.
He said: “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-indigenes in this institution.
“Those with physical deformity are enjoying free education.
The policy was initiated by former governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.”
He stated that the registration fee in the institution is among the cheapest in the country,
“what we charge for NCE registration fee in the institution is N15,200; while we charge N23,000 to N27,000 for Degree programmes.
“Our university fee is going to be affordable. Ours is going to be much lower than what is obtainable in federal universities,” he assured.
According to him, the institution will be ready to absorb students who drop out from other universities because of exorbitant registration and tuition fees.
However, he said the university would be guided by the admission policy and limit prescribed by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The vice-chancellor, who appealed to corporate organisations and philanthropists to support the university with funding, however, commended the State and Federal Governments for their support.
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 has accessed about N3 billion intervention fund from TETfund.
Bunkure said the TETfund intervention fund wase used to construct befitting accommodation and office blocks for academic and non-academic staff.
It also constructed 10 different types of lecture rooms; four well-equiped laboratories; N280 million block for Early Grade Reading to serve Colleges of Education in the North-West region; as well training and re-training of lecturers, among other projects, said the vice-chancellor.
He further stated that 70 per cent of the funds for the university came from TETfund, but expressed optimism that the new administration of Gov. Abba Yusuf would invest more funds to develop the institution as 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 Feb. 13, 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.”
Bunkure, however, 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.
Earlier, the Chairman of the chapel, Alhaji Aminu Garko, commended the vice-chancellor for his people-friendly policies that encourage the development of education, particularly for the poor.
Garko promised that working journalists in the state would continue to partner with the institution through objective dissemination of information that promote its policies, mission and goals.
