The bill sent to the National Assembly by the executive to review the establishments Acts of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria has passed first and second readings; awaiting public hearing.
This was disclosed by the Rector of the College, Captain Abdussalami Mohammed during an interview session with journalists in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Muhammed said, the COVID -19 pandemic has been responsible for the delay in conducting the public hearing on the by the national assembly.
“Every year new innovations and new equipment are introduced and we have to keep pace with, hence the need for us to keep acquiring new equipment,” he said.
Shedding more light on the bill before the national assembly, the rector said it was meant to transform the college into a status of tertiary institution to enable it access TETFUND intervention.
He said the College was established by that Act in 1964, next month it will be 56years and since then it has not been amended and events have really overtaken it; it is outdated.
The Rector stressed the need for the Act to be amended and upgraded, adding that it would also aid the college to be officially recognised as a tertiary institution
He said even though the college conduct HND programmes, its students called for NYSC, they sit for JAMB and they were doing everything done by tertiary institutions, but it didn’t have access to TETFUND.
“We have been told that this amendment to our establishment Act is fundamental to our being recognise as a tertiary institution before we can have access to TEDFUND.
Captain Abdussalami Mohammed said having access to TETFUND will address some of the infrastructural challenges such as construction of students hostels, additional classrooms and administrative blocks.
