By Ngozi Nwankwo
As Principals of the Nation’s 110 Unity Colleges converge on Benin city, the Edo State capital to kick-start this year’s admission, Education Minister, Adamu Adamu has directed that they must be guided by the principles of fairness, equity and good conscience in the conduct of the admission .
In a message to the body of Principals handling the exercise, the Minister emphasised that every part of the country must be given a sense of belonging in the admission exercise, adding that the process must reflect the ideals of the founding fathers of unity colleges as centers of academic excellence and models for states and private schools as well as instruments for National integration and unity.
Also, in a message delivered at the opening ceremony on behalf of the Minister, the Director Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir said that, “if we are to produce responsible citizens, we must stick to the rules in order to make the right choices of qualified candidates as a foundation for future academic excellence.”
The Minister reminded the principals that they should stick to the National policy of the ratio of one teacher to forty students per class in line with UNESCO regulations, adding that carrying capacity must be adhered to.
Adamu emphasised that candidates who have applied for admission into Unity schools outside of their immediate communities should be given Priority.
He directed Principals to adhere strictly to the criteria for the selection which is 60percent National merit, 30percent equality of states and 10percent exigency.
Earlier in her welcome address , the Chairperson of Principals of Federal Unity colleges who is also the Principal of Queens College Lagos,Dr T. F. O Yakubu-Oyinloye said the government’s guidelines on merit and equality of states will be followed strictly so as to get the best candidates for the Nation’s Unity Colleges.
One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was a guided tour of the host college, Federal Government Girls College Benin, which is wearing a brand new look, more like a University campus than a secondary school.
The Principal of the college, Mrs Aghedo Osamediame who led her colleagues on the guided tour said, the brand new look of the college has been made possible courtesy of the intervention of the Ministry.
