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STRUCTURE OF THE COLLEGE

History Background of the college:

The Federal college of Education Zaria, formerly known as the Advanced Teachers’ College Zaria.
The town of Zaria lies between latitude 11.07 and 12 degrees North and longitude07.44 and 8 degrees East. Located at a distance of about 962Km from Atlantic Ocean, it is about 80 kilometers North of Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna State.

In April 1959, the Federal Ministry of Education, realized the cardinal importance of educational development to a nation newly attaining political independence, appointment a commission under the chairmanship of Sir Eric Ashby, master of Clare College, Cambridge, to investigate the needs of Nigeria significantly entitled “Investment in Education”, the government of Nigeria in 1961 presented to the The white paper for saw a possible increase in the enrolment of existing secondary schools and the building of 600 new ones, with an annual intake of pupils rising from 12,000 to 45,000. In order to meet this rapid expansion, four new Advanced Teachers Training Colleges were recommended: One in Lagos and one in each of the three regions; Zaria, Owerri and Ondo. For the colleges to take off, four requests for assistance were made to the then United Nations Special Fund which later became the United Nations Development Programme, special Fund component.

Therefore, acting on the recommendation of the Ashby commission, the Government of the former Northern region established a Northern Secondary Teachers “College” in Zaria. The Northern Region al Government through the federal Government, requested the United Nations Special Fund for assistance. The request was granted and a plan of operation was drawn up, which was formally signed in March 1963 by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the United Nations Special fund and UNESCO. Authorization to start operations was given in May 1963, but the College was formally opened on 1st November, 1962 with an initial intake of 150 Students. The project was originally envisaged for a five year duration. Subsequent revisions to the original plan of operation extended this for about three years. The name of the College was later changed to Zaria Teachers’ College.

Objectives of the College:

Briefly, the aims and objectives for establishing the College, at the take off, can be summarized as follows:

    (1)  To provide professionally qualified non-graduate teachers of the Northern origin to man secondary and Teacher Training Colleges in              the region.
    (2)  To provide professionally qualified Assistant inspectors for primary schools.
    (3)  Through the products or graduates of the college, to be able to gradually northernise the entire staff of all secondary schools and             Teacher Training Colleges in the region.

The college was temporarily situated in the present site of the Kaduna State Polytechnic (Annex Campus) along Gaskiya Road, Zaria, opposite the institute of Education, ABU annex. Within a short time, the building became inadequate for the need of an Advanced Teachers’ College. In January 1973, the College finally moved to its present site by old Jos road, opposite the institute of Administration (Kongo Campus), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The administrative fortune of the College has somehow been bound up with the political vicissitude of the federation. With the creation of more states in the Federation, the College became the property of the former six northern states. The duty of administering the college, in the interest of all the six northern states, first fell on the interim Common Services Agency (ICSA), which in 1970 specifically requested the Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, to take over the administrative control of the college for the following reasons:

   i. To minimize administrative inconveniencies.
   ii. To cut down and also streamline the cost of managing the policy making body.
   iii. To encourage staff and student participation in the formation of policies affecting the college.

When the Institute of Education’s take- over the admission of students was virtually on the quota basis; which ensured there was almost equal representation from each of the Northern States. Each state was responsible for sponsoring of its own candidates. After the take-over on 1st January 1970 the institute of Education was responsible for the following:

   i. Development of curriculum and standardization of syllabi.
   ii. Examination and certification of NCE candidates.
   iii. Admission qualifications policies and selection students.
   iv. Liaison with state ministries of Education and
   v. Recruitment of teaching and administrative staff.

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) became the funding and policy agency of the colleges as from 1st January 1990. The commission was established by the federal Government through Decree 3 in an official gazette published on 17th January, 1989. A decree promulgated by the Federal Government changed the name of the college from Advanced Teachers’ College Zaria, to Federal College of Education, Zaria, along with other colleges of Education in Kano and Ondo. (See Federal Republic of Nigeria Official gazette No. 16 of 14th May, 1991 vol. 78 Decree No. 12 Federal College of education (Amendment Decree 1991). The first governing councils of the three colleges were inaugurated in Lagos on Friday, 29th May, 1992. Federal College of Education, Zaria, had a total of 15 members on its first council. More...

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