FG Clears Air On Unity Colleges Concession, Rules Out Job Loss

The Federal Government has ruled out job losses under its proposed concession arrangement for Federal Unity Colleges, assuring workers that they will retain their appointments, ranks and benefits.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the assurance in Abuja while dismissing reports that the government planned to sell some of the country’s Unity Colleges.

Alausa said the concession would allow willing and capable alumni associations to rehabilitate and manage selected schools under strict conditions, while the Federal Government retains ownership.

“The Federal Government is not selling any Unity College. We have no intention of selling any Unity College, and we will not sell any Unity College,” the minister declared.

He said the arrangement followed a “willing helper, willing needy” model designed to attract former students who could invest in restoring schools that had suffered years of neglect.

According to him, the government would continue to exercise oversight, while the alumni groups would operate within agreed performance standards.

Alausa said reports suggesting that workers would lose their jobs had caused unnecessary anxiety among staff.

He stressed that no employee would face job loss, demotion or victimisation because of the concession programme.

“There will be no loss of jobs, no demotion and no victimisation,” he said, adding that the ministry would redeploy workers where necessary in line with the Public Service Rules.

The minister said affected workers would also have the opportunity to indicate preferred locations within their states during any redeployment exercise.

Alausa defended the concession plan by pointing to the poor state of infrastructure in several Unity Colleges.

He challenged journalists to visit King’s College, Lagos, which he said suffered years of inadequate investment before the present administration intervened.

According to him, some hostels at the school were unfit for habitation, while toilets, bathrooms and classrooms had fallen into deplorable condition.

He added that laboratories were non-functional and the institution had gone without electricity for about nine months before the ministry took action.

The minister also disclosed that parts of the junior school had been converted into public car parks through public-private arrangements, creating security concerns for students.

Alausa said alumni had contributed more than N2 billion to King’s College over the years, yet the school continued to face major infrastructure challenges.

He explained that the proposed concession would enable capable alumni to undertake comprehensive rehabilitation without seeking ownership of the institution.

The minister said some accomplished former students had offered to invest billions of naira in rebuilding King’s College.

He added that the alumni did not demand an increase in school fees as part of the arrangement.

Instead, he said, they sought permission to manage the institution, restore its infrastructure, strengthen merit-based admissions and return the school to its historic status as a national institution.

Alausa further assured parents that the concession agreement would not increase tuition fees.

He said the framework contains clear Key Performance Indicators, while the Federal Government would retain ownership and monitor compliance.

The minister also linked the reform to the staffing problems affecting many Unity Colleges.

He cited King’s College, where only 57 of the 121 teachers were government employees, with the Parent-Teacher Association funding the rest.

Some of the PTA-funded teachers, he said, had worked for almost three decades on salaries as low as N60,000 monthly.

Alausa said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the recruitment of 3,000 teachers to address the manpower shortage.

He added that the government planned to recruit another 5,000 teachers next year to strengthen staffing across federal schools.

Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, also assured workers and parents that the reform would not undermine their interests.

Ahmad said no teacher would lose employment because of the concession programme and that affected workers would receive redeployment in accordance with the Public Service Rules.

She also reaffirmed that school fees would not rise under the arrangement, describing the provision as a key part of the Memorandum of Understanding with stakeholders.

According to her, the reform goes beyond infrastructure and covers teacher recruitment, capacity building and measures to improve the quality of education in Unity Schools and other public institutions.

Ahmad said the ministry remained open to further discussions with labour unions and other stakeholders to address concerns surrounding the concession framework.

She added that the government’s objective was to improve the quality, accessibility and inclusiveness of education while restoring the standard of the nation’s Unity Colleges.