The Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has secured approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to offer 27 degree programmes.
The institution has also announced full scholarships, including free tuition and hostel accommodation, for 1,500 students admitted for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The provost, Dr. Francis Nwangbo Azunku, disclosed this on Tuesday during the second town hall meeting between the college management and staff, held at the School of Vocational and Technical Education Hall.
Azunku said the approval covered six academic schools and would enable the institution to implement its dual-mandate programme, combining the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) with bachelor’s degree qualifications.
He explained that students would spend three years to obtain their NCE and, subject to satisfactory academic performance, proceed for another two years to earn a bachelor’s degree in education.
According to him, the 27 approved programmes would run on a full-time basis at the college’s main campus, stressing that the institution had no approval to operate part-time, sandwich or outreach-campus programmes.
The programmes cut across education, management and social sciences, natural sciences, languages, vocational education and technical education.
They include early childhood education, guidance and counselling, educational management, special needs education, political science, economics, social studies, civic education, biology, human kinetics, health education, integrated science, chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science, Igbo and English.
Others are home economics, agricultural education, creative arts education, entrepreneurship education, business education, building technology, electrical and electronics technology, woodwork, automobile technology and metalwork.
The provost said the new programmes were part of efforts to reposition the college as a leading centre for technical and vocational teacher education.
He added that management was introducing emerging skills in artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, clothing and textile technology to equip students with practical competencies and promote self-reliance.
”Our students will not be looking for jobs; they will be creating jobs at the end of their tenure as students, based on satisfactory performance,” he said.
On the scholarship scheme, Azunku said the 1,500 beneficiaries would enjoy free tuition and other approved school charges, as well as hostel accommodation.
He explained that the scholarship slots would be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, adding that beneficiaries would, however, be responsible for their feeding.
”Our school fees is N35,000, and when we say free scholarship, we mean free everything, not just tuition. We also have free hostel accommodation for the students,” he said.
Azunku disclosed that admission into the 2026/2027 academic session had commenced and would remain open until January 2027, when the institution plans to conduct its matriculation ceremony.
He said candidates seeking admission into the NCE programme were not required to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), adding that applicants with at least four relevant O’Level credits could be considered for provisional admission, subject to meeting the stipulated requirements.
He also said candidates who had previously written JAMB but failed to secure admission into their preferred institutions could apply.
The provost further announced that the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) had granted the college full accreditation to run the professional diploma in education (PDE) programme.
He said the programme, designed for graduates whose first degrees were not in education but who wished to pursue teaching careers, had attracted about 100 students since its commencement at Abakaliki High School Preschool.
According to him, graduates of disciplines such as engineering, medicine and law could enrol in the programme and subsequently sit for the TRCN professional qualifying examination to obtain the requisite teaching licence.
On infrastructure, Azunku disclosed that the college, in partnership with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Gosima Group, would lay the foundation for a 240-room hostel project to expand accommodation facilities and prepare for increased student enrolment.
He said the present management assumed office on March 16, 2026, adding that the town hall meeting was organised to explain management policies, address staff concerns and promote industrial harmony.
The provost also assured prospective students and parents of adequate security, declaring that the institution maintained zero tolerance for cultism, examination malpractice and other forms of academic misconduct.
He said the college was utilising its TETFund allocations for infrastructural development and operating from its take-off campus and permanent site, both located in Isu.
Azunku appealed to prospective students, particularly Ebonyi indigenes, to take advantage of the newly approved programmes and scholarship opportunities, describing the initiatives as part of efforts to expand access to affordable tertiary education and technical training.
