The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has called for the constitution of an implementation committee for the newly-upgraded Adeyemi University of Education.

In a letter to the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, signed by the General Secretary, COEASU, Dr. Ahmed Bazza Lawan, the union appealed to the ministry not to impose academic staff from universities on the college as has happened in other college-to-university upgrades but consider the contribution of the existing academic staff of the institution who contributed over the years to strengthening the institution to the point of being upgraded to university of education.

The union also hoped the workers would not be shortchanged in the process of the upgrade.

“The history of conversion of colleges of education to universities by state governments has left sour tastes in the mouths of staff as existing staff members were whimsically downgraded and new staff drawn from the university sector were imposed on the system,” the union said, adding that such a tendency has resulted in frustration and untimely death of some of the affected workers.

To forestall such a development, COEASU appealed to the Education Minister to constitute a “Transition Committee that comprises of critical stakeholders to work out the implementation so that our members will not be short changed”.

It pledged the commitment of its members to work hard to sustain and improve on the legacies of the institution.

The group applauded the minister for using his good offices to champion the cause of teacher education in Nigeria.