The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has awarded ₦4 million in scholarships to six exceptional Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) students, representing each of the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The announcement was made during the valedictory address of the outgoing COEASU President, Dr. Smart Odunayo Olugbeko, at a special event that also marked the inauguration of the new National Officers’ Council and an award ceremony.
Delivering his farewell speech titled “Legacy of a Collective Progress”, Dr. Olugbeko noted that the scholarships are part of the COEASU National Scholarship Award for Outstanding NCE Students, introduced in 2024 to promote merit and academic excellence in teacher education across the nation.
In his goodwill message, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa represented by Dr. Iyabo Ali, a Director in the Ministry acknowledged the Union’s role in driving reforms in the teacher education sub-sector and announced that the Federal Government has approved that Colleges of Education may now run other academic programmes in addition to the NCE.
Meanwhile, the newly elected COEASU President, Dr. Ahmed Bazza, expressed gratitude to his colleagues for the trust placed in him and reaffirmed commitment to protecting members’ welfare, strengthening teacher education, and fostering unity within the Union.
During the ceremony, six students one from each geopolitical zone received ₦500,000 each as scholarship awards. The overall best NCE student in the country was specially recognized and awarded ₦1 million.
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