Category: Education

Caleb International School (CIS), Surulere, Lagos has been hailed for boosting education in the State.

The Vice-Chairman of Surulere Council, Muiz Adewale Dosumu; Special Adviser on Education, Surulere, Mrs Toro Baiyewu; Mr. Akinjoyegbe from office of the HOS, School Support, Surulere, gave the commendation on the occasion of the 2023 International Day of Education, when Caleb donated books to pupils of Dedeke Nursery and Primary School to support them towards achieving quality education.

The pupils representative council of the school were accompanied by some parents and members of the school’s management.

January 24 every year is set aside to commemorate the International Day of Education globally.

This year’s theme is: “To Invest in people, prioritise education.”

Caleb International School is a member of Caleb Group of Schools founded in 1986 under the leadership of Dr. Ola Adebogun, an astute educationist.

Responding to the commendations, the school said: “The Caleb brand is on a mission to raise godly leaders, who will achieve consistent record of academic and moral excellence. Over the last three and a half decades, Caleb schools have continued to turnout young graduates groomed in the fear of God and equipped for leadership roles that will help them influence the desired social change of their generation.

Nnamdi Azikiwe University High School, Awka, Anambra State has emerged best in the just-concluded quiz competition on Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry organised by the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).

Master Okoli-Joshua Uchenna, who represented the school in the keenly contested competition, came first to beat his rivals from Marist Comprehensive Secondary School Nteje, Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Awka and Comprehensive Science and Technical college, Nawfia.

While Ezeobiora Okwukwe who represented Marist Comprehensive Secondary School Nteje came second, Chukwudindu Ifunanya from Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC) and Morah Emmanuel from Comprehensive science and Technical college Nawfia tied to secure third positions respectively.

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Principal of University High School, Mrs. Israel Olanike Atinuke, while congratulating the student for making the school proud, attributed the feat to adequate preparations by teachers and the student’s commitment to studies, particularly mathematics.

“We are pleased to announce to you that Master Okoli-Joshua Uchenna who represented Unizik High School came 1st position.

“The entire management, staff and students of Unizik High School are happy for this great feat. Above all, we return all glory to God who is the author of wisdom,” she added.

Another crisis is brewing in public universities as the Federal Government prepares to pay the withheld salaries and check off dues of Congress of University Academics (CONUA) members while leaving out the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members. Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon, Damola Kola-Dare and CHINAZA VICTORIA report.

For Emeka Chris, an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, was not optimistic about resumption at the weekend after the New Year break. He told his parents that the Federal Government’s move to pay members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) their withheld salaries and check off dues and leaving out the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members might necessitate another rounds of strike.

  According to him, he would rather go back to school with little belongings than labouring to come home soon in case ASUU declared another strike.

Chris’ position is not out of place. Most university undergraduates in public institutions would feel the same. Public university undergraduates will not forget last year in a hurry.  It was the year they spent almost nine months at home because of strikes by the four university-based unions. It was a year many missed the opportunity to participate in the national youth service.

The year was dominated by the strike called by four university-based unions – ASUU; the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU); the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT). ASUU was the first to call out its members on strike over the inability of the government to attend to their demands.

ASUU withdrew its services last February 14, and was followed by NAAT after many weeks and then SSANU and NASU.

While SSANU and NASU called off their strike last August, after they reached an agreement with the Federal Government, ASUU remained adamant until the intervention of the National Industrial Court (NIC), which ordered the striking lecturers to go back to their duty posts in October.

Crisis looms in universities

A repeat of last year’s crisis is in the oven as the Federal Government, through the Office of Accountant-General of the Federation, at the weekend indicated readiness to pay the backlog of salaries of CONUA members from March to September and part of October, last year. The AGF, in a circular dated January 13, 2023, requested CONUA President, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, to provide soft copy details of membership of CONUA in universities to enable the office to effect payment of the withheld salaries.

The government had withheld the lecturers’salaries when they embarked on the strike. After ASUU suspended its strike on October 14, the government paid half the lecturers’ salaries, saying the payment was on a pro-rata basis. It based its decision on the ‘No work, no play”principle.

The circular, entitled: “Re-Submission of University Academics (CONUA) membership list for the payment of withheld salaries and check-off dues”, CONUA was directed to submit the necessary information that would facilitate payment of the withheld salaries.

But, the circular from OAGF, signed by the Director of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, Charles Wali, came following several clarifications by CONUA that its members were not a party to the strike declared by ASUU.

The circular reads: “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter on the above subject matter dated November 2, 2022, in respect of payment of your withheld backlog of salaries and to request you to provide the soft copy of membership of CONUA across universities to enable payment as requested.

“Meanwhile, you may wish to forward the following details to facilitate seamless deduction and remittance of check-off dues:

•Evidence of registration;

•Official account details of the union;

•Membership list of the union, signed by each member;

•Percentage of deduction (check-off dues)/amount to be deducted from each member; and

•Mode of remittance between the headquarters and local chapters;

“Please note that details of members, which must always be hard and soft copies, should also include individual IPPIS numbers for ease of identification.

“While we appreciate your understanding, kindly accept the assurances of the warm regard of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

Before the Federal Government’s new overtures to CONUA, the breakaway university lecturers’ group had described the non-payment of its members’ March to September salaries and part of October salary as illegal. It said its members were only unable to perform their full duties because of the lock-out by the university management and not because it was on strike.

The union threatened to seek legal redress to compel the payment of the salaries. CONUA said it wrote to the Ministry of Labour in April, last year, to inform it that its members were not on strike.

The statement added: “In the letter, we made it clear that because CONUA constituted a separate and independent union in the university system, our members did not call for any strike.

“This was followed by a press conference in Abuja on August 19, where it was categorically stated that CONUA was not part of any ongoing strike and that the “no work no pay” principle ought not to apply to members of the union.”

It accused the government of breaching Section 43 (1b) of the Trade Disputes Act CAP. T8 by withholding its members’ salaries.

CONUA president, Sumonu, in an interview, said: “I can confirm the receipt of that letter to you even though we were taken by surprise. It is what it is.

“When ASUU went on strike and when the government began to effect the ‘no work, no payment’ principle, it affected the entire academic sector, including CONUA. That period, we were not paid and we consistently persevere from that time to this time. We didn’t partake in that strike. In December, we issued a press release containing our non-involvement in the strike action and non-participation. And our request for government to pay us our withheld salaries was in line with the law. It was not out of the blue moon.

“We are hopeful that government will grant the payment of CONUA. We are happy with the development.”

Sounding conciliatory, he added: “The government should find ways to pay salaries to everyone. I appeal to the government to pay withheld salaries of academic sectors so that harmony would reign.”

ASUU, SSANU disappointed with Fed Govt

ASUU and SSANU have expressed disappointment with the Federal Government’s action and described it as a sure recipe for disaster and chaos in the public university system.

Reacting to the development, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, wondered why the government is interested in causing chaos and stoking trouble in the university system.

Osodeke queried: “The question is: was CONUA in existence according to the law from March up till September 2022? The union did not exist then, and how can the government now say it is recognising it retrospectively? Which check-off dues are they going to pay to them for a period they were yet to be in existence and recognised by law?

“Also, which work did they do from March till the universities were reopened last October? We are watching and studying the situation.’’

CONUA deserves to be paid, says NAPTAN

The Deputy National President National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, noted that lecturers under the umbrella of CONUA deserved to be paid since they didn’t join the eight-month industrial action.

His words: “CONUA now enjoys the support of the Federal Government. They did not join the strike. Therefore, they should be entitled to payment. The rank and file of the ASUU is broken by this action. It is also unfortunate that eight months went wasted during the industrial action. It was clear CONUA didn’t join the strike; they were going to the office. ASUU was hell-bent on wasting the time of our children. Nevertheless, CONUA lecturers deserve to be paid. Again, ASUU is not the one to recognise unions in the country; there is a right to free association. I can form another and seek registration from the government. There is freedom of association; it is a fundamental human right. CONUA deserve to be paid because they didn’t join the strike.”

ASUU chair: show us where CONUA lecturers worked

But ASUU Chair, University of Illorin, Prof. Moyosore Ajao, challenged the Federal Government to show Nigerians where CONUA lecturers worked during the strike. He said: “The government will have to show Nigerians where they (CONUA) were working during the strike.

“Was CONUA in existence before they were wrongfully registered by (Minister of Labour Chris) Ngige?

“ASUU is tracking the situation and will respond appropriately. ASUU has said it several times that the government is out to destroy the university system of education in the country.”

Students: it doesn’t concern us

The Coordinator, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, Stephen Tegbe, said: “The issue does not really concern Nigerian students. Our varsities are working and ASUU is not talking about going on strike. So, whichever way, the Federal Government, ASUU and CONUA leadership are our fathers. They should reach an agreement and whatever they agree upon should not affect us.

“If the decision of the government is going to affect ASUU, such that they go on another strike, that won’t be welcome by us. Whatever it is, the students must not be affected. Government should be more proactive. There is nothing like CONUA. ASUU is well known by individuals and it is a union that has been standing before now.

“So, trying to say you are bringing another union in to factionalise them is a problem. Students are not ready for any problem. We are not ready to go back home; we are not ready for any strike.”

Precious Akintulubo, a student at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, said CONUA deserved to be paid since they worked. She also called for compensation for ASUU, noting that the strike was “as a result of the negligence of the Federal Government towards ASUU’s demands”.

“Since CONUA will be paid based on the fact that they worked during the months, I think they deserved it. Meanwhile, ASUU should be compensated because the eight-month strike happened as a result of the negligence of the Federal Government towards ASUU’s needs.

“If this is done, justice has finally prevailed then. ASUU can be probably compensated by half payment (four months payment),” she said.

Chibuike Nwachukwu, a student at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), said: “This is the Federal Government’s attempt to cripple ASUU and breed a toothless bulldog (CONUA) that would only bark when the government permits.

“If the government wants to stick to the ‘no work, no pay’ principle, then CONUA should not get paid too because, during the strike, its members were at home like other lecturers. How many of them went to work like every other time?

“How many of them fixed classes or gave students assignments during the strike? Well, in my school, no student said anything about lecturers fixing classes or giving assignments during the strike. If it happened in other schools, it would have trended on social media platforms.”

Ngige to CONUA: don’t behave like ASUU members           

Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige, in a closed door meeting with Sunmonu, urged CONUA members not to “behave like ASUU members. Trade unionism is for workers and employers of labour to organise themselves and it is a voluntary act.

“Before 2020, CONUA had approached the ministry complaining of lack of democracy and transparency in the leadership of ASUU, especially in rendering proper account of their check-up dues remitted from the government.

“Based on these grievances, the ministry decided to register CONUA to operate as a full-fledged union for which we have issued a certificate of registration and gazetting which is part of Section 3 (2) of the ITU.

“Unbundling is not new. The Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NEPA and NNPC have been unbundled.”

Sunmonu claimed the high-handedness of ASUU’s leadership birthed the association.

He assured that the era of incessant strikes was over. Sunmonu, however, protested the continued remittance of CONUA members’ check-up dues to ASUU, urging Ngige to intervene to reverse the trend.

The environment has become a metaphor at the centre of global discourse and concern.

In the last four years as eighth  Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Dr. Michael Arimanwa, has paid a studied attention to the environmental sector of the trail-blazing institution.

The environment, a totality of the surroundings, geographical well-being and physical conditions in a place, is at the heart of any enduring infrastructural initiative. Most transformational leaders are often associated with conscious efforts aimed at strengthening and revamping the environment.

Global institutions have since realised the psychic role played by the environment to humanity, hence the calculated investment in the sector. In the sphere of literature, critics such as William Rueckert and Cheryl Glotfelty have advocated a new epistemic form called Ecocriticism, which seeks to interrogate the relationship between literature and the environment.

Already, a nexus has been established between security and environment, making studies in environment a multi-disciplinary one. From the beginning, Dr. Arimanwa had factored the environment as a sector to be given priority attention.

An educational institution should at least have an environment that encourages scholarship going by its physical and psychic ambiance. Being a structural engineer of repute and an alumnus of the polytechnic, the scholar and cleric swung into action.

He first took a critical assessment of the decrepit access roads leading to the institution.

The major road leading to the polytechnic from Owerri-Aba Road was in bad condition.This was unbefitting of the ideal institution he had envisioned. There was then an erosion menace threatening the institution from within and without. Inside the polytechnic, there were untarred roads with their muddiness in the rainy season and dustiness in the dry season.

Again, there was the need to expand the drainage infrastructure of the polytechnic to expel water when it rained. Generally, therefore, the environment Arimanwa met was unhealthy.

The rector did not hesitate in building bridges and collaborating with relevant stakeholders to have a healthy environment he so envisioned. First, he visited the government of Imo State with his management team, where he drew the attention of the government to the worsening condition of Nekede-Ihiagwa Road, which is the arterial road leading to the polytechnic. True to his name, Governor Hope Uzodinma granted their request and gave them hope.

The road was awarded and constructed, the first phase of which was later commissioned by Mr. President.

The construction of Nekede Road resolved a major external environmental challenge faced by the institution.

Next, Arimanwa tackled the erosion challenge that was degrading the environment of the polytechnic. Being a capital intensive project, the erosion site was not something the polytechnic could tackle alone, thus, he once again went into collaboration with a relevant government agency.

He got the Ecological Office at the Presidency to tackle the gully erosion menace faced by the institution. The Fund controlled the environmental vitiation posed by the menace and effectively channeled the flood water to nearby Otamiri River.

It also reconstructed the dual carriage connecting the old gate to Nekede-Ihiagwa Road, giving the polytechnic a refreshing ambiance. The reconstruction of the road and control of the erosion menace came as a huge relief to not only the polytechnic community, but the host community of Umudibia, who rolled out the drums on the day the project was inaugurated.

Notably too, the rector invited the Federal Ministry of Works, which constructed the access road leading to the polytechnic new gate from the Maternity Junction along the Nekede-Ihiagwa Road. This eased off human and vehicular movement to the polytechnic and also improved economic activities along that corridor.

Again, the intervention was a great relief to the host community, who had had to contend with the unwholesome state of the road. The road construction and erosion control presented a major turn-around in the town-gown relationship between the Federal Polytechnic Nekede and Umudibia Community.

For the first time, the community came to fully appreciate the presence of the institution in their fold. The speech made by the traditional ruler of the community at the inauguration of the projects bore eloquent testimonies of the community’s deep appreciation of the works.

Besides thanking the Federal Government for responding to the clarion call made by the rector, Eze Godwin Merenini expressed profound gratitude to him for attracting the projects and making them a reality.

Arimanwa was, however, not done with his agenda of environmental transformation. He hit the ground running once again by paving the internal roads of the institution and creating a beautifully tarred network of roads criss-crossing the entire length of the school. The ambiance so created by this road network gives the institution an endearing look.

There is, therefore, no visitor to the polytechnic, who is not easily taken in by the institution’s sheer aesthetic splendour. One huge advantage of the sublime road network is the ease of movement and identification of locations within the polytechnic.

Beyond the beautiful outlay of roads adorning the environmental architecture of the polytechnic, there are also well-trimmed lawns and neat surroundings complimenting it. For the record, the institution has been rated the neatest polytechnic in Nigeria. Unarguably, it is not in a hurry to relinquish this status of pride. It has amidst dwindling revenue continued to maintain its environment to compliment the beautiful infrastructure at the institution.

The rector has been deliberate in nurturing an environment that would, beyond physical or psychic aesthetics, guarantee a productive intellectual harvest. The will to maintain a beautiful environment is a call of leadership modelled after excellence. And the rector has never hidden his knack with excellence.

In psychoanalytic terms, a sublime natural environment is both inspiring and soothing. One only needs to look over the window to get inspiration from the layout of nature in view. A staff in an office may naturally be disposed to give his or her work a touch of beauty as seen in the school environment.

Thus, the psychic influence exerted by the environment can be overwhelming. At the northern end of the polytechnic also lies a cattle ranch where the sheer sight of fat and healthy cows presents its own inspiration. Prof Abdullahi Mahdi, a former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University and Gombe State University, was notable for transforming the natural environments of the institutions, giving them a breathtaking elegance that can only reside in the world of imaginations.

Mardi’s environmental revolution was notable as he cultivated an alluring nature-friendly atmosphere with well-tended lawns and flowers dotting the large precincts of the university. There is a certain discipline involved in cultivating nature.

Fundamentally, this is associated with a purposeful leadership. Arimanwa has acquitted himself in the area of environment, having done so with the discipline the sector deserves. He has been consistent in according exceptional consideration to the environmental well-being of the polytechnic. When the polytechnic produced an electric car last year, the rector was particularly excited because of the environment-friendliness of the car.

The vehicle which is solar-powered does not emit fumes as seen in vehicles powered by fossil fuel. While presenting the car to the Minster of Science and Technology in Abuja last year, the rector expressed optimism that the vehicle would strengthen the natural environment with its zero-fume operation.

Elsewhere, Arimanwa has maintained that the polytechnic is seeking funding and relevant collaborations to mass-produce the car with the intention of using it for inter-city mass transit. The rector insists that the world is fast moving away from energy sources that pollute the environment, a reason the country must wake to the reality of developing a sustainable policy on electric car production and use.

For Arimanwa, therefore, the environment deserves a pivotal place in his infrastructural revolution.

By Ugochukwu Iwuji

•Dr. Iwuji writes from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, and can be reached via ugoiwuji@gmail.com.

The National President of Urban Day Grammar School Old Students Association (UDGSNOSA), Ibadan, Oyo State, Kunle Sulaimon Teslim, has hailed Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for approving the re-establishment and resuscitation of the Urban Day Grammar School, Elekuro, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The school, had been phased out since 1999.

Teslim also lauded the governor for approving the new site of the school, on which the old boys are building projects.

Teslim spoke at the seventh annual general meeting and ground-breaking of the school, at GovernmentTechnical College, Orita-Aperin, Ibadan.

He appreciated the members for their commitment and also enjoined them to always eschew divisive comments and actions.

The president  assured that reconciliation efforts were on track to bring back members who had left the fold, stressing that the association is at a most critical moment when its major target is about to come to fruition and for which all hands must be on deck.

Teslim also lauded the individual old student and class sets for their donations toward the school project.

The UDGSNOSA National President added that his administration would buckle-up about its responsibilities to the school, to uplift it to enviable heights, calling on all tiers of governments to declare a state of emergency on education.

According to him, it is preposterous for anyone to believe that governments alone could fund education.

Dignitaries at the event included Prof. Ayodeji  Omole, who is the pro-chancellor and chairman, Governing Council, LAUTECH Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Prof.  Daud Sangodoyin, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Oyo State; Bishop David Ademola Moradeyo, a former teacher in the school, now Chairman, Pilgrim Board (Christian wing) Oyo State; Akeem Ademolage, SA to Oyo State Governor on Culture and Tourism; and Commandant Ayoade Adeoye, who is General Manager, OYRTMA, Oyo State.

They inaugurated a foundation of six blocks of classroom, for the beginning of the Urban Day Grammar School, Elekuro, Ibadan Resuscitation Project.

Other National Executive members were Kolapo Oduola, Vice President (1) Administration; Prince Lateef Okunola Asanike, Vice President (2), Special Duty; Yemi Oladapo, National Secretary; Adediran Adedayo, PRO; Sola Omotosho, Auditor 1; Ahmad Tijani Bayo, Auditor 2; Kunle Akala, Social Secretary; Momoh Rahmot, Welfare Officer; Kabiru Oyebode, Assistant General Secretary; Sekinat Abideen, Chief Whip; Gbemisola Adelakun, Treasurer and Adediran Aderemi, Financial Secretary.

Anambra State Government has restated its commitment to eradicating examination malpractices among teachers and pupils.

Commissioner for Education Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh stated this while addressing principals and head teachers of schools in the state during a pre-resumption meeting.

She warned that the administration would not condone examination malpractice.

She chided some teachers for allegedly assisting pupils to earn unmerited grades in examinations, stressing that such actions could lead to destruction of such kids, who could hardly defend their certificates.

“In line with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s commitment to get education in Anambra State right, any teacher who aids and abets examination malpractice under my watch shall face the full weight of the law,” she warned.

The President, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, Mr. Jovita Arazu, while responding on behalf of others, pledged support of teachers in the state to Commissioner Chuma-Udeh’s resolve to stamp out examination.

He suggested blacklisting of supervisors who were found culpable.

Ondo Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has suspended chairman of Governing Council of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Mr. Banji Alabi.

The hammer fell on Alabi after Akeredolu received the report of the institution’s Visitation Panel, which stated that Alabi refused to honour its invitation on several occasions.

The Governor, who announced the suspension while receiving the report of the seven-member Visitation Panel to the Polytechnic, said Alabi remained suspended until he (Akeredolu) heard from him.

Receiving the report, Akeredolu appreciated all members of the Panel for their labour, with a promise to look into the report.

He expressed worry over the downward slide of the Polytechnic, saying there was no going back to converting the institution to a university.

He said: “I was inundated with several complaints here and there. A number of them I am not able to solve. I asked questions and got answers that probably were not correct, I can’t understand.

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“I got information that several people have been recruited and when I ask, they will say no. Then why is your wages going up? Why can’t you pay?

“We have intervened on one or two occasions and we gave money with specific instructions to pay salaries. At the end of the day, you cannot still complete salary payment. I’m sure your report will contain this.”

Chairman of the Visitation Panel, Professor Olabode Kolade Koriko, who spoke while submitting the report said the release of N1.6bn bailout fund to the institution helped to reposition the Polytechnic and restore its lost glory.

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has signed an agreement with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) on the design and development of Open Educational Resources (OER) courseware.

This is contained in a statement by the NBTE’s Head of Media Unit, Mrs. Fatimah Abubakar in Kaduna.

She said the goal was to strengthen the delivery of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The spokesperson described OER as “teaching, learning, and research materials that may be freely accessed, reused, modified, and shared by anyone”.

Abubakar said COL, the world’s inter-governmental organisation, is  concerned with the promotion and development of distance education and open learning.

She added that being a creation of the Commonwealth Heads of Government, COL encouraged the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources, and technologies.

She said the partnership would improve the capacity of both NBTE staff and lecturers in polytechnics.

According to her, the measure is to facilitate blended learning across Nigerian polytechnics and related institutions.

The NBTE, she said, already set up a Technical Team to design and develop 13 OER courseware for Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBETA) using Open, Distance and Flexible e-Learning (ODFeL) approaches.

She added that under the project, 33 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) support staff would be trained in Moodle Administration.

 She said the ICT support staff would be expected to provide technical and multimedia support to the course design, development, quality assurance and delivery teams.

 The head of the media unit added that the institutions with approval to run ODFeL would select 66 participants to design and develop the 13 OER courseware.

“Furthermore, 99 lecturers will be trained as assessors, internal verifiers of the 13 OER courseware using Open Distant Learning methods from ODFeL-approved institutions.

“At the end of the training, 426 lecturers will be trained on blended TVET delivery using COL’s OER courses.

“These include an introduction to blended TVET, essential skills for TVET, facilitating online courses, and blended learning in the classroom, among others,” she said.