October 09, (THEWILL) — The Benue State House of Assembly has passed two key bills into law, one to upgrade the School of Health Technology, Agasha, to a College of Health Sciences and Technology, and another to establish the Benue State Quality Assurance and Examinations Board.
The bills were passed after scaling third reading during Wednesday’s plenary session in Makurdi.
The first bill seeks to strengthen the institution’s capacity to deliver quality healthcare training and enhance manpower development in the state.
When signed into law by the governor, the new College of Health Sciences and Technology, Agasha, will align with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and relevant professional councils to ensure national credibility and equal recognition with similar institutions.
The new law will also empower the college to run National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes, collaborate with universities for degree courses, and make its graduates eligible for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
In addition, the upgraded institution will be recognised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), improving visibility and streamlining its admission process.
It will also establish a governing council, ensure financial independence, and qualify for interventions from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to enhance infrastructure, staff training, and research.
The second bill, which establishes the Benue State Quality Assurance and Examinations Board, seeks to merge the Bureau of Education Quality Assurance with the Benue State Examinations Board.
The move aims to strengthen supervision, monitoring, and enforcement of educational standards in basic and post-basic institutions across the state.
Once signed into law, the new board will provide an institutional framework for maintaining high standards in teaching and examinations while improving quality control mechanisms in the education sector.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Alfred Emberga, commended members for their input and described the passage of the bills as a significant step toward enhancing healthcare training and improving education standards in Benue State.
