The national leadership of the University of Ilorin Alumni Association has called on the institution’s Governing Council to shun ethnicity and religion in selecting a new vice chancellor for the institution.

The association, in a statement on Wednesday, extolled the pedigree of members of the selection committee inaugurated by the council, stressing that the committee is capable of choosing the very best candidate to head the university. It also commended the pro-chancellor and chairman of the council Mallam Abidu Rafindadi Yazid for his coordination abilities.

The statement, by the national president Dr Olawale Fasakin, emphasised that UNILORIN deserves a better by far candidate among the applicants, being a university that prides itself as better by far.

It also commended the effort of the chancellor, the Emir of Katsina, His Royal Highness, Alh. Abdulmumini Usman, for putting together a competent and mobile team for the selection process.

A new VC will succeed the incumbent Prof. S. A. Abdulkareem, whose tenure ends in the next few months.

Read Also:Unilorin edge UAM Tillers Into HiFL Q-Finals

The association charged members of the selection committee to continue to show courage and strength. It further encouraged the committee to appoint an alumnus where possible.

It cited the tenure of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, a former VC who is an alumnus, as “a benchmark to project that an alumnus will bring profound growth and development to the university since such type of growth and development so quested are entrenched in every person who is a product of the university via the qualitative training received by him in the cause of his passing through the school and the school passing through him.”

The National President called for a transparent process that will show the whole world how a new VC emerges, stressing that all candidates should be subjected to equal assessment upon which the best candidate will emerge.

“The association is monitoring the process to certify compliance with extant rules and ensure that nothing is done to favour any candidate

“We do not want our alma mater to get its image smeared with the dirt of crisis the type that trailed selection processes of new VCs in some universities in the country today,” the alumni stressed.

Concerned with the paucity of skilled manpower with the attendant dire consequences on the economy, some stakeholders have advocated the need for curriculum overhaul, especially for vocational institutions.

They are of the view that what was presently on ground was inadequate.

Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) Axxela Limited, Bolaji Osunsanya stated this when Mr. Ladi Lawanson, Chairman, School Based Management Committee (SBMC) and some senior staff of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC) Yaba, paid him a courtesy visit in Lagos

Axxela Limited is the pioneering private sector-led developer of natural gas distribution in Nigeria and designated natural gas shipper on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), with operations across Nigeria and West Africa.

Osunsanya also emphasised the need for the country to be development-hungry and to let our education curriculum speak to that hunger.

According to him, most companies’ preference for technicians trained abroad has to do with the assessment of their competence.

For instance, he said that out of about 50 applicants tested by his company recently, only a few passed and were selected.

“And if you look at the selected few, it is because they had supplementary experience with one of the IOCs or big companies,” he said.

Speaking further, he explained that in a bid therefore to contribute its quota towards the development of vocational education, Axxela, through one of its subsidiaries, Gaslink had commenced the refurbishing of the Welding and Fabrication Department at FSTC.

Osunsanya said the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility is hugely focused on education, as a way of giving back to the communities where it derives its income from.

According to him, in taking this approach, the company will also seek to solve some of the challenges of its business operations.

“FSTC then became a choice because it ticked both boxes for us. It created input resources for us as an organisation and created a worthy cause for giving back to society.

“There is a dearth of competent local welders and fabricators in the country, and we see that in everyday life, and running our business.

“So this for us is strategic, we will be able to access the best skills and put our resources behind this undertaking,” he stated.

The CEO noted that the company’s intervention at the college, would be full spectrum and would lead to the establishment of a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in welding and fabrication, which is expected to come in four stages.

“One is the facility upgrade, which is what we are currently doing. We will also support with curriculum development and teacher training.

“We will invest in teacher training, look at the curriculum and make it more relevant to everyday work and make it as global or world class as it needs to be.

“There are developments in that area already, so, we just need to leapfrog that.
Then we will be looking at what you will call extension work, making sure that when you impart the skills, they have the opportunity to practice in a live environment.

“We will bring them in and encourage our other partner companies to use graduates of the school in real life experience.

“We will also help them coordinate internships, vacation jobs and opportunities to work ultimately, not just on our own as Axxela, but leveraging our other alliance partners.

“We think a combination of these should make for a very strong welding and fabrication professional and that is what we desire,” he stated

On the expectations from graduates of the proposed centre of excellence, the Axxela CEO said for the company, the test is the quality of workmen that people would begin to see in the society.

He stated that the skills obtainable from this centre would continue to be pivotal to operational excellence within Axxela’s segment of the value chain.

” Hence, we need to have an active system for grooming them to become competent welders. Our expectation is that whenever we assess these practitioners, it would be clear that some would have passed through FSTC.

“If we track it and it starts to show, then we will know we are getting it right.

“I am hoping that if we call 500 welders for a test, among the top numbers, quite a sizable number will be from FSTC and it will be clear that we are on the right track,” he said.

Asked if public perception is responsible for the low enrollment into technical schools, Osunsanya said: “It is probably the way we look at such professions and how we project them’’.

“If they think a welder can achieve everything that society expects him to achieve, then they will pay attention to it. And I think that is what we need to do, get them trained properly.

“In our field, a welder earns more than a safety officer and if you have a top welder, he probably will even earn more than the chief engineer in a typical company because it is a highly specialised skill.

“I think first, the trade centre should not be a remedial school, that people go into because they could not get admitted into a technology school or university,” he said.

According to him, itt should be a path on its own and after the trade centre, the students should graduate to be top of their profession.

He added that there is a need to have poster professionals that had gone through this path, so that their achievements could be beamed and highlighted, to encourage the students.

According to him, this can change the perception with time.

Read Also:Institute to prioritise retraining of technical, vocational teachers

In his remarks, Lawanson regretted that the country has not made adequate investment in vocational skills training, adding that technical and vocational training is one aspect of the country’s economy that is yet to unleashed.

He said there is a huge aspect of the country’s economy where such skills are required, so that gap costs the country a lot because companies hire expatriates with these specialised skills.

“If we have trained professionals in such areas who have the right skills set, then even the equipment we will buy will last longer, even employment within those different trades will help to pay people properly and put them in the economy.

“I think we have this unidirectional mindset that every body must be a white collared job professional, which is not true, as this is not realistic to our national objective.

“Let me then state that this is what drives my passion in accepting to serve in this capacity as the chairman of the SBMC of FSTC and to help to bring as much awareness and support to that key sector of our livelihood.

“This will basically help us to unlock the potential of these young ones, as well as also propel them to be able to contribute meaningfully to the economy and the development of the nation,” the chairman stated.

Lawanson added that one of the key reasons for setting up the SBMC by the Federal Government, is to support it by attracting partners, funding, ideas and knowledge to support the schools.

He expressed delight at the ability to facilitate the Axxela project, to the tune of N23 million and others to the college, noting that the development was one that he had pursued with passion and would continue to look out for for of such collaborations.

“The first stage is the renovation of the Welding and Fabrication workshop, not only in terms of renovation of the workshop.

“It is also to be able to make linkages between what we are teaching them here and the industry out there.

“So, part of the attraction also, is that once they have been trained properly, we will now make the linkage for them to be employed there as required,” Lawanson noted.
Attachments area

The graduate students and final year students of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, recently visited the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos. It was a moment of revelation for students. Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon reports.

The academia is a place of research and development service to the society. The Lagos State University (LASU) is not left out of this time-tested road. Seminars and field trips, according to its researchers and lecturers, are the order of the day to create synergy between the university, government, industries and national needs.

Recently, the graduate students and final year students of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, as part of the new vista in the varsity, visited the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on a study visit.

A senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, who is a former Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), led the visiting students to the NIIA.

 

 On the visit

According to Prof. Soremekun,  the visit was necessitated by the need to acquaint the students with the policy formulation, especially on foreign policy. The university don noted that when the idea was sold to Dr. Paul Sewa-Thoevetin, head of Department of Political Science, he supported the visit.

The former vice chancellor, who came with Dr. Moshood Abdul-Wasi, said: “The aim is to expose our students to the policy world as this relates to Nigeria’s Foreign Policy with the kind permission of Dr. Paul Sewa-Thoevetin, head of Department of Political Science and Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, the Vice Chancellor, LASU. This is not going to be limited to political science students alone.

“Other students in the Department of Economics and others will also be introduced into policy formulation process in Lagos State ministries and others.”

 

Advice from NIIA DG, fellows

The NIIA Director-General, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, while welcoming the students, introduced members of the NIIA team, including Prof. Femi Otubanjo. He told the student that Prof. Otubanjo, a professor of Comparative Politics and International Relations, is a Senior Fellow in NIIA with many academic publications to his credit.

He, however, said he would not be surprised if the students have not read Otubanjo’s books. “It is  very important you read. But, studies have shown that most of you don’t read outside what you are thought in class. Also, most students don’t know authorities in certain fields.”

According to the NIIA DG, many students abroad would have done background researches on who talks to them. Osaghae told them that their primary constituency is academic and they must read and study widely.

He noted that things have got so bad that some applicants interviewed did not know the name of the Chief Justice.

The institute, he noted, is the repository of Nigeria’s signed agreements, treaties and scholarly documents, advising them to visit often for their research.

He added that the institute was established by Nigeria’s former leaders and concerned international affairs enthusiasts, who were driven by national interests.

The institute’s Acting Director of Researches, Efem Ubi, an Associate Professor, tutored the students on the working of the department, telling them to visit the institute for their researches.

Ubi also said the institute mostly writes the speeches of Nigeria’s President for United Nations General Assembly and other important events.

He added that the NIIA has fellows who specialise in diverse areas like Asian Politics, Defence and Military Strategy, and International Politics.

 

 Debate on Russian invasion

of Ukraine

The students, who were delayed by the heavy traffic on the busy Mile-Badagry Expressway, came on a day the NIIA “interns and senior interns” were having their seminar and group debate on Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Some of the visiting students, who volunteered to speak on the issue, were assembled into two groups and they did not disappoint the NIIA management and workers about their knowledge of current affairs.

 

Otubanjo’s counsel

While reacting to the students’ performance in the debate, Otubanjo, who chaired the session, counselled them to avail themselves of knowledge of international affairs. He said their phones are not for chatting alone, but for researches and knowledge acquisitions.

According to them, most of them with big phones are going about with libraries. The NIIA gave some of its scholarly books to the students and for the department to stock its library.

Last week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in partnership with Global Education Monitoring Report, showed that the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria had risen to 20 million. FRANK IKPEFAN looks at why many children of school age are not in school.

In May 2019, when he was completing his first term as Education Minister, Adamu Adamu said the status of Nigeria having the highest number of out-of-school children globally “was a big mark of shame to him as a person and to the entire nation”.

The minister had lamented his inability to fulfill his promise to reduce the number of out-of-school children by half before the end of his tenure.

Adamu had said the concerns of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had been “to find an empirical means of getting the actual figures and best ways to reduce the number to the barest minimum”.

“However, I must apologise for the inability to fulfill my promise but I believe the new minister will bring this number down,” he said.

With barely eight months to the end of his second tenure as education minister, the issue of Nigeria’s out-of-school conundrum has resurfaced, with Nigeria boasting a higher figure this time around.

The disturbing rate of out-of-school children came to the fore again last Thursday when a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in partnership with Global Education Monitoring Report, showed that the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria had risen to 20 million from about 12.5 million recorded last year. The latest data showed that sub-Saharan Africa remained the region with the highest out-of-school children.

The introduction of the Better Education Service Delivery For All (BESDA) targeted at reducing the figures of out-of-school children in the country seemed not to have reduced the figures.

The report stated: “Nigeria holds the unenviable position of being the country with the largest population of out-of-school children of primary school age: 9.6 million in 2020, up from 6.4 million in 2000 and 7.5 million in 2010. The number of out-of-school children continues to rise.”

This has sparked calls for an urgent intervention by the government to arrest the situation so that the pupils can return to school.

 

Insecurity, closure of schools responsible for new rise in figures

According to the Communication Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, Dr. Geoffrey Njoku, the 5.3 million students affected by the closure of 11,536 schools last year were responsible for the significant increase in the number of out-of-school children from about 15 million last year to 20 million at the moment.

This was followed by the rising insecurity in the country, especially in the North, which has the highest number of out-of-school in the country.

Some of the major school abductions include the April 14, 2014, kidnap of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State; another 300 pupils from Damasak, Borno State; 110 pupils from Dapchi, Yobe State; 344 pupils from Kankara, Katsina State; 276 pupils from Jangebe, Zamfara State; 140 students from Chikun in Kaduna State; and 102 pupils from Yauri, Kebbi State.

Njoku said: “As a precautionary measure, a total of 11,536 schools were closed for specific periods last year, with 5,330,631 students affected – whose schooling was disrupted and learning severely impacted.

“When schools are attacked, children and parents begin to see them as places of danger. The damage is tremendous – making parents afraid to send their children to school and affecting the mental health of children. Those directly impacted are traumatised and are slow to recover from the shock of an attack on their school.”

 

 Figures remain high in northern states despite UBEC interventions

Despite accessing its funds for basic education from the Universal Basic Education Commission, most northern states continue to boast of enviable figures when it comes to issues of out-of-school in Nigeria. According to the 2021 Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey MICS6, the highest out-of-school rates are found in Kebbi (65 per cent), Zamfara (61 per cent) and Bauchi (61 per cent). While the lowest rates are found in Ekiti (two per cent), and Imo (one per cent).

Speaking at a two-day media dialogue on MICS 6 results, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, UNICEF’s Chief of Measurement for Results (M4R), Claes Johanson, noted that the share of children that are out-of-school in primary was still 25 per cent.

The MICS 6 was carried out last year by the National Bureau of Statistics as part of the global MICS programme. It covered 39, 632 households.

“The lowest out-of-school rates are found in Ekiti (two per cent), and Imo (one per cent). The highest rates are in Kebbi (65 per cent), Zamfara (61 per cent) and Bauchi (61 per cent).

“There is room for improvement, particularly in education. For the first time, we are looking at children actually learning but only 25 per cent at grade level in terms of reading and mathematics. More than that, one in every four children doesn’t even go to school.

“So, the number of out-of-school children is still one in four and that is the same as five years ago.

“Investments in the education system is the most important thing, ” he said.

 

According to him, the figures indicated that Nigeria had not seen improvement in the number of out-of-school students in the past five years and should begin to improve in this area. He called on Kebbi State, which has 65 per cent of the out-of- school numbers to ramp up investment in education and also investment in the social protection system.

“There needs to be a comprehensive policy response from the state government, stating its intention to really invest in the education system and also in the social protection system that will provide more economic opportunities for the people of Nigeria.”

The UNICEF chief added: “On out-of-school children we have not really seen any improvements. The share of children that are out-of- school in primary is still 25 per cent. So, three out of four children are in school but only one in four children are learning in grade level and a lot of that has to do with population growth.

“There are a lot of investments in new schools, teachers’education but it just barely keeps up with the population growth which is a huge challenge in the country.

“So, continuing education is the most important thing,” the UNICEF chief of M4R said.

 

Poverty, lack of investment in basic education responsible for rising figures

In Kebbi State, the Programme Assistant on Education, Youthhub Africa, Peter Ogah, linked the rising figures in the state to increase in poverty.

Ogah said: “A key contribution to this, for me, is the increase in poverty rate (parents preferring to survive than send their wards to school), very low quality of teaching, and a gradual decline in interest for education. Kebbi for instance is not plague with insecurity as the other states but yet has an alarming figure.

“I had a conversation with a parent and traditional rulers while in Kebbi and he said he would rather send his wards to neighbouring states where the academic standard is high than have them study in Kebbi State.

“Based on UBEC’s guideline, a huge chunk of the fund accessed are used for renovation and construction with just a fraction going into teachers’ training and retraining, robust curriculum development and other factors that truly drive the quality of education in a state.”

Head Tracka, BudgIT Foundation, Uadamen Ilevbaoje, carpeted governors over low investments in basic education.

He noted that most governors, who access UBEC funds for basic education end up diverting the funds into something else. Ilevbaoje said: “It is alarming that the issue of out-of-school in Nigeria has come to the fore again globally. It tells you about the seriousness governments at the sub-national levels pay to basic education. Most of these governors don’t care much about education in their state.

“If you look at the budgets of most states, you will see that there is little provision for education. Some state governments pay attention to other sectors than the education sector. When classrooms are not well-equipped, the environment is not conducive and most people find it difficult to send their children to school.

“There is a low-level of citizen participation in governance. Citizens are not really holding the government to account by telling the government to focus more investments on education.”

 

Educationist speaks

A Lagos-based educationist, Mrs. Dideolu Adekogbe, called on the Federal Government and those at the sub-national levels to be intentional in investing in education.

Adekogbe, who is the lead consultant, Flourish-Gate Global Consult and Convener, Bring Back Primary6 Movement, said: “We don’t even need UNESCO to let us know. It is something that is obvious; we all see these things happen in our communities.

“The government should be very intentional and deliberate in their planning. But I don’t look at the Federal Government as one that is serious about education because even the universities have been locked down for months.

“The government has nonchalant attitude to education and so one of the things it should do is to be intentional. Do you want Nigerians to be educated? If the answer is yes, then the government should begin to plan.

“The government should ensure that the schools are funded adequately, ensure that qualified staff are recruited, ensure that continuous training is done and ensure that we have heads in schools that know exactly what they are supposed to be doing and let there be proper monitoring and supervision.

“The government should build more schools. If it cannot build more schools, it should collaborate with the private schools. Take some children to some private schools and give those schools grants. This was what was happening before. We used to have grant-in-aid that used to be given even for mission schools in those days.”

A school administrator based in Lagos, Eragbie Elijah, called for an increase in budgetary allocation to the education sector.

Elijah, who is the Director of World Class Academy, a primary school in Lagos, said: “The government needs to increase funding for education. The budgetary allocation for education is 5.4 percent of the budget instead of the 8.4 recommended by UNICEF. After funds have been approved, money shouldn’t just be disbursed. I suggest an independent agency in liaison with the private sector should be tasked with monitoring projects.

“Budgetary allocations for ridiculous expenses in the executive budget should be transferred to the primary level of education. This will help in the repairs and construction of classrooms, and access roads etc.

“There should be incentives to boost school enrollment, especially in the rural places and places where education isn’t appreciated. A government that can negotiate with terrorists successfully should be able to provide a form of subsidy for  poorer Nigerians.  “The Ministry of Education should also liaise with the National Orientation Agency and broadcast widely the benefits of education, especially primary education, which is arguably the most important level of education.”

 Government reacts

However, the Federal Government has disagreed with the UN agency about the 20 million figure of out-of-school children in the country.

Speaking through the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Benjamin Goong, the government said: “The Federal Ministry of Education conducts annual school census and let me tell you the template we use. From the National Population Commission, we get the birth rate. When we get the birth rate from NPC and we do our school census. The birth rate tells us how many children are born in Nigeria every year. The school census tells us how many are in school. When we minus the birth rate from how many that are in school, then we say the rest are not in school.

“We have these schools, we reach them, we conduct these school census and we go to NPC and work on this template and come up with the figures. Where UNESCO is getting its own figures? I don’t know.”

When Lagos State Commissioner for Education Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo announced plan to organise the state’s education summit, she promised that the gathering would live up to expectation.

She also promised that the summit’s focus would cut across the primary to tertiary education levels and with reference to the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the state government and the 30-year development plan of the state.

T.H.E.M.E.S, represents the six pillars of the state’s strategic development agenda, namely: Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, as well as Security and Governance”.

But, at the end of the two-day events, stakeholders commended the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration for its  visionary reforms of the state education sector and the organisation of a summit described as a success story.

The stakeholders, however, urged the state government to prioritise the public, private partnership towards strengthening its 30-year development plan.

They declared: “What needs to be done is to sustain relevant interventions, upscale investments in teacher training to teach virtually, borrow best practices and tailor the curriculum to complement Nigeria’s industrial needs for optimal development.”

The stakeholders, including panelists, lauded the state government for introducing EKOEXCEL to boost learning and teaching, using cutting-edge technology.

The summit, themed: “Creating a sustainable Fit-For-Purpose Education Model” was held at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island last week.

Its panelists include: Soji Megbowon, STEM teacher and co-founder, Teenprenuer Hub; Lanre Abolaji Oguntoye, science educator, Greensprings School; Femisola Awosika, Executive Director, Robert & John Limited; Omowale David-Ashiru, Managing Director, New Globe Education Services and Amabelle Nwakanma, Director of Programme, LEAP Africa.

They stressed the need for adequate use of technology to improve teaching and boost learning outcomes across all tiers of education, including its primary schools in Lagos State.

According to them, education as an integral part of every society and, like every social institution, had witnessed changes over the years.

To enable more innovative and engaging teaching methods and learning experiences, they said schools are incorporating emerging technologies into the classroom. These include Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Robotics, Live Streaming, Adaptive Learning Algorithms and 3D Printing.

According to them,  the state government is not left behind in the use of innovation, imbibing advanced technology to improve teaching and boost learning outcomes across all tiers of education, including its primary schools.

Awosika praised the state government for introducing EKOEXCEL to boost learning and teaching using cutting-edge technology.

Awosika said:  “I’ll like to see technology in real-time assessment of the teacher’s work. What’s going on in the classroom? How are the children reacting to lessons? That will come from the kind of artificial technology. And it should be seamless around the learning environment.”

During the summit’s opening, Sanwo-Olu assured that his administration would commit more resources to ensure that out-of-school children in the state returned to school.

According to Sanwo-Olu, “Our administration is passionate about education, and we aim to bring transformation that will make our children better ambassadors of the state and country. We’ll prepare them with the requisite skills for tomorrow’s jobs.”

He said the state’s new school model was an example of the desired Fit-For-Purpose Education System. The governor also spoke on investments his administration had made in the sector, that through EKOEXCEL, with 15,000 teachers being trained.

Also, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said: “The vision of the administration is to entrench a three-tier coordinated educational system that will produce well-rounded individuals for global relevance.” The Commissioner for Education said the action plan to improve teachers’ welfare and output is deliberate.

She reassured the gathering: “Teaching remains the noblest profession and they will always receive the attention of the government. Therefore, our teachers must rededicate themselves to the job of nurturing Nigeria’s future generations.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Tokunbo  Wahab, who said the Lagos Education Model is one that  takes care of education from the foundation through to adult life, added: “The Sanwo-Olu government has done interventions  to include a broad vocational linkage, mass adult literacy, the ‘job – initiative Lagos’ and the conventional university. We have also in the last three years renovated 298 school libraries to encourage the reading culture and  upgraded the comprehensive colleges to complement those, since education is not limited to the university structure.” Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, acknowledged the  governor’s commitment and huge investments, stressing: “What remains is the essential synergy between stakeholders to coordinate efforts to achieve the 30-year transformation plan.”

Finnish Ambassador of Education, Marjanna Sall, shared notable aspects of Finland’s educational model with the gathering.

Sall assured of the readiness to partner the state government.

She said: “The Finnish government values its people and education greatly; it is a constitutional human right. Teachers are required to possess a master’ s degree. The good results are evidence of several decades of improvement; it is hinged on continuous teacher retraining.”

Many parents and candidates seeking admission into the universities for the 2022/2023 academic session have shifted their interest to private universities.

In Abia, for instance, private universities have become feasible alternatives due to the lingering strike by lecturers in public universities.

The nationwide action by the lecturers, under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has paralysed academic activities in all the federal universities since February 14

The unfortunate development, which has become perennial in the country, appears to have betrayed the people’s confidence in public universities.

Worried by the scenario, many admission seekers in the country, aided by their parents and guardians, have now resorted to private universities, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey has indicated.

At Madonna University, Okija in Anambra, the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Okpara, said most of the courses offered in the Elele and Okija campuses of the institution were fully subscribed to in the just-concluded academic session.

According to Opara, since the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) released this yaer’s results, many people have been calling to enquire about our admission requirements.

A lecturer in the university, who pleaded anonymity, said the school had already exceeded its quota in some of the courses.

He said the institution stood the risk of being sanctioned by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

At the Tansian University, Umunya in Anambra State, a member of staff in the Admission Department submitted that the university was experiencing an upsurge in the number of admission-seekers.

“We have had good students’ enrolment since the university was established about 15 years ago.

“However, the level of enrolment increased last year,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

He ascribed the development to the ongoing industrial action by ASUU, in addition to the “excellent academic performance” by the institution.

Mr. Lawrence Nwaimo, who is seeking admission to Paul University, Awka, the Anambra State capital, said the school had commenced admission for the 2022/2023 academic session.

Nwaimo said there were many candidates struggling to gain admission due to the limited chances in the institution.

“I have been going to the university since last week and I usually met a crowd of people in the admission office each time I came there,” he said.

In Ebonyi, the Public Relations Officer, Evangel University, Dr. Thenz Nwali, said the incessant strikes by ASUU and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) in public universities led to more students seeking admission into the institution.

An official in the university’s Admission Department also said on the condition of anonymity that many candidates were coming to the institution to seek admission.

He said: “The incessant strikes in the public universities have pushed up students’enrolment in our school.

“Even the candidates who did not have our institution either as first or second choice are coming to seek admission here.”

In Abia, the Vice Chancellor, Clifford University, Prof. Allwell Chimezie Omeonu, said the 2021/2022 academic session had just ended and that enrollment for the 2022/2023 session had yet to commence.

“We will begin to enroll new students in October.

“That is when we will start to see the impact of the strike, whether there is an improvement or not.

“So, for now, we do not know what the impact of the strike will be on the enrolment of students,” Omeonu said.

Also, Prof. Ambrose Ugbogu, the Vice Chancellor of All Saints University of Theology and Seminary, said the statistics of the university’s enrolment had not shown any increase in the past six months.

Ugbogu noted that the charges by private universities could be one of the factors discouraging students from switching from public to private universities.

“Also, those who were admitted into public universities would not want to relinquish their admission,” he said.

Mr. Sleek Ogwo, the Principal Assistant Registrar/Head, Media and Public Relations, Gregory University, Uturu, said it would be difficult to give any statistics of enrolment, when admission for the 2022/2023 had not begun.

Ogwo said the university had just concluded its 2021/2022 session and would soon begin the admission process.

“We can only ascertain whether there is an increase in enrollment compared to our previous records around October, when we should be done with admission,” he said.

A parent, who identified herself as Mrs. Gloria Duru, said she had lost interest in public universities because of the incessant disruptions in academic activities due to industrial disputes between ASUU and the Federal Government.

Duru said the private universities had provided an alternative, provided one could afford the financial resources.

She said she had been able to secure admission for two of her children at both Clifford University and Gregory University, Uturu.

In Imo, Rev. Fr. Emeka Iheme, a lecturer at the Department of Philosophy, Claretian University of Nigeria, Nekede, near Owerri, said the institution was expecting more than double the number of students admitted in the last session.

Iheme said the university admitted at least 71 students in their first academic session last year, when the institution was established.

He said at least 300 prospective students had so far enrolled for the next session billed to commence in next month.

He argued that the ASUU strike could be a factor since parents and guardians were confident that their children and wards would graduate in record time in private universities.

Experts in education have said technology will deepen access to quality education, urging  institutions of higher learning to embrace  digital learning.

This was the consensus during a virtual roundtable  of EdTech Mondays, an initiative of the MasterCard Foundation in partnership with Co-creation Hub.

The session moderated by social engineering practitioner, Joyce Daniels, featured panelists such as the Acting Head of Department, Environmental Health Sciences, National Open University, Nigeria (NOUN), Oluremi Saliu; an Information Technology scholar, NOUN, Michael Asefon and a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Oluwatoyin Ajilore-Chukwuemeka.

Speaking at the roundtable with the theme: “Digitising higher education in Nigeria: Opportunities and challenges”, Saliu explained that digital learning remains the driver for learning in tertiary institution such as NOUN, adding that COVID-19 pandemic was  an eye-opener  on the many possibilities available to get  educated.

She expressed delight that most tertiary institutions in Nigeria were  beginning to embrace e-learning. She said  it had taken the form of revolution with underprivileged, poor and rich now having access to it. According to her, NOUN  enjoys a robust learning environment with students having access to educational resources.

Asefon, who is a software engineer, said the benefits of digital learning could not  be overemphasised because  it creates room for flexibility. He advised ed-tech innovators and university administrators to provide training and  much needed infrastructure to facilitate easy adoption of e-learning by  students and teachers.

Ajilore-Chukwuemeka noted  that the challenge with adoption of digital learning does not lie with infrastructure and training alone, but also behavioural change on the part of students and teachers. She said many students and lecturers still find it strange adapting to online-learning because it was introduced as a stop-gap measure  at the height of the  COVID-19 pandemic.

She also urged  telecommunication companies  to find a way to subsidise cost for data and devices to enable students have easy access to online learning.

Members of the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) led by its Chairman, Victor Olabimtan,  have toured public primary schools across the state to interface with teachers and other stakeholders in the primary education sector.

They met with stakeholders like the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).

One report from the stakeholders was that enrolment into public primary schools in the state was dwindling despite that the state government has renovated or constructed 781 out of the 1,267 primary schools spread across the state.

Findings by the team indicated that the major cause of the low registration was that residents do not have confidence in public primary schools because the teachers in those schools enrolled their children in private schools and, therefore, became difficult for them to encourage parents to enrol their children in public schools.

Another cause was the lack of teachers in the state public schools. In some primary schools, especially in the rural areas, it was discovered that the schools have only one teacher who is also the head teacher. It is the PTA in those schools that contribute money to engage teachers for their wards.The teachers engaged by the PTA earned a paltry N10,000 monthly.

Indiscriminate building of schools across the state without adherence to laid procedure is also fuelling the low enrolment into public schools.

It was gathered that efforts of the state government at tackling dearth of teachers in primary schools through recent recruitment of 1,200 teachers and redistribution of teachers had not yielded the desired results.

Checks showed that many teachers were reluctant to go to rural areas, lobbying to remain in the local government headquarters even when they agreed to be transferred from Akure, the state capital. In one of the primary schools, the SUBEB team found 60 teachers in a primary school in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area.

Speaking after the tour, Olabimtan agreed that there was dearth of teachers in the basic education, but not as significant as the public was being made to believe. He argued that there was more concentration of teachers in the towns.

Olabimtan said: “Nobody wants to go to teach in schools in the villages. This has been the bane of the system. Governor Akeredolu charged us to re-distribute the teachers to rural areas. But the problem we found was at the recruitment system. When you post a teacher that hails from Akure to some villages, it would be difficult for the teacher to go to that area. We found out that some of those we re-distributed were crying. We didn’t change them. The solution we profound is to localise the recruitment processes. Any teacher we want to employ from now on would hail from the locality. It will then become difficult for those employed to want to be transferred to the state capital. We have some primary schools in this state where there is only one teacher. For now, we are trying to re-distribute the teachers we have.

“We also discover that enrolment into public schools was dwindling. One of the reasons we got was that most of the teachers have their children in private schools. It became impossible for the teachers to tell  parents to bring their children to public schools.’’

He continued: “We agreed that we will appeal to our teachers that since doctors are proud of their profession, let teachers be proud of theirs too. One of this, was that on moral ground, the teachers should enrol their wards in schools where they teach or in other public schools near them. This is to build confidence in public schools. People would easily bring their children to public schools. Nobody said it was an offence for teachers to take their children to private schools, but they should do that on moral ground and confidence-building. All public schools are the same, going by the faculties we have put on ground.

“It was not a policy statement, but an advice. It was a joint decision of the teachers, the PTA and the NUT.’’ What bothers me is that is it morally right for me to be a teacher in government school and I put my children in a private school? What knowledge am I imparting? Why can’t my child be there if I am impacting the right knowledge.That will enable the teacher put in their best. Most of the teachers have agreed to withdraw their children from private schools and bring them to public schools.”

Hon Olabimtan, however, blamed dearth of teachers in Ondo public primary schools on the decision of Dr. Mimiko’s administration not to recruit teachers as well as building of 54 mega schools.

“Enrolment into public schools is declining little by little. That was why Akeredolu employed 1200 teachers. After Agagu left, Mimiko did not employ any teacher for eight years. The major recruitment for primary schools was done during the Agagu era. Every day, teachers are retiring, some are dying, some are resigning, it means the teaching population is going down. If Agagu had done recruitment and Mimiko followed it up, we will not have the acute shortage we have now.

 

“We need to begin to fill in the gap till we get there. The recruitment had to be systematic. We want to give a template to Governor Akeredolu in which we look at the number of teachers we need in 10 years’ time. We will advise 500 teachers be employed every year so that the wage bill will not be too much.”

To give back to the community, the Ikorodu Resource Development Group (IDRDG) has awarded scholarship to 17 indigent undergraduate students of Ikorodu division, who performed excellently in their various fields of study.

The beneficiaries were given N100,000 each.

The group also held mathematics competition, which was attended by 22 Senior Secondary Schools in the division.

Keme Balogun Seniro College, Ibeshe, Zumratul-Islamiyyah Senior Grammar School, Igbogbo and Oriwu Senior Model College Ikorodu emerged top three winners among the  schools and were awarded.

English Language, mathematics and science subjects, and primary school teachers were taken on a two-day workshop, on the recent teaching methodology and exposure on different classroom  resources on their various subjects, to enhance students’ performances.

The group’s Chairman, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, reiterated the need for the community leaders to invest in the youth, as that would encourage societal productivity.

He said: “The more you encourage them with scholarship, the more they perform excellently. Community should give back to these children so they could serve us in future.

“The issue of our children sitting at home is not good at all. We are going to lose a lot of brains. We should not make the youth to lose interest in our country.

“These awards are going to last them for the duration of their courses. We will be reviewing it every year. We gave them on the basis of excellence. The least we have is 4.5 CGP. They have shown a little bit of competence in their fields. And we are happy with their performances.”

Ijaodoro-Aina Aminat Omobolanle, the best among the 17 awardees from Lagos State University, College of Medicine, said the scholarship  would go a long way in helping her perform better. She promised to add to the society positively.

“My family is not financially buoyant, though we are not struggling. I feel with this scholarship, my academic performance would be strengthened.

“I am going to use it to buy school materials. I am going to change the perspective of nursing profession. I am going to make sure that any client I get in contact with, they get better. This is because I am their care-giver. To the students out there, if I can do it, though, I am not done, you too can do it,” she said.