“Eighteen states went five consecutive years without recruiting a single teacher, while some colleges recorded zero first-year intake,” she said. Ajala also decried low female enrolment in some northern institutions, noting that in certain colleges, women account for less than a quarter of students. She stressed the need for urgent reforms, warning that the challenges confronting the system required more than incremental changes.

Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, urged Colleges of Education to integrate skill acquisition and entrepreneurship into their programmes as part of efforts to address unemployment and reposition teacher education for national development. She said the move was necessary to equip graduates with practical competencies that would enable them to create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the economy. “The integration of skill acquisition and entrepreneurship into teacher education is essential.

Our graduates must be equipped with practical competencies that enable them to thrive in diverse environments,” she said. The minister noted that the federal government was prioritising education as a driver of socio-economic transformation, with emphasis on improving access, quality and relevance. She also highlighted ongoing reforms, including the Dual Mandate policy, which empowers Colleges of Education to award both the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and Bachelor’s degrees, as well as initiatives such as the Student Venture Capital Grant aimed at supporting student-led innovations with funding of up to N50 million.

However, she expressed concern that no student from Colleges of Education benefited from the recent grant awards, urging institutions to key into such programmes. Chairman of the Committee of Provosts, Ali Adamu, said the conference was aimed at redesigning teacher education to meet modern realities. He described the Dual Mandate as a historic achievement but emphasised that policy alone would not transform the system without deliberate efforts to embed digital literacy, innovation and practical skills. The conference, themed “Revolutionising Nigeria’s College of Education System,” brought together provosts, policymakers and stakeholders to deliberate on reforms needed to strengthen teacher education and align it with global standards.