Category: Education

Ogun Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has given the best graduating student of Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic (AAP) Ijebu-Igbo,Ogun State, a cash prize of N1 million and automatic employment.

Sarah Olamide Olanipekun, a Mass Communication student, graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.91 to emerge the best graduating student of the institution.

This was announced on Thursday at the institution’s 3rd combined convocation and 16th anniversary ceremony.

A total of 4,802 students graduated in the institution.

Abiodun, who was represented by Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology,Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, reiterated his administration’s commitment to revitalising education at all levels.

“The focus of this administration is to revitalise education in the state. We have engaged in training and re-training of teachers,” he said.

The Governor also noted that very soon all schools in the state would have free internet access regularly.

The Rector, Prof. Jumoke Bilesanmi-Awoderu noted that the institution was making steady progress with staff and student welfare prioritised.

She called on the state government to increase the subvention given to the institution to boost infrastructural development.

In a chat with The Nation, Olanipekun lauded the state government for gesture,adding that her hardwork paid off eventually.

Elizabeth Osayande Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, is set to donate books, and other writing materials to pupils of Divine Wisdom Nursery and Primary School, House on Lagoon, Makoko Water Front, Yaba, Lagos today.

The school is run by a 23-year-old man who provides tuition-free education to over 147 pupils in Makoko, a community located on the Lagos Lagoon.

A statement by Brenda Nwafor noted that the donation is part of the series of events to mark the first anniversary of the NGO.

The NGO, formerly known as We Rise Foundation, was born last year, to celebrate ace journalist, Elizabeth Osayande’s birthday.

She said she set up the foundation to reach out to underserved communities, especially women and children.

“The whole aim of setting up this foundation is to give back to the community. I and my siblings grew in a place you could describe as a semi-slum, Orile Sari Iganmu , and we were not limited due to the education and empowerment we got,’’ she added.

We believe that with the right education and exposure, children from underserved communities can become great, have dreams and fulfil them.

“So, our mandate is to empower as many women and children as possible, in order  to meet immediate needs;  give them a voice and tools to contribute to the wellbeing of the society.

“It is our belief that by helping each other, we all rise,” Osayande said.

The Principal, Kingsfold International Academy, Ikorodu, Lagos, Mrs. Olubunmi Osoba, has lamented the high rate of bribery in the education system.

Bribery, she said, had eaten deep into the system to the extent that parents were willing to pay any amount, to make sure their children graduate.

Osoba, however, said such practice was not tolerated at Kingsfold International Academy, which has a Christian orientation and upholds morals and discipline.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for bribery, malpractice, bullying amongst others,” she said, adding that a teacher had been sacked in the past for attempting malpractice.

As a result of the school’s strict stance against malpractice, the proprietor said that some parents choose to withdraw their wards as the school insists on excellence by self-help, not by bribery.

“We will never become a special centre because we have the policy to uphold.  To the glory of  God, every child here works for their grade.  They are not the best and certainly, they are not the worst,” she said.

Mrs. Osoba described bullying as one of the major problems in the country that her school really frowns at.

She said pupils get suspended for bullying in the school.

Speaking on teaching and learning, Mrs. Osoba said that for effective learning, a child has to be emotionally and physically ready.

“Education is not all about going to class and saying, ‘students we are doing maths today.’  It is about the emotional wellbeing of the children; the child must be emotionally ready.

“I am a teacher; I teach and train both teaching and non-teaching staff.  I push and motivate them to bring out the best from them.”

In giving back to society, Mrs. Osoba said the school installed street lights, grades the road that leads to the school from the bus stop twice a year, and gives employment and scholarships to members of the community.

A non-governmental organisation, Tayo Tejuosho Cares Foundation (TTCF), has given scholarship award to a pupil of State Senior Grammar School, Surulere, Lagos.

It also donated notebooks and textbooks to Depbridge College in Ifo, Ogun State.

This was done during the launch and opening of the foundation’s head office last Saturday in Mowe, Ibafo, Ogun State.

The scholarship would run from secondary school to the university.

Its founder, Dr. Tayo Tejuosho, explained that the NGO is committed to improving  education, reaching out and providing help to orphanages,  poor widows, out of school children and the less privileged.

He said: “We believe the best way to build better communities is by investing in education and health-related initiatives for children.

“Over the last 17 years, we have provided over $300,000 in support to more than 3,000 people with physical disabilities, poor widows, the needy, and out of school children.”

Tejuosho noted that the foundation would award over $5,000 as full scholarship to pupils from primary to university level this year.

He added that books, school uniforms and stationery would also be donated to various schools in the country.

He also said the foundation had earlier visited some public and private schools in Lagos and Ogun to distribute educational materials to indigent pupils.

The scholarship beneficiary, an SS 2 pupil, Madu Chima, thanked and prayed for Tejuosho for his benevolence.

“May God help him and strengthen him. His generation shall prosper forever,” he said.

The Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB) has extended skill acquisition to farm families and out-of-school youths in Alagbede community and its environs in Odeda Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State.

The training, under the programme, tagged: “Gender Issues and Youth Development” (GIYD), was targeted towards empowering primary school pupils and other members of the community.

In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kolawole Salako, represented by the Director, AMREC, Prof. Olalekan Olaoye said the programme was organised to empower youths and farm families of the community.

He said farm families had been noted to have potential that are necessary for national development because of their major role in food production and processing.

He said their potential could be improved if the economic/financial constraints they faced were addressed.

Kolawole said acquisition of various skills to survive the off-season could reduce poverty in agrarian communities.

He said learning skills like knitting (production of sweater, children stocking, cap), liquid and bar soap production, soymilk, zobo and kunnu drink production as well as coconut oil production could increase household income and self-reliance.

He added that the constraints facing farmers could be reduced through entrepreneurship education.

During the training, Dr. Olubukola Idowu and Dr. Oluwatosin Adeyeye conducted training on introduction to Chemicals and production procedure. Participants, including pupils of Odeda Primary School, Alagbede, also benefited from how to make liquid soap.

Appreciating the University, a representative of the farmers, Mrs. Hannah Adejola thanked the institution for the opportunity. She added that the training gave them ideas on how to kill fish but not giving them fish. At the end of the training, liquid soap produced was distributed to the participants.

Nigerian undergraduates may soon be enjoying quality tuition from world-class educators and business experts thanks to an initiative called Professors Without Borders (PROWIBO) coming to the country.

The initiative, being introduced by a Nigerian in diaspora, Mr. Titus Ayodele, would seek to recruit world-class faculties to volunteer to teach skill-based courses to Nigerian students.

PROWIBO would also provide mentorship and career support to participating students.

The statement reads: “Professors without Borders (PROWIBO) is a social enterprise dedicated to improving education and recruits top professionals to teach skills-focused courses to students and faculties in developing countries, offering them a dedicated, professional and inspiring learning environment that equips them for greater success.

“PROWIBO believes that it  is critical to avoid further brain drain on emerging markets specifically by investing in developing people, especially university-aged students of today who will be the future political and business leaders of their societies. PROWIBO’s approach involves creation of bespoke local programmes in which international academic and business experts who volunteer their time are recruited to design and teach curated programmes in partnership with local institutions and businesses. Its courses typically run over a short period during which students are immersed in a deep learning experience. The programmes also involve some mentorship and follow-up in which students graduating from their courses receive completion certificates and career support, while students’ progress is tracked to assess and improve PROWIBO’s impact.”

PROWIBO has run programmes in various countries such as Uganda, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Thailand and India. It works with businesses, universities and students locally to understand what course offerings are most valuable to them.

The National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, has lamented the poor reading culture among Nigerians, especially the youth.

She said it was responsible for the high rate of examination malpractice in schools and public examinations.

Speaking while handing over a new National Library office project site to the contractor, Cagewox Nigeria Limited in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the National Librarian said the poor reading culture was an issue of value system in the country.

In a statement by the Head, Public Relations of NLN, Vershima Orvell-Dio, Anunobi said: “I want to emphasise that this is an issue of the value system. We cannot only blame the youth, we also blame the parents and the society because if the society changes its habit: focusing value on knowledge which is hidden in written documents either in paper or electronic form, the youth will move along that line.

“The only way we can do it is to sensitise schools, the public and the hinterland, the hard-to-reach to read and that is what the National Library is doing.”

She said it was unfortunate that even some parents encourage their children to commit examination fraud knowing full well that the “God-father” is there, and all that is needed was to get the certificate.

“For such people, Third Class from University is not a challenge,” she added.

She said the multi-million naira prototype library building in Ilorin, Kwara State, would boost research as well as deepen reading culture in Nigeria.

Anunobi praised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for prioritising the development of libraries in Nigeria.

She explained that the mandate of the NLN is to have a branch of the National Library in all the states of the Federation.  Presently, she said NLN has 33 branches – 12 of which are operating from the prototype permanent office buildings.  She said 22 are in temporary accommodation.

The four states where there are no National Library branches are Anambra, Zamfara, Kebbi and Delta.  Prof. said this is so because the states have not indicated interest.  She praised the Kwara State Government for providing land for the National Library.

Founder, IA-Foundation Mrs. Ibironke Adeagbo has urged the Federal Government to establish a parastatal to monitor out-of-school children to reduce the number of children in the country missing out on formal education.

Speaking during a press briefing to announce the foundation’s third virtual annual charity event holding Saturday, Mrs. Adeagbo said it was unacceptable that Nigeria had the highest number of out of school children in the world.

The UK-based chartered accountant, who also helps keep children in school in the United Kingdom, said the Federal Government should set up a task force similar to those that control traffic to monitor children who are not in school.

She said: “The government introduced the school feeding programme and that programme is like a carrot dangled in front of the parents; and because parents know their wards will get a free meal, they let their children go to school.  That is a good initiative.  We need the government to come up with more initiatives like that to make sure parents send their wards to school.

“The legislation is there but no one is policing it.  If you go out there, you see children on the streets hawking or begging for alms. Who is challenging that child? Who is saying to that child he does not need to be here?

“Government needs to have an apparatus – maybe call it a child police – that will go around picking up children from the streets and taking them to school.

“If we can have police for cars, why can we not have police for children?  The legislations are there. We just need some penalties for parents or guardians who do not send their wards to school.”

Mrs. Adeagbo, who said she was inspired to start the foundation given the number of children she saw engaging in child labour or begging for alms while visiting Nigeria on holiday, said her foundation was working hard to put less-privileged children back to school in Nigeria.

“Whilst I am in the UK, part of what I do is to ensure that the British child stays in school.

“Meanwhile, when I go to Nigeria my fatherland children are on the streets; they are not getting an education.  The security situation has exacerbated the situation, especially in the north,” she said.

Speaking at the Saturday’s virtual charity event, Mrs. Adeagbo said the programme which has as theme, “Impacting Lives”, would feature Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; founder/Senior Pastor of Trinity House, Ituah Ighodalo; and American education child advocate, Zuriel Oduwole as speakers.

She urged members of the society to support the event by attending, donating and purchasing raffle tickets whose winners would be announced during the event.

As a foundation registered as a charity in the UK, Mrs. Adeagbo said the non-profit follows strict guidelines in the disbursement of funds.

A Philanthropist, Otunba Lanre Adesuyi has donated over 500 books of various disciplines worth over N10 million to the University of Jos.

Adesuyi, who is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Havilah Merchants Nigeria Limited, said the gesture was in response to the fire incidence which badly damaged the Main Library Complex at the Naraguta Campus of the university some years ago.

He noted that the University Library had impacted the lives of many young Nigerians who were seeking greater knowledge, saying it is his modest contribution towards the effort to restore the library back to its glorious past.

Adesuyi was speaking when the management of the university led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, visited him in in Abuja.

The business mogul observed that the time had come for Nigerians to understand that government alone cannot fund education, so well-spirited individuals and businesses must rise up to the occasion and invest in the future of the younger generation.

He lamented poor budgetary allocation to education – not more than 7.5 per cent.

He lamented that any time there was a move to increase Students’ tuition, they would threaten to go on rampage even though there was nowhere in the world where good education is cheap.

Adesuyi explained that his company had taken the initiative to periodically intervene in the Educationl sector, especially in the provision of library facilities.

The Philanthropist said he has a long relationship with Plateau State having begun his career as a Teacher at the Yakubu Gowon College, Sharam, Kanke Local Government Area.

On his part, Ishaya said the university was appreciative of Adesuyi’s gesture to support the restocking of the University’s Library, noting that the library was key in every institution of learning.

He said UNIJOS had four major libraries – the Bauchi Road Campus Library, Medical Library Lamingo, Law Library and Naraguta Campus Central Library, which was affected by fire.

He also said there were faculty, departmental and outreach Libraries.

Ishaya said since the completion of the renovated work of the physical structure of the Naraguta Campus library had been reopened.

The need for parents’ involvement in the child learning was stressed during the Open Day, organised by Bridge Nigeria, a network of community nursery and primary schools in Lagos and Osun, for parents to review their child’s academic performance and learn how to support their development and academic success.

The Bridge Open Day is one of the most important activities in the school calendar and is always held twice every school term.  It allows parents to have one-on-one discussions with their children’s class teachers. It    engages with parents, teachers also take the opportunity to listen to questions, give parents answers and build a relationship with them – all for the benefit of their child.

It is also aimed at exposing the parents about what is being taught in the classroom, the teaching methodology being used, the performance of their child as well as their relationship with other pupils and the learning resources available to the child.

The Academics Manager, Ezinne Tochie-Asogwa, stated that it is extremely important for parents to assess the efforts being made by the school in educating and training their children to become successful individuals in the future.

In her remarks, a parent at one of the Bridge International Academies in Lagos, Mrs Amenaghawon, whose daughter is in primary 4, attested to the improvement of her child since joining the school. “She has improved in her academics and behaviour”. she said. According to Amenaghawon, “Parents who are not involved in their child’s education will miss out. Parents need to partner with schools for effective learning.”

Another parent, Mrs Alamudun with a daughter in primary five said: “I can see great changes in my child. I believe that  parents should be involved in their child’s education.” She noted that her elder daughter, Mojisola Alamudun who graduated from Bridge last session is doing tremendously well in her secondary school. She commended Bridge Nigeria for the role it played in giving her child a solid foundation.

Speaking during the Open Day, Mr Abodunde stated that “The school has really improved my children academically and I am proud to be a parent. The areas of improvement are hand writing, literacy and behaviour.” Commenting on the importance of Open Day, Mr Abodunde said “Parents need to  be involved in their children’s education 100 percent.”

At Bridge, the report book for each child is properly filled out by the teacher and used as a guide in discussing the performance of the child and developmental skills of the pupil. Parents are usually advised to demonstrate one task that they would like to do with their child at home to help support their academic improvement.

Feedback from parents about Open Days is very positive.  They clearly relish the opportunity to learn more about how their children are learning, understand more about what they are learning and also how they can support them at home. Bridge Nigeria is committed to involving and informing parents, knowing that to do so help build success for their children.