By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

Okene Secondary School Old Students Association (OSSOSA) has kicked against the planned conversion of the school by Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to military barrack.

The association said that any attempt to acquire the school for the military was tantamount to obliterating the credentials products of the school hold.

Established in 1974 as a teacher’s college, the old students said the school had produced some of the brightest brains in the country.

Speaking during a reunion party, Chairman, 1981Set, Prince Ekundayo Asaju said: “This is one period that we need to devote everything for the sake of that school. The school as we speak is endangered. This is not a school that one administration of government can just cancel out.

“It is bad for the system and a very big blow on whatever credentials these brains and the people that have passed through that institution are holding. We are against the scrapping of the school. We have been pleading with Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to give us a listening ear. We are ready to intervene on behalf of the school.

“The national body of OSSSA had already made commitment to be part and parcel of the running of the school. We are ready for any kind of negotiation just for the sake of the school.

“From available information, Governor Bello’s administration is about converting the school to military barracks. It has been handed over to the military, though the military is yet to move into the premises.

“Our association sent a letter to the governor last year and we followed that up with an open letter in some national dailies appealing to him to grant us audience. We are yet to hear from the governor, but there has not been a formal takeover of the school.

“If AbdulAzeez Attah Memorial Secondary School, Government Secondary School (GSS), Ilorin is still there, if Titcombe College Egbe are still there standing, OSS should not be an exemption. The Okene Secondary School has excelled in all spheres of life.

“OSSOSA  should be likened to the like of Barewa College. The school has turned out scores of brightest brains in Nigeria and it is still working. We are ready to make contributions for the rediscovery and regeneration of the school.

“We are against the implementation of the acquisition of the school by the state government. The survival of the school will be the main focus of my administration.”

Our Reporter

Ogelle, Africa’s first user-generated video content platform, is set to revolutionise education in Africa with Ogelle e-Learning.

Ogelle e-Learning, which will be launched in the last quarter of 2021, comes against the backdrop of the urgent need to expand access to primary education and open the door to quality, relevant secondary education for Africans.

Tagged ‘Education Without Walls for All Africa’, it aims to make lifelong learning for Africans a reality as well as make it available and successive, given that people learn at different paces, in order to give an opportunity to those who are potentially left behind.

Speaking on the rationale behind Ogelle e-Learning, Osita Oparaugo, founder of Ogelle, said whereas there is a compulsory basic education cycle for the 5-15 years age groups in middle and higher-income countries, many of Africa’s youth are denied quality and accessible post-primary education owing to factors such as cost.

Moreover, the current education system in Africa uses outdated methods and is not preparing children for the future, he said.

“The future success of the African continent lies to a large degree in its ability to hone the skills and talents of its ever-growing youth population and now is the time to rethink secondary education systems, to ensure youth have the skills and knowledge they need,” Oparaugo said.

“For Africa beyond aid, there must be a shift towards science and technology, though the greatest challenges will then be the issues of cost, quality and access, teachers’ welfare and, in some countries, security,” he said.

The Ogelle founder said creating a knowledge-based economy through STEM education is a lifeline for Africa, ensuring the growth of a STEM-capable citizenry.

“With these issues in mind, especially that of cost, a burden which most families must weigh against other priorities, quality and accessible post primary education still remains an illusion to many of Africa’s youth, hence we developed Ogelle e-Learning: Education Without Walls for All Africa with special focus on English and STEAM as a solution to fill the gap,” Oparaugo said.

According to him, the fact that many young Africans are completing primary schooling, and many more will do so in the coming years, means that the number of youngsters who knock at the door of secondary education is vastly increasing, thus creating strong structural pressures on all segments of post-primary schooling.

For instance, an estimated 10 million graduates enter the African workforce each year and by 2040, the continent’s labour force is expected to surpass that of India and China.

“As a result, quality education is a central element in building an ‘Africa beyond aid’ and lies at the backbone of its development and enduring prosperity. Quality education also has a multiplier effect on achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.

Giving further insight, Oparaugo said Ogelle e-Learning: Education Without Walls for All Africa will offer highly prepared and effective learning programmes for Junior Secondary School 1 to 3 and Senior Secondary School 1 to 3, as well as revision programmes for prospective candidates of competitive examinations like JSS3 and SSS3 certificate exams, the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME), among others. It would also offer a monthly live interactive session where students will have the opportunity to ask questions and get answers.

“We recognise that a percentage of African youth seeks foreign education, and we have made provision for such aspirants by also partnering with a professor of English based in New York, to teach spoken English and present a full syllabus for those taking SAT or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL),” Oparaugo said.

“We focused on the post-primary education school system because for most young Africans, secondary education is the last schooling they will receive before entering the workforce. High quality, relevant secondary education which is accessible to all can prepare youths to enter the workforce, improve productivity, and spur economic transformation, unlocking a virtuous cycle of both human and economic development,” he said.

He said the digital age has reshaped the way teenagers learn, especially in Africa, which is why Ogelle brought education and entertainment on the same platform so that African youths can “LEARN + PLAY + DEVELOP”.

Launched in Lagos, Nigeria in April 2019, Ogelle, a user-generated content and subscription video-on-demand platform offering unlimited entertainment that is 100 percent African, targets 100 million general users and 5 million premium users by 2025.

It is working to become the highest aggregator of African resource and entertainment platforms in the next few years.

By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

Bandits have abducted seven persons in Birnin Gwari local council of Kaduna State.

Three women were among the abducted.

One person was killed in the attack, which took place in Anguwar Gajere village.

The Nation gathered that the bandits also stole about 60 cows. A resident, Mohammed Birnin Gwari, told journalists that the bandits came on motorcycles on Saturday and started shooting in the air.

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“Three women, four men and a number of cows were rustled by the bandits after killing one person,” he said.

A former councilor of the ward, Adamu Kutemashi, confirmed the incident.

Police spokesman Mohammed Jalige promised to furnish reporters with details from the area.

The Command  said yesterday that its operatives rescued four persons kidnapped on a highway in Jema’a Local Government Area of the state.

Jalige said they were rescued on Sunday following the receipt of credible information on the incident.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

The Management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) has suspended six students for engaging in examination-related offences.

The students, in a statement by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ozo-mecuri Ndimele, were punished for engaging in impersonation and misconduct during the examination.

One of the affected students, Faith Omie, from the Department of Political Science was said to have hired one Sunday Ajie to write POL 214 for her.

The statement said Ajie was suspended for impersonation following the allegation that he was hired by Omie to write the examination.

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Others from the political science department were Augustine Owen, who was caught in an examination hall copying from a smartphone; Godwin Prince Chiduga caught with copied materials relevant to the course and Marvelous Wokoma caught for committing a similar offence.

The statement also said that John Rich Dike from the Department of Health, Human Kinetics & Safety was punished for his involvement in cult-related activities on campus, causing bodily harm to a fellow student.

“All the cases have been sent to the Students Disciplinary Committee for further investigation.

“Their names have also been sent to the Department of State Service (DSS) for profiling,” the statement said.