Category: Education

THE Federal Government has adopted a new curriculum that will accommodate the millions of children and youths unable to go to school.

The curriculum, known as Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP), targets out-of-school children between the ages of 10 and 18 who were in school but had their education interrupted and are overage to continue schooling from where they stopped.

ABEP was birthed as a result of funds provided by the European Union, under its funded project: EU Response, Early Recovery and Resilience in Borno State (Education component), managed by Plan International.

Minister of Education Adamu Adamu said the result of the test-run undertaken in Borno State showed that the programme and the curriculum are implementable, in all ramifications, without any design challenge.

Adamu said this at the flag-off ceremony to mark the national roll out of the ABEP in Abuja.

Director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement at the Ministry Isiaku Abdulwasiu, who represented the minister said: “I directed NERDC and our partners to test-run the programme and the curriculum before we declare a national roll out. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to inform you that the result of the test-run shows that the programme and the curriculum are implementable, in all ramifications, without any design challenge.

“At this juncture, I wish to inform you all that this programme is for all the states in Nigeria as the category of children and youths this programme is meant for are found in all states of the country, although in varying forms and degrees. I, therefore, call on states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to put machinery in place to commence the implementation of the programme as it suits the local demands.

“I also urge our parastatals, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) and National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) to prioritise the implementation of the programme in their action plans to confront the menace and syndrome of out of school children and youth.”

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NRRDC) Prof. Ismail Junaidu described Nigeria as one of the countries in the world with a huge population of out-of-school children and youths.

According to him, the situation has become worsened by the escalation of insurgency in the Northeast that led to closure of schools and the displacement of huge number of persons, including children and adolescents.

Prof. Junaidu explained that after two years of piloting, the result clearly indicates that a good job has been done both in the programme structure and curricula.

He stated: “To also ensure the programme sustainability, we have developed the programme implementation guidelines, which is comprehensive and focused.

“The guidelines provide all necessary details to support states and partners run successful accelerated basic education programme because teachers are critical in the programme implementation.We have also contextualised a broad-based teacher training pack. I am very confident to say that the coast is very clear and we can cruise without fear of any mishap in the implementation of ABEP in Nigeria.

To ensure that the programme is a success and the countries education sector is improved, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO) Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi pushed for the use of English as a language of instruction to be stopped.

He said: “Talking about anchoring our education to be functional in all aspects using our indigenous languages, if you look around the world and societies that have advanced, the languages of instruction in their educational system are indigenous languages. My advice is that for us to be at the next level is to ensure that this accelerated curriculum is made available in Nigerian languages and the instructions should be done in Nigerian languages also. It is only in that way that we can ensure our country develops.

“We must drop this colonial way of English language as a language of instruction in our schools, this is the way for Nigeria to develop its educational system and NECO is ready to access Nigerian children in all the Nigerian languages.”

The Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has appointed a new Registrar, Bursar and Librarian for a single term of five years.

The university disclosed this in a statement by the Director, Media and Publicity, NOUN, Ibrahim Sheme, in Abuja.

The new appointees are Mr. Oladipo Adetayo Ajayi – Registrar, Mr. Nasir Gusau Marafa -Bursar and Dr. Angela Ebele Okpala – Librarian.

The appointments were conveyed to the appointees in separate letters dated June 27, and signed by the  out-going Registrar, Mr. Felix I. Edoka.

Edoka said the three appointments were approved by the University Governing Council during its 69th Meeting, held on Thursday, June 23.

According to him, the new Registrar’s appointment will take effect from September 5, 2022.

On the other hand, the new Bursar’s appointment, according to the Registrar, will be effective from September 17, 2022, while the university Librarian’s appointment takes effect from June 23.

The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Odunayo Adebooye has said he went to school to appease his mother, whose desire for him to get educated was based on prophecy.

Prof. Adebooye, who spoke after his inauguration as the fourth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the institution, stated that he was reluctant to attend school despite the free admission form he obtained, which was influenced by a catechist of St David’s Anglican Church Akiriboto-Gbongan in 1979.

He explained: “I’m just a product of grace. My father died when I was in Primary 2 in 1974. There was no hope for me again because of financial constraints but I completed Primary VI in June 1978. As soon as I left school, I started subsistence farming and hunting which I did for one year.

“In June 1979 when a catechist of my church, St David’s Anglican Church, Akiriboto-Gbongan, came to my mother late in the evening, to urge her that I should seek admission into secondary school. The catechist’s reason was based on the possibility of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) winning the governorship election as they promised that there would be free education.”

He added: “I got the admission but the financial resources to sponsor me to school were not there because our bread-winner and pillar of our family was no more, my daddy. My mother, 86-years old, Gladys Adébóóyè, decided that she would sell her belongings to send me to school because a prophet told her that I will become great. She believed that education could make the prophecy come to fulfillment.

“I started attending secondary school reluctantly just to please my mother because I erroneously felt I would soon drop out for a financial reason.”

The new VC vowed that his administration will consolidate on gains and expand the scope to attain sustainability for the institution.

The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has trained 270 indigent parents and guardians of enrolled Out-Of-School Children (OOSC). Assistant Editor BOLA OLAJUWON writes on the philosophy behind the training, which is financial sustainability.

Nigerian schools’ policy-makers are being confronted by two major challenges in the education sector – the issue of 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, which is the highest rate in the world, and the question of “learning poverty”.

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria. Also, the World Bank defines learning poverty as: “the inability to read and understand a simple text by age 10.” When a child can’t read, it further impedes their ability to succeed in school and beyond.

Moreover, 260 million children are not even in school. This is the leading edge of a learning crisis that threatens countries’ efforts to build human capital and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without foundational learning, students often fail to thrive later in school or when they join the workforce.

For the Lagos State Government, its educational administrators are using NewGlobe Methodology, which a Nobel Prize-winning economist, Professor Michael Kremer, has confirmed among the largest learning gains measured in schools by a major study in Africa, including Nigeria.

The groundbreaking study, led by the 2019 Nobel Prize-winning economist, finds that children living in underserved African communities receive 53 percent more learning in schools supported by Nigerian government partner NewGlobe, throughout their early childhood and primary schooling. The Lagos State Government is one of three states using the methodology with its EKOEXCEL programme.

Training indigent parents, guardians of enrolled out-of-school children

However, to sustain retention, completion and transition of newly enrolled pupils in public primary schools, the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has trained 270 indigent parents and guardians of enrolled Out-Of-School-Children (OOSC) under the Project Zero initiative.

The Board sought WAPA’s collaboration and support in tackling the peril of out-of-school children in the state.

At the graduation held at SUBEB hall, the Executive Chairman LASUBEB, Wahab Alawiye-King stated that the three-week skill acquisition and empowerment training programme, which commenced on Monday, 6th – 23rd June, is designed to tackle the root causes of the menace of OOSC.

He noted: “The board realised the need to address the causative factors, one of which was identified as socio-economic challenges of parents/guardians of these children.”

Appreciating public and private organisation that have so far supported the project zero initiative, he extolled WAPA for supporting the board in the realisation of its objective to rid the state of roaming school-age children, by ensuring that pupils enrolled are retained in schools.

Philosophy behind the training

Alawiye-King noted that the skills acquired by the burden bearers will help them become self-reliant and independent. He advised the graduates to utilise the skills learnt as a means of earning legitimate incomes, stating that they have been trained to be self-sufficient in order to care for their wards, ensure their regular attendance in schools and prevent child labour.

Commissioner of WAPA Mrs. Cecelia Dada, while welcoming participants, noted that the short term skills acquisition programme is a promise fulfillment to the board, directed at financial sustainability of the indigent parents.

She noted that the parents had been trained on nine various skills of choice such as Hair & Wig Making, Event Decoration & Management, Fabric Stoning & Embellishments, Cake, Snacks & Beverage Production, Soap, Pomade & Insecticide Production, Throw Pillow &Duvet Making, Ankara Craft and Leather Works, Make-up & Gele Tying, and Tie & Dye.

The overall essence of this economic empowerment is status lifting and most importantly provision of their children’s needs.

Prizes were presented to outstanding participants by the board and the graduates were issued professional certifications and equipment.

Illegal universities and polytechnics are posing a challenge in the education sector. Inspite of the damage to education, the Federal Government, Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the security agents still treat operators with kid-gloves. VICTORIA AMADI reports.

It is a known fact that the government is obliged under the provision of Section 18 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, to provide adequate and equal educational opportunities at all stages. But the irony of the matter is that, in as much as education is easily accessible in most parts of the country, the menace of illegal educational institutions are affecting the sector.

NUC’s battle with illegal varsities

The National Universities Commission (NUC) recently said it discovered 67 illegal universities, satellite campuses and study centres in the country.

Its Executive  Secretary, Abubakar Rasheed, stated this at the 11th convocation of Al-Hikmah University in Ilorin. He said the alleged illegal institutions award certificates, making the matter worse.

He, however, said the NUC was tackling the situation headlong, to discourage the illegality and ensure the reputation of tertiary education in the county is not damaged.

“The commission is taking concrete steps through inter-agencies collaboration to tackle the untoward development headlong, especially by mass sensitisation of unsuspecting patrons through periodic publication list of such ‘Degree Mills’,” he stated.

The NUC boss called for concerted effort of stakeholders to check dwindling standard of education.

Afe Babalola on illegal universities

To safeguard the country’s tertiary education from imminent collapse, the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), last year, advised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to start prosecuting and confiscating property belonging to operators of illegal universities.

The legal icon also warned the governors of the 36 states against establishing universities in their states for political reasons, saying many of them were found to be unsustainable after relinquishing power.

“The NUC, on its website, had been publishing names of illegal universities annually. This means no action had been taken against those which were discovered the previous years.

“The damage done to education by these illegal universities is irreparable. I call on the Federal Government, Ministry of Education, NUC, EFCC to identify these universities, their operators and teachers and take appropriate sanctions, which include forfeiture of the property and imprisonment of collaborators”.

Illegal varsities in the garb of ‘illegal courses’

The illegal institutions, just like the accredited ones, offer programmes in almost all fields of study such as Science, Arts, Law, Engineering, Social Sciences and Education.

Most of the fake institutions claim to be in affiliation with some foreign institutions. It is against this background that most students seeking admission get played on, believing that they would graduate with good certificates after years in school.

The Nation met a former student of one of the illegal universities who was granted admission to study a four-year course in Economics in Oyo State only to be told his course was unaccredited and had to start all over in another department after he had completed his third year. This is one of the havocs illegal institutions wreak in the society and in the lives of the victims – a waste of resources,  money, years, time and emotional damage. Most of the victims, after being frustrated, end up giving up on education.

NBTE and ICPC collaboration to fight illegal polys

Like NUC, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has expressed concern over the increasing number of illegal private polytechnics, monotechnics as well as health institutions and technical vocational education and training institutions across the country.

The board noted that some of the institutions, particularly health technological institutions, had yet to get the nod of the Federal Government to operate, adding that any certificate, degree awarded by such institutions remained illegal.

Its Executive Secretary, prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje cautioned admission-seekers and unsuspecting public against falling prey, adding that the development was a threat to quality education in the country.

Bugaje solicited the support of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to curb the operation of illegal satellite polytechnic and monotechnic campuses.

He spoke when he led a delegation of the board to visit the Chairman of the ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, in Abuja. Bugaje  was quoted  as saying the operation of satellite campuses was one of the major challenges confronting the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, stressing that the board was mandated to co-ordinate all aspects of technical education.

He noted that he had created the Polytechnic Inspectorate Department to monitor illegal operations on campuses since he assumed duty.

Owasanoye promised to assist the NBTE to tackle the menace.

Lack of space to admit prospective candidates after UTME

Every year, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) register millions of candidates. In 2022, JAMB registered about 1,837,001 million candidates. Most of the prospective candidates are seeking admission into universities.

Others seek placements in polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education.

Most of the candidates are desperately seeking for admission either as a result of pressure from home, peers or the genuine desire to follow the rhythm of uninterrupted academic year and to graduate on time. But the sad reality is that the numbers of approved institutions are not sufficient to accommodate this huge number of applicants, who sit for JAMB yearly.

The ‘unlucky candidates who could not get admission or who do not meet up with the aggregate score of the approved schools, are enticed by most of these illegal institutions  with easy enrollment. A semblance of reality is also the case of a student who scored all A(s) in West African Examination Council exams, and who also, met up with the premium placed on aggregate score, but wasn’t granted admission due to catchment area policy.

ASUU against more approval of new private universities

Stakeholders on several occasions have called on government to establish more universities to limit the figure of prospective applicants who could not gain admissions to higher institutions. But, approval of new private universities by the Federal Government recently in the wake of industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) generated ripples.

The Federal Government had approved establishment of 12 new private universities across the country. The benefitting states include Kano, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto, Delta, Abia, Anambra and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Government also approved establishment of three new polytechnics in the country. The Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement by its director of press, Ben Goong, said President Muhammadu Buhari approved the three polytechnics to be located in Kabo, Kano State; Umunnoechi, Abia State, and Orogun, Delta State.

This brings to 36 the number of federal polytechnics in the country. All states of the federation now have one federal polytechnic each.

However, there were concerns whether or not the decision was a good move, considering the fact that the system is yet to maximise capacity of existing private universities, while ASUU has been on strike since February 14.

The approval of 12 new universities increased the number of private institutions from 99 to 111. A 2019 record by Statista showed that in 2019, there were over 1.8 million full-time undergraduates in the country. It was gathered that 1,206,825 students attend federal universities, 544,936 attend state universities and 102,500 attend private universities.

Way forward

A university lecturer, Prof. Gbenga Aribisala, tasked the NUC to develop stringent measures for effective regulation of operations of special universities and polytechnics.

Aribisala, a Professor of Civil Engineering, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, and a fellow of Public Administration of Nigeria (IPAN), said the special institutions were instituted to give special skills and imbue graduates with knowledge to be job and wealth creators, but lamented that most of them now run courses outside their scopes.

He said the two major problems of insecurity and unemployment could only be solved with robust entrepreneurial and skills acquisition, which special institutions can guarantee.

Also, Chairman of Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) in Federal Government Girls College, Oyo, Abdullateef Adesina, was of the opinion that “government should ensure prompt funding and equipping of the institutions of higher learning in the country. He added that the government should assist NUC in fishing out and punishing the operators of these illegal schools and shutting them down because NUC can’t do this alone.

“The NUC needs a higher authority to ensure that these illegal institutions are made to do the right thing.”

A prospective candidate, Okonkwo Chiamaka submitted that “this menace could be nipped in the bud if NUC would make available, constant update of the institutions and programmes that are accredited, to enable candidates seeking for admission be rightly informed before applying”.

NOUN plans to increase enrolment

Owing to lack of adequate infrastructure by conventional higher institutions to admit more applicants, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) said it’s committed to hitting enrolment of one million students in the next six years.

Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the university, gave the assurance during an interaction with journalists at the end of the council’s 69th Regular Meeting.

The interaction held on Thursday in Lagos.

According to Okebukola, the council is pleased with the acceptability and feedbacks it is receiving from the public, especially as regards students’ enrolment.

“The council has resolved that it will continue to do its best to ensure that student enrolment in this university hits the one million mark.

“I want to assure the public that, in another six years, going by what we are putting in place to give qualitative education to the Nigerian masses, we will hit the one million mark in terms of student enrolment,” he said.

He said the university had enrolled  600,000 students, of which 150, 000 were active.

While NOUN’s promise is expected to materialise, stakeholders expect the NUC, the NBTE, ICPC and the police to go after illegal universities operators and prosecute culprits.