Old boys want teachers’ colleges revived

The old boys association of the defunct Teachers’ College, Toro in Bauchi State, at the weekend called on the 19 northern governors to reintroduce teachers training colleges as a way of revamping learning and scholarship in the region. Established in 1928,  Teachers’ College Toro was among the pioneer training institutions in northern Nigeria, but was […]

The old boys association of the defunct Teachers’ College, Toro in Bauchi State, at the weekend called on the 19 northern governors to reintroduce teachers training colleges as a way of revamping learning and scholarship in the region.

Established in 1928,  Teachers’ College Toro was among the pioneer training institutions in northern Nigeria, but was scrapped alongside others across the country, putting an end to the award of Teachers Grade 11 certificates by the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna.

Since then, the fortune of primary education continued to deteriorate, especially in northern Nigeria because of dearth of teachers at the foundation level. Speaking at a reunion meeting organized by the TC Toro Class of 90, which was held at Zaranda Hotel in Bauchi, a former deputy governor of Bauchi State, Abdulmalik Mahmud, who is an old boy of the college, advised the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) to reintroduce teachers’ colleges to save education from imminent collapse.

Hundreds of TC Toro old students, including those that graduated from the 1960s onwards, and made their landmark in various endeavours attended the yearly meeting where they emphasized the need to reintroduce teachers training colleges. 

“The fact is that colleges of education that now offer National Certificate of Education (NCE) are yet to fill the vacuum of pupil-teacher ratio in our primary schools which is a big problem. If you fail to get it right at the primary level, you’ll hardly make it anywhere because that’s where the basics are taught.

“It’s therefore necessary for teachers colleges to return, which we believe will improve the quality of our schools at the same time create job opportunities for our children,” he said.

In his remarks, the chairman of the TC Toro Class of 90, Malam Shamsu Abdu, called on Bauchi State Governor, Barr. Mohammed Abubakar to liaise with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to upgrade  the status of TC Toro which is now known as Government Secondary School, Toro.

“We would appreciate a situation whereby GSS Toro would be reverted to its former status of Teachers’ College, Toro or in the alternative, be upgraded to federal college of education so that its outstanding history dating back 87 years will not be forgotten,” he said.