Category: Uncategorized

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

With all it achieved last year, the Concerned Parents and Educators Initiative (CPE), a Facebook group of school owners, teachers, parents and other lovers of education plans to push its influence further by pursuing advocacy and reforms in the Nigerian education space this year.

Founder of the group, Mrs Yinka Ogunde said in an interview that last year the CPE raised millions of naira in cash and kind that was used to provide mobility equipment for some cerebral palsy children; support about 50 families, pay fees in low-cost schools; reward creativity in teachers through the short story challenge; connect people in need with those that had to give, among others.

She added that through CPE members’ generosity, children of widows got scholarship, examination fees got paid, teachers got trained, and affluent schools gave supplies to smaller schools.

“We never thought when we started we would make this kind of impact.  To us we just simply wanted to provide a platform for discussion between parents, school owners and stakeholders in the education sector.  But it has gone beyond our initial brief substantially to what it is today,” she said.

This year, Mrs. Ogunde said the group which has over 112,000 members – with more than 90,000 of them in Nigeria – would get more coordinated in its approach with the aim of deepening its impact on society. Tagged the Year 2020 Advocacy for Qualitative Education, members of the group would be expected to raise issues of education in their areas of influence, including places of worship, and advocate for a call to action.

Read Also: Education gap: Turning information to action

To this end, Mrs. Ogunde said CPE had identified volunteers in various states who would drive conversations towards critical areas of need in the education sector.  The CPE in various states are already planning meetings for this week in Ibadan, Kano and Kaduna- starting from today (Thursday) that would identify areas of needs to focus on ahead of its advocacy month – February.

Throughout February, Mrs Ogunde said CPE members would engage people in churches, mosques, clubs and other places highlighting the problems in the education sector and calling for action in such areas.

“February is our education transformation month – where everyone on CPE would be talking about education.  It is something that would require a seven minute pitch that all we will be saying is the same thing and asking what can be done  about the state of education.  We will also be writing to corporate organisations to ask them what they are doing,” she said.

Mrs. Ogunde said a key lesson she has learnt from running CPE with other administrators was that impact can be achieved regardless of government.

She said: “When we go out to all these schools, they don’t believe we are private individuals; they keep on thanking government for the support.  So, we say  we are not government; this is not your local government chairman; it is people just like you.

It shows that people can actually do what government is supposed to do and invariably make the government to do its work.  That is why we are just determined that we will not keep quiet about it but call their attention.”

By Damisi Ojo, Akure

Proprietors of Private Primary and Secondary Schools in the country have been urged to provide necessary instructional facilities that would bring out the best in their pupils.

The founder of the Mummy Place International School/Emplace College,Oba-Ile Road,Akure,Ondo State,Pastor Damilola Oshin,gave the charge while receiving an outstanding award of excellence for floating a standard educational institution in the state.

It was an award of ” an ethically compliant and foremost private Primary/Secondary School in Ondo state.

The award was through a private Organisation, Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation,an International Anti-Corruption/Non Governmental Organisation(NGO).

Oshin had received several awards within and outside the country,since she founded the School starting from  Day Care Centre in 2001,particularly from London Graduate School,National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS)and World Quality Alliance(WQA) as ” Africa’s best World Quality Education Centre.

Speaking while presenting the award, the Executive Director,Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation, Kogi State, Prince Saliu Musa Yakubu said the indices for the award include qualitative education standard of the school,time management,issues of Servicom even in private establishment,due process on National Policy on Basic Education,staff welfare ,infrastructure and standard curriculum among others.

” We based our assessments on 14 days multi-se ctoral investigations through MDAs,private institutions,government agencies,and even sent questionnaires of about 1000 copies per local government with 12 strategic questions to determine the value and standard of the institution.

Read Also: NGO, stakeholders appraise education standard

“The award is not money-induced,there was no pre-knowledge of honouring the school and its proprietress,the award has no prize tag, we had no interaction with subject of investigation,we only informed her on our arrival that we will be at her school the next day to present the outstanding award,” he said.

Pastor Oshin,Prorietress of the college, disclosed that she had earlier received a call from God many years ago that she would establish the private school which she started on August 1, 2001 as  Day Care Centre,which later metamorphosed into full primary and secondary school.

The proprietress said:  “Our culture here is believing in hard work in order to bring out the best in pupils through moral values,sound academic and spiritual guidance.”

“Here we don’t allow examination malpractices, we don’t allow class teachers to mark their pupils script,we imbibe the culture of zero tolerance to examination malpractices”.

Our Reporter

Newly admitted students of the First Technical University, Ibadan, have been urged to acquire  skills that would make them utilise opportunities that would come their way.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ayobami Salami who gave the advice during the two-week orientation programme held on campus, noted that the institution  had carved a niche for itself by training students to combine intellectual advancement with the development of  acquired technical competencies in diverse work areas”.

He said: “The blend of theoretical and practical experience ahead of you promises to be exciting and you will get an even deeper level of satisfaction when you take what you have learned in the classroom to the world”.

The Dean, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Professor Olajide Oke, advised the students to be determined and remember mission in the school.

“In your secondary schools, you didn’t do applied sciences but here, you will see how to apply the sciences to other areas of study. Don’t be scared but be prepared to study very well”, he said.

Read Also: Technical university as a game changer – 1

Davies Carpenter, a Digital Marketer and Creative Writer, who  enlightened them on the many opportunities the internet brings urged them to broaden their horizon and acquire entrepreneurial skills before graduating.

Mr. Niyi Adetoro, the Training Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Samonda, Ibadan , who oversaw a session on ‘Habits of a Successful Entrepreneur’ encouraged them to have a growth mindset and engage in disruptive thinking to be successful business owners.

The Director of the Centre for Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training, Dr. Olugbenga Fayomi advised them not to rely on  certificates.

“Don’t be satisfied with just obtaining degrees. Functional education is what will make people call you and pay you money for solving their problems. Start to determine what you will do with the skills you learn here,” he said.

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Minerva University, United States are monitoring the progress of 41 SS1 pupils who participated in the UNESCO/IAGIFTED STEM Camp for Gifted Girls at UNILAG recently to offer them admission and scholarships after their secondary education.

The girls drawn from Federal Government Colleges and private schools across the six geo-political zones learnt about mental mathematics, Olympiads, use of UNESCO Micro science and maths kits, use of rubric cube and abacus, and ICT/coding during the two-week camp sponsored by UNESCO and implemented by the International Academy for the Gifted (IAGIFTED) in collaboration with UNILAG.

Speaking at the closing of the camp held at the Afe Babalola Auditorium, UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof Toyin Ogundipe, said the University would admit girls from the Northern parts of Nigeria who chose the university and scored at least 12 out of 30 in the institution’s post-UTME.

“When it is time for you to go to the university just make sure you get up to 200 in the UTME and 12 in the post-UTME and we will give you admission,” he said.

Founder, IAGIFTED, Prof. Adewale Solarin said Minerva University got in touch with him and expressed interested in preparing the girls for scholarship in the U.S. based university that also allows students to study in other cities around the world.

“I read an email to the girls because I got a mail (from) the Minerva School.  I saw the advert posted by UNILAG about the camp.  I got a mail from the African Coordinator (of Minerva).  Prof, how is the camp going; that they are interested in the girls.  Also (he said) he will come in January so we discuss and he can begin to work with them so that they can become students of Minerva University with full scholarship,” he said.

When school resumes in January, the girls are expected to begin sharing their knowledge with other girls.  Prof. Solarin said they would get support to be able to share what they learnt.

“I am going to have a session with the teacher after this now to tell them exactly what to expect and so they can disseminate everything that happened here.  That is why they are going with materials and for every presentation.

Read Also: BUK awards scholarship to 300 indigent students

We have given them 64 GB memory card containing more than  32GB information even the software. For every software they used we tell them either to download from the internet or how to upload from a flash into their system and then to make the program work.  Also speaking,

Speaking on the benefits of the camp, Mercy Akinyemi, who won a gold medal in Maths in the camp, said she enjoyed learning in new ways.

“I enjoyed myself –learning programming and the practical biology and physics classes, especially the maths even tough it was tough for me,” she said.

Bronze medalist, Mirabel Asi, a pupil of Federal Government Girls’ College, Owerri, said she learnt academics in a way not delivered in school.

“It was educative, interesting and quite exploratory.  I learnt so many things different from school.  When I get back to school, I will teach those in my class first before others,” she said.

A teacher, Mrs. Folashade Odeshoga from MayFlower School, Ikene, said the programme helped to demystify the sciences so the girls would not be afraid to take on challenges.

“It makes the girls to be courageous so that they can know that there is no man’s profession. Every profession is for both genders and to give them that confidence that they can do it,” she said.

By Justina Asishana Minna

The Islamic Education Trust (IET) has disclosed that it is sponsoring over 100  orphans in different schools under its humanitarian initiative department in the country.

The Nigerian IET Director-General  Nigeria, Alhaji Arzika Abubakar Rimau, disclosed this while briefing journalists as part of activities to mark its 50th anniversary.

He said that the area of assistance includes payment of medical bills, providing food-aid among others.

Rimau explained that the Islamic Education Trust has over 500 staff of both Muslims and Christians, adding that its activities have impacted every region in Nigeria, other countries in Africa and other continents.

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He then said activities lined up for the golden jubilee event  are the New Horizon College, NHC, Alumni Marriage Workshop,  and NHC Nursery and Primary School Alumni Get-Together,  Interfaith Seminar, Neighbourhood Children Funfair, and Inter-School Quiz Competition.

He further revealed that the high point of the 50th anniversary would be the presentation of various awards to 100 individuals cutting across both Muslim and Christian background in the nation.

By Damola Kola-Dare

A review of the way taxes are collected by the three tiers of government may result in better use of tax revenue for the country’s development, Prof.Abiola Sanni has proposed.

Prof. Sanni, professorial chair in Tax and Fiscal Matters, spoke on the topic: “Fresh Agenda for Fiscal Federalism-A Proposal” during  the second Annual Lecture of the Board of Trustees of Lagos State Professorial Chair in Tax and Fiscal Matters,  in conjunction with University of Lagos (UNILAG), Office of Advancement, where a book entitled “A Compendium of Nigerian Tax Cases”,was presented to the general public.

He noted that the three tiers of government should be given the liberty to impose taxes and also determine rates.

“Rather than having a long list of federal and state taxes with relatively modest revenue potentials, all the three levels of government should be given access to impose income and consumption tax and determine the rate within agreed parameters,”he said.

Sanni noted that there were only nine federal taxes, one state tax and two local government taxes and submitted that the long list of taxes contained in the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) was misleading.

He added that despite the existence of nine federal taxes, “there is none to which the Federal Government is exclusively entitled to its revenue the way states are entitled to the revenue from the three federal taxes being administered by it.”

Read Also: Push to curb multiple taxation, regulatory overlap

He, therefore, posited that there were constitutional and statutory obligations on the Federal Government to share the revenue from the six state taxes administered by its agencies with the states.

“Rather than conceiving fiscal federalism in terms of inter-governmental contestation and rivalry, the local, state and Federal Government should be vested with power to concurrently use income and consumption taxes under a cooperative arrangement where each can determine the rate of taxes.

“The income tax may follow the American model where a county where a taxpayer resides has the first taxing right. The local income tax however will be a flat rate or a percentage of income. This gives the local government the incentive to build a database of its residents and improve infrastructure in order to attract more people to their locality,” he said.

In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, lauded the Lagos State Government for endowing the professorial chair.

He also appealed to alumni of the school to continue to attract more development projects to their alma mater.

By Damola Kola-Dare

ROTARY CLUB of Onigbongbo has donated a Chemistry laboratory to Immacaulate Heart Comprehensive Secondary School, Maryland, Lagos.

The club’s Service Chairman, Yinka Adeogun, said the project was the idea of a past president, who wanted better science education in schools.

James Ajayi, the President of  Rotary Club, Onigbongbo, noted that the importance of education in the nation’s development could not be overemphasised,hence the prompt completion of the N4.5million project.

Rotary International District 9110 Governor Dr Jide Akeredolu, who  expressed satisfaction with the project praised Ajayi for doing a great job, adding that he expressed fears about its early completion.

Director of Schools Management, Lagos State Ministry of Education District II, Ms Tayelolu Sowemimo, who represented the district’s Tutor-General, lauded the efforts of the club in Onigbongbo schools while urging them to adopt more schools in order to boost education in the state.

Read Also: Oil firm donates N25m to less privilege children

She said: “We are over 106 schools in the district alone. You can imagine the number of schools in the state. The burden of funding education should not be on the government alone, corporate organisations and individuals should also assist.”

The school’s Principal, Mrs Olutoyin Omowunmi Okuwobi, also thanked Rotary for the gesture and for supporting the state government over the years in its drive to boost education. She said the government welcomed private sector participation in the education industry.

Highpoint of the event was the donation of a scale, which costs N320,000 by Mr Dapo Somola, Chairman, One Network Limited, to the laboratory which was sponsored by  Finlab Nigeria Limited, Hi-Impact Amusement Park &Resort.

At the event were Past Assistant Governor (PAG) Bala Yesufu; Prof. Duro Ajeyalemi of the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, and Prof.Omololu Soyombo of the  Faculty of Social Sciences.

By Damola Kola-Dare

The Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Ilorin, (UNILORIN) has started the use of electronic registration of students’ attendance at lecture rooms and clinical areas in order to address students’ absenteeism and lateness to class.

The Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Ibrahim Katibi, who disclosed this in a chat with a crew of Unilorin Bulletin in his office, said “Learning medicine essentially is by observing and doing, reading and memorising. It is an art because you need to acquire some basic tools aside from the theoretical knowledge.

So, if a student did not come around and watch how things are done, he or she won’t be able to acquire those skills.”

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Katibi said: “From the old method of using stationery to write attendance, students learnt how to smuggle their friend’s name into the attendance. This decision will scrap that and everyone will be properly monitored.”

He pointed out that the idea of employing electronic registration of students’ attendance at lectures and clinical activities is lofty , adding that by installing electronic registers with biometric data capturing of the individual students on the machine, it is going to be difficult for anybody to sign on behalf of another; as every student must be there personally to be captured.

By Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

The Provost of the Delta State College of Education, Mosogar, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, Prof. Emmanuel Ojeme has called on the state and Federal Government to upgrade colleges of education to university standard across the country.

Prof Ojeme, who  noted that NCE Certificate obtained from colleges of education is gradually losing its value, said the students no longer want to attend colleges of education but university to boost their educational career.

He said: “The attitude of students towards gaining admission into universities is the major cause admission into the colleges of education is reducing. This is why we are calling on government to raise the standards of colleges of education to that of universities.”

The Provost made the call while receiving the Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council, Rt. Hon. Lovette Idisi and his members during  the confirmation of the new Deputy Provost, Dr. Moses Omoyile.

Read Also: Lagos upgrades AOCOED to varsity

He also called on the government and interventionist agencies to assist in the  development of the institution for it to be able to compete with other institutions within and outside the state.

“It is for this reason the college is running a degree programme in both Delta State University, Abraka and University of Benin, Edo State.

“The institution is also facing challenges of power supply and issues concerning security, hence we are appealing to the chairman to use his position to assist the school,” he said.

Rt Hon. Idisi, who lauded the Provost for his efforts, promised to assist in moving the school to an enviable height, charging the management to continue to contribute its  best towards the uplift of the school.

The chairman charged the new Deputy Provost to use his experience and cooperate with the Provost to move the school to greater heights.

Our Reporter

To further support the Federal Government’s quest to encourage entrepreneurial development for under graduates in the country, the Mechanical Engineering Department, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, has launched an Automobile Service Centre in collaboration with Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC) and Research and Development Centre of the Polytechnic.

The launch,  which was a special feature to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the department was held at the mini campus of the Polytechnic. All the past Heads of Mechanical Department of the school were present to grace the occasion.

Speaking at the event, the Rector, Dr. Lateef  Olatunji,  tasked staff members of the department to use the launched automobile centr not only to generate revenue for the school but also to set high standards for their students and teach them how to design and fabricate equipment that would be accepted globally.

He advised that they should always have the vision statement of the Polytechnic in mind as they carry out their duty which is to train skillful, knowledgeable, industrious and technological manpower needed for sustainable national development.

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In his welcome address, the Head of Department, Samuel Ogundele, thanked the  the leadership of the Polytechnic for their consistent support and for creating enabling environment for academic excellence to flourish.

He said the intention of the department is to provide an ultra-modern services and digital automobile diagnostic services for the polytechnic staff members as well as Offa community and environs.

He also said the centre woldalso serve as resource centre and practical workshop for engineering students of the institution and other sister institutions.

While requesting for more support from the leadership Ogundele implored members of staff to patronise the Department as the centre is set to render “qualitative and effective services at minimal cost.”