Corona College Matriculates 176 Students, Restates Commitment to Transparency, International Benchmark

Uchechukwu Nnaike

The Corona College of Education (CCED), Lagos has matriculated a total of 176 students who were admitted into various programmes of the college for the 2019/2020 academic session.

Speaking at the college’s fifth matriculation ceremony, the Provost, Dr. Martin Obinyan said the multi-dimensional support from all stakeholders has been responsible for the continued determination to making the college one of the best performing colleges of education within the short period of its establishment.

“We will not relent on our collective efforts, and we will continue to manage the college with deep commitment, transparency, and accountability to achieve international benchmarks.
“It will interest you to note that in the last PQEI assessment examinations conducted by the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), the college scored 98 per cent pass rate which amounts to the second-best result ever in the history of the TRCN examination.”

According to him, matriculation ceremonies worldwide are important events which should be taken seriously by students and their parents, as well as staff, promising that the college will do its best to provide the enabling environment and the best learning experiences for the students.
He urged the students to respect the rules and regulations of the college and remain focused on their studies.

In a chat with journalists, Oghenetega Awhinawhi, a graduate of the college, who is also the proprietor of Khan Foundation Junior Academy, a tuition-free school in the Makoko slum, described the course at CCED as impactful.

‘’I considered going for a teacher training course after experiencing some challenges in running a school and opted for Corona College of Education. I got first-hand training on how education evolves in Nigeria and how to manage schools. I met a wonderful set of classmates. The provost, registrar and members of staff were also very helpful. The management of CCED visited my school and were moved by what we are doing. This spurred them to grant scholarship to some untrained teachers in my school. This has made their teaching more deliberate, producing better results in the pupils. One of the best decisions made so far. CCED laid the foundation for me,” he stated.

Another graduate of CCED, Idowu Osilowo expressed joy and excitement for passing through the college, saying, “for me it was a great time learning better and professional ways of teaching students. Indeed Corona College is the best that has ever happened in my professional career,” she added.

The Class Governor of PDE Cohort I, Mr. Babatunde Popoola, who affirmed that the students had an interesting matriculation, said “I feel very excited, I have been a teacher for a while, but not a professional. I am happy now that I am in a college to learn and to add more skills to the ones I have.”
He said the teaching profession in Nigeria still has a long way to go, looking at what is obtainable in developed countries.

Also speaking, Adikat Olusesi, the Deputy Governor, PDE Cohort II, who has been teaching for the past eight years, said she is a graduate of French Language but not a certified teacher. “I am here to get an educational qualification and also process my TRCN certificate and license so that I can be a recognised teacher in Nigeria.

“The lectures have been helpful, imparting in us various techniques to be implemented in the classroom for the growth of the children.”
Assessing the country’s education system, Olusesi maintained that there is much improvement presently unlike how it used to be in the past, adding that for the country to move forward, there is need for the government to focus more on education and equip the teachers.
According to her Corona College of Education has so far made it easy for everyone to have access to a professional certificate in education.