COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ERO AT A GLANCE

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ERO, A PRODUCT OF DIVINE VISION- PROPRIETOR

Even with the high number of private Universities, Polytechnics, and College of Education that dot the Nigeria landscape today, the challenges of establishing one by any Proprietor is not an easy task. Apart from the environment amount of money required as licence fees, the processes leading to approval by the regulatory bodies are to say the least herculean.

The logic then follows that except the vision of any prospective proprietor of a higher institution is solid and evidently indomitable, the zeal to anchor the dream in this regard is always likely to result in stillbirth.

In Nigeria today, one of the fastest growing and successful private College of Education is the College of Education, Ero, also known as All states College of Education situated in the agrarian town of Ero in Ifedore Local Government of Ondo state.

African Education Monitor insisted the College recently and had a chat with the Proprietor, Mr Peter Oyeleye Fasua who spoke extensively on the vision and mission of establishing the school, the valves on offer at the College and his ultimate dream of upgrading the College to a full fledge University in the nearest future .

According to him, the idea of establishing the school came to him when he was in the United States of America where he was operating a private investigative security outfit, the first owned by a black man to be issued operational licence in city of New York. However, in spite of the fact that the security outfit was one of the biggest players in the sector back in the U.S, God gave him a revelation on July 29, 1996 to the effect that He (God)has another thing in the offing for him in Nigeria in form of a school. He therefore waited on the Lord in prayers for clarity on the name and form the school would take before finally yielding to the idea of setting up the college. Along the line however, a lot of hurdles manifested especially in the process of getting an operational licence from the National Commission for colleges of Education (NCCE) which was eventually scaled with the issuance of licence to him in 2006. So effectively, the school started in 2006.

However, looking at the challenges so far and how they have been able to be surmounted one after the other, the proprietor is always want to say “this is a vision directly from the author of life because in all of our challenges, there has always been a divine solution”.

Speaking on his strong belief in divine intervention in the running of the college, Fasua said “whereas it is extremely difficult to secure bank loans, but look at the day Senator Bode Olajumoke just walked in here last year and gave us five million naira (N5m). God ordered his footsteps here and he also built a school library for us. Senator Ogunniya was also here and he said oh sorry my brother, I am broke, mange this one million naira (N1m).  People have been coming in from different angles, so that is why I cannot say it is me.”

It is worthy of note that in its seven years of existence, the college has come of age in terms of academics, structures and culture of higher institutions. With all the 18 courses being offered fully accredited by the NCCE, a population of over 2000 students from different parts of the country, College of Education, Ero boasts of being the biggest private College of Education in Nigeria even in terms of land mass.
Another interesting thing to know about the college is the fact that the fees charged are relatively cheaper that what obtain elsewhere, the college charges 22,450 per semester i.e N44,900 for the whole year. Students also pay N4,900 only per bed space in a year.

On whether the college has plans towards affiliation to some foreign institutions the proprietor said “we are working on that. Infact some of the colleges out there abroad do donate books and other materials to us free.  Apart from affiliation our real plan is to make this place a University between now and the next three years. We’ve visited the NUC, they’ve sent their officials here and they gave us the conditions we must meet”.

Towards the dream of becoming a University in the foreseeable future, restricting works could be seen on the college. Structures are currently been rebuilt to meet up with University standards.

The proprietor who said the college has zero tolerance for cultists however advised young school leavers to avail themselves of the opportunity of attending College of Education instead of writing JAMB year out and waiting endlessly for university admission. According to him, students of College of Education, Ero are usually admitted into 200 level in all the Federal Universities in Nigeria.  He further advised them not to discriminate against private College of Education. His words, “gone are the days when you say I want to attend a Federal or State College of Education.  It is the same certificate that is issued to everyone at the end of one’s course.  Apart from the statement of result from each college, the final certificate for all Colleges of Education in Nigeria is issued from NCCE.”