King’s College Concession: 115 Unity Colleges Shut as Education Workers Defy FG

The controversy over the Federal Government’s concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys’ Association has escalated into a nationwide education crisis, with workers shutting down the Federal Ministry of Education and keeping 115 Federal Unity Colleges closed despite the government’s directive for students to resume the 2026/2027 academic session.

The development has created uncertainty for thousands of students and parents as the new school year begins, with the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and the Joint Congress of Unions of the Federal Ministry of Education insisting that their boycott of activities in the affected schools will continue until the government suspends the concession.

The workers have rejected the proposed transfer of management of King’s College to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), arguing that the arrangement could undermine the public character of the historic institution and set a precedent for similar concessions involving other Federal Unity Colleges.

The unions had earlier directed that students should not resume in the Federal Unity Colleges, despite the Federal Ministry of Education announcing September 14 as the resumption date for the new academic session.

On Monday, the workers maintained their position, with reports indicating that the affected schools remained shut as the government’s reopening directive came into effect.

The dispute follows the Federal Ministry of Education’s decision to concession King’s College to KCOBA under a 35-year Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

A ministry circular issued in early September stated that the processes leading to the concession had been concluded and directed the school to commence arrangements for an immediate handover.

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A Transition Committee was also constituted to oversee the transfer of management, with the process expected to be completed within six months.

One of the most contentious aspects of the arrangement is the ministry’s directive that Federal Government funding for King’s College from the Federation Account would stop after the transition period.

The ministry also asked the school management to provide information on staff who wished to remain within the Federal Civil Service Commission, raising concerns among workers over their employment status and possible redeployment.

The workers have described the development as unacceptable, arguing that the government should retain responsibility for funding and managing public secondary schools rather than transferring such responsibilities to private or alumni organisations.

The unions have also accused the ministry of disregarding an earlier committee that was expected to examine the infrastructure and management challenges facing King’s College and other Federal Unity Colleges and recommend solutions.

They have demanded that the government suspend or reverse the concession and engage the unions in meaningful discussions before proceeding with any management transfer.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Wing, has also backed the suspension of resumption in the Federal Unity Colleges, adding further weight to the workers’ opposition.

The disagreement has also attracted resistance from parents and other stakeholders. The King’s College Parent-Teacher Association has expressed concerns about the future of the school under the concession and the possible implications for affordability and access.

Parents have particularly questioned whether the withdrawal of government funding could eventually result in increased financial obligations for families.

The government, however, has rejected claims that King’s College is being sold or privatised.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa has said the Federal Government retains legal ownership of the 117-year-old institution and will continue to exercise its regulatory, monitoring, inspection and enforcement responsibilities.

According to the government, the concession only transfers responsibility for financing, rehabilitating, modernising, operating and maintaining the school to KCOBA.

The government has also argued that the arrangement is intended to attract investment and management expertise needed to improve the institution’s infrastructure while preserving its public ownership and national identity.

The proposed development programme reportedly includes new classrooms, laboratories and hostels, as well as improvements to learning resources, sports facilities and digital infrastructure.

The government’s clarification has, however, failed to resolve the dispute with the unions, who remain concerned that the concession could become a model for transferring other public schools to private interests.

The workers have warned that if the government proceeds with the King’s College arrangement, similar concessions could eventually be proposed for other Federal Government Colleges, Federal Government Boys’ Colleges, Federal Government Girls’ Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges.

The controversy has therefore moved beyond the future of one historic Lagos school to a wider debate about the management and financing of public education in Nigeria.

Supporters of the concession model argue that partnerships with old students’ associations and private-sector organisations could provide additional funding and management capacity for schools facing infrastructure deficits.

Opponents, however, maintain that such partnerships should complement government funding rather than replace it, particularly where public schools serve students from diverse economic backgrounds.

The timing of the dispute has made the situation more difficult for families, as the disagreement coincides with the scheduled reopening of schools across the country.

While the Federal Government has maintained that students should resume and assured parents that adequate arrangements were in place, education workers have insisted that the Federal Unity Colleges shutdown remains in force.

In some locations, parents and students who arrived for resumption reportedly found school gates closed, leaving families uncertain about when academic activities would begin.

The conflicting directives have also raised concerns about disruption to the academic calendar if the dispute continues for an extended period.

The Federal Unity Colleges form an important part of Nigeria’s secondary education system, with schools located across the country and designed, among other objectives, to promote national integration by bringing students from different states and backgrounds together.

The current dispute could therefore have implications beyond the immediate disagreement over King’s College if it leads to prolonged closure of the schools.

The workers have made clear that they want the government to address the concession before allowing normal academic activities to resume.

For the Federal Government, the challenge is to defend a policy it says is designed to rehabilitate and modernise a historic public institution while addressing concerns from workers, parents and other education stakeholders.

The immediate standoff leaves the King’s College concession at the centre of a growing confrontation between the government and education unions.

Unless both sides reach an agreement, thousands of students in the 115 Federal Unity Colleges could remain out of school, further delaying the start of the 2026/2027 academic session and intensifying calls for dialogue over the future of Nigeria’s federal secondary schools.

King’s College Concession: 115 Unity Colleges Shut as Education Workers Defy FG

JAMB Takes Over HND Admissions in Polytechnics, Health Institutions Nationwide

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will henceforth handle the admission process for Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in polytechnics and other affected tertiary institutions across Nigeria, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has announced.

The new policy, which takes effect from the current admission session, represents a major expansion of JAMB’s role in Nigeria’s tertiary education admission system.

Under the arrangement, HND admissions in polytechnics, allied institutions, colleges of nursing sciences and colleges of health technology will be processed through a centralised system under JAMB.

The NBTE disclosed this in a circular dated September 9, 2026, signed by its Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, and addressed to heads of affected institutions.

The directive followed a meeting involving the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB, NBTE and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), convened by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

According to the NBTE, the decision was taken to address concerns surrounding illegal, irregular and compromised admissions, particularly cases in which students are admitted outside approved procedures and later encounter difficulties when they seek recognition of their qualifications or NYSC mobilisation.

The centralisation of HND admissions is expected to give the government a more reliable record of candidates from the point of admission through graduation.

It will also enable JAMB and other regulatory agencies to verify whether candidates were properly admitted into approved programmes and institutions before they complete their studies.

The development is significant because HND admissions have traditionally been handled largely by individual polytechnics and other institutions, while JAMB’s admission responsibilities have been more closely associated with entry into National Diploma (ND), degree and other tertiary programmes.

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The new arrangement will therefore bring HND admissions into a more centralised framework and reduce the level of discretion previously available to individual institutions.

The NBTE is expected to develop comprehensive HND admission guidelines and submit them to JAMB for integration into the board’s digital admission platform.

The guidelines are expected to clarify several aspects of the new process, including the requirements and waiting period for ND graduates seeking HND admission.

The rules are also expected to provide for possible exemptions involving some health-related ND programmes where the structure of the programmes may require different admission arrangements.

The policy is closely connected to concerns about NYSC mobilisation for HND graduates.

The government has in recent times faced questions over cases in which graduates of polytechnics and other technical institutions encounter difficulties during mobilisation because of discrepancies in their admission records or the status of their programmes.

By moving HND admissions under JAMB, the authorities are seeking to establish a central admission trail that can be verified by relevant agencies.

The arrangement is expected to make it more difficult for institutions or individuals to manipulate admissions or admit students into programmes without the necessary approvals.

JAMB already operates the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), a digital platform used for centralised admission processing. The expansion of its responsibilities to HND admissions will allow the board to incorporate the new category into an existing electronic admission structure.

The NBTE has also issued a related directive concerning part-time National Diploma (ND) admissions.

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Under the new arrangement, institutions will be required to process part-time ND admissions through JAMB, while their part-time admission capacity will be limited to 50 per cent of their approved full-time admission quota.

The measure is expected to provide regulators with greater oversight of part-time enrolment and help prevent institutions from exceeding their approved capacity.

The NBTE also reaffirmed its position on candidates who hold a combination of National Certificate in Education (NCE) and HND qualifications, stating that such candidates should not be presented for NYSC mobilisation.

The decision comes against the backdrop of JAMB’s earlier position that it was not responsible for HND admissions or NYSC mobilisation.

The latest directive consequently marks a significant change in the division of responsibilities among JAMB, NBTE, tertiary institutions and other government agencies involved in technical and vocational education.

The centralised admission process is also expected to improve the availability of data on students enrolled in polytechnics and other technical institutions.

For prospective HND applicants, the immediate implication is that admission into an HND programme will no longer be solely a matter between the applicant and the institution. Candidates will have to comply with the requirements and procedures established under the new JAMB HND admission system.

Polytechnics and other affected institutions are consequently expected to adjust their admission procedures to comply with the new directive once the detailed implementation guidelines are released.

The reform is part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to strengthen regulation of Nigeria’s technical and vocational education system, improve admission transparency and ensure that qualifications awarded by approved institutions are properly documented.

The government is also expected to monitor implementation closely to ensure that the new centralised system does not create unnecessary delays for qualified applicants seeking admission into HND programmes.

For students and graduates, one of the major expected benefits is a clearer link between admission records, academic qualifications and NYSC mobilisation.

The success of the policy, however, will depend largely on the detailed guidelines to be issued by the NBTE and the effectiveness with which JAMB integrates HND admissions into its digital platform.

With the takeover, applicants seeking HND admission in Nigeria will need to pay close attention to official announcements from JAMB, NBTE and their institutions as the new system is implemented nationwide.

JAMB Takes Over HND Admissions in Polytechnics, Health Institutions Nationwide

The National Association of Nigerian Students has approved fresh protests across states affected by the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities strike, warning that students can no longer continue to bear the consequences of prolonged industrial disputes.

NANS National President, Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, said the association had authorised its Joint Campus Committees in Ondo, Niger, Nasarawa and other affected states to begin mobilisation for what he described as a “mother of all protests.”

The announcement comes amid continued disruption of academic activities in several Ondo State-owned universities.

Institutions affected include Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa.

Recent reports confirm that the industrial action has been linked to disputes over implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement and outstanding salary-related obligations.

Afeez described the prolonged shutdown as unacceptable, saying students were being forced to suffer for disagreements between governments, university authorities and academic unions.

He said NANS would relocate its national leadership to university campuses from next week as part of efforts to intensify pressure for a resolution.

“We demand urgent action. We demand a lasting solution. We demand that students’ time and future be respected” Afeez said.

The NANS president had previously praised the Ondo JCC for engaging the state government over the strike, noting that the government had announced increased subvention to state-owned institutions and pledged to implement the 2025 agreement.

However, with the dispute still unresolved, the students’ body has now signalled a tougher approach, warning that prolonged academic disruption cannot continue indefinitely.

NANS said its planned mobilisation would extend to other states where students are similarly affected by ongoing ASUU strikes.