In fulfilment of his promise to  reinstate students’ unionism at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, its Vice Chancellor Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede has inaugurated Students’ Electoral Commission and Students Electoral Petition Commission.

Following this, Ogunbodede mandated the Division of Students’ Affairs to set in motion concrete steps to achieve installation of vibrant and more articulate students’ unionism and charged the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Isiaka Aransi, to sensitise the students on the need to see and nurture the union without rancour.

He enjoined the students to see unionism as an incubating stage of socio-political leadership where they could learn rudiments of how the people, states and nations are governed.

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Speaking on behalf of the University management, Aransi said that OAU students’ activists should emulate their counterparts in developed world who engage management in dialogue in order to meet the academic and welfare needs of fellow students.  This, according to him, is done through the union investment drives, provision of scholarship, work and study programmes, among others.

Speaking on the two electoral bodies, Aransi, said the expectation of the University community was for the Electoral Commission to conduct free, fair and credible elections while the Electoral Petition Commission is to handle all complaints arising from the election, with high sense of duty and decency, without fear or favour.

Present at the occasion were the Deans of faculties, students across departments and members of the University community.

 

By Damola Kola-Dare

 

Outstanding students of Eko College of Management and Technology, Ikotun, Lagos State, have been assured of automatic employment after graduation.

Similarly, any student who desires to go into business would be provided with funds based on terms and conditions.

This was made known by the Rector, Mr. Segun Oshundairo at the institution’s third matriculation which held on the school premises last Saturday.

“There is automatic employment within our group for any student who graduates with distinction in any course of study in this institution. And if you would rather go into entrepreneurship, we will provide you with seed capital and coaching, subject to terms and conditions. Some of you already have jobs or entrepreneurial opportunity waiting for you two years ahead of time. The opportunity is available to every one of you, if only you would go for it,” he said.

Oshundairo noted that the institution was committed to giving its students academic and  professional training and had also designed a mentorship programme for them.

Oshundairo urged the matriculants to work hard and be ready to provide solutions to human problems.

The rector however lamented that parents had failed in their responsibility to properly train their wards, leading to increase in social vices.

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In his lecture entitled: “Laying the foundation for a great future in a digital age,” the keynote speaker, Mr. Akinyele Oluwole Aluko stressed the need for the students to be adaptable to change, technology-compliant and innovative.

“Keep up to date with new technologies; learn about different cultures and lifestyles. Remain open-minded and be ready to work outside your comfort zones,” he said.

Dr. Jacob Adeyanju of the Department of Educational Administration, University of Lagos (UNILAG), urged the students to take the opportunity given to them by the institution. He encouraged them to work hard and be employers of labour instead of studying to be job seekers.

Nollywood actor and actress Kayode Olaseinde (Pa James) and Idowu Philips (Iya Rainbow) advised the students to be good ambassadors of the school and be morally upright.

Performing Arts students of the institution treated the audience to special songs and dance.

 

Parents at Bridge Nigeria, a network of community nursery and primary schools in underserved communities in Lagos and Osun states have commended the organisation for ensuring that parents are actively involved in their child’s development and academic success.

The commendation was made by Bridge parents during the Parent Fest event, organised in Lagos to ensure that parents play an integral role in assisting their children’s learning and for parents to articulate the responsibilities they will uphold in their child’s education.

Unlike typical PTA meetings, the Parent Fest gives new and returning parents an opportunity to learn how to help extend teaching outside the classroom, view their childrens’ academic work and the additional resources available for learning and garner insight on the typical ‘Day in the Life of a Bridge Pupil’ in the classroom.

According to a parent, Mr Sunday Okoduwa who has three children in primary one, three and six noted that the parent fest is enlightening and unique as it gives parents an opportunity to experience firsthand how the teachers teach the pupils in the classroom. “We got to know the technicality of teaching and learning. I learnt how teachers track and monitor the progress of their pupils and how they get the attention of children using cheers and energisers.” Okoduwa said.

Read Also: Osun mega schools: Over N15b structures underutilised

 

Another parent, Mrs Ibilola Agbojo said the parent fest is an indication that Bridge cares. She noted that by creating more avenues for parents to meet with the teachers and academy managers, parents have more clarity about their role in their children’s success. “The parent fest initiative is highly commendable and I hope it can be sustained. Agbojo stated.

Bridge Nigeria believes that parent involvement improves attendance and helps children feel more motivated in the classes. The more parents are involved in their children’s education, the better the children’s class motivation, behavior, and grades become. Speaking on the academic progress of her son, Mrs Olufunke Akanni, a parent at one of the Bridge International Academies in Abule Egba said she is happy about the progress her son is making at his school. According to Akanni, it is important for parents to be involved in their children’s education. “The continuous feedback and updates I receive from my son’s teacher helps me keep track of his progress and help work on the areas for improvement”

As part of activities at the event, parents signed a pledge form to indicate their interest and readiness in becoming a partner in their child’s education and giving them the support they need to become successful and confident future leaders in Nigeria.

By Gbemisola Adesola and Dorcas Aluko

 

The seventh Governing Council of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos State has promised to make workers’ welfare a priority.

Its Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, gave the assurance during the council’s inaugural meeting with the management and workers of the institution recently.

The council was nominated in May with a mandate from President Muhammed Buhari to fulfil roles specified by the act that established Colleges of Education in Nigeria for the next three years.

At the meeting, Muazu admonished the workers to always remember they are in the institution because of the students, so, should make them priority.  He also promised the workers that the council would ensure their welfare.

“One of our urgent priorities is to ensure the welfare of the staff of this college. This will be the first assignment; to ensure that any management matter that is presented to us, we will give necessary approval to the school authority to act.

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“We as the council have resolved ab initio that at the end of our three -year tenure, we will, God willing, leave this college much better so we really need your support and cooperation. I sincerely appeal to you to cooperate as we are here for you day and night,” he said.The Provost, Dr. Wahab Azeez, praised the contributions of the sixth council. He claimed they were able to stabilise the college which was in chaos when they came on board.

He expressed confidence that the new council would pursue the welfare of members of the institution.

“We are interested in the welfare of  members of staff and students and I can assure you that anything that has to do with the welfare of staff and students will not be treated with levity  by this council,” he said.

Chairman, College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Comrade Oje Ebenezer, pleaded with the council to relate directly with the unions in order to adequately address the issues bothering them.

“We implore the new council to interact directly with staff unions to have firsthand information on some of the issues bothering them.  COEASU is ready to work harmoniously with the council and carry out its directives as long as those directives are in the best interest of our members and the system at large,” he said.

Other members of the Council are: Registrar, Mr. Rasheed Dada, who serves as the secretary; The Provost, Dr. Azeez; Federal Ministry of Education (FME) representative, Mrs. F.A. Oloko; Ministerial nominee, Ibe Justina Ngozi; National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) representative, Shittu Bola Sherifat; representative of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Dr. Taiwo Elegba; Academic Board representatives, Dr. Abiodun Lamidi and Dr. I. O. Miller; UNIBEN representative, Prof. Omoruyi; and representatives of the alumni, AVM. Frank Ajobena and Alhaji Umaru Saraki Ede.

 

By Kolade Adeyemi, Jos

 

The immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof. Seddi Sebastian Maimakom, has urged managers of the four new equipped units for skill acquisition at the university’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies to utilise the equipment for the requisite training of students.

Giving the charge while inaugurating the new equipment, Maimako said their optimal utilisation would improve the institution’s rating among globally-recognised universities.

A statement signed by Abdullahi Abdullahi Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, described the equipment in the Photography and Videography Studio, Robotics and Smart Classroom, Tailoring and Fashion Design Unit, and Digital and Artificial Lab as the first of their kind in Nigeria. Maimako challenged managers of the well-equipped centre not to deny access to the equipment but to put it to good use by empowering students of the university through the promotion of a self-development and a self-sustaining model that will harness their potentials.  He noted that the centre should be self-sustaining by encouraging the four units especially the Tailoring and Fashion Design Unit to liaise with the various departments that have dress codes and wear lab coats among others, to produce for their students in order to generate income to service their operations.

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He also challenged students to utilise the Robotics and Smart Classroom for their virtual meetings with colleagues and supervisors, saying the laboratory had other digital resources that have been programmed to mimic the thinking of humans that could put UNIJOS in the limelight. Director of the centre located on the Naraguta Campus, Prof. Bonaventure Haruna, appreciated Maimako whose administrative prowess had made the project possible.  Professor Haruna assured that the centre, which is always at the forefront of attaining high quality outcomes, will not let the university down, as he assured that they will continue to contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy especially in a digitally enhanced world.

By Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

 

The Coordinator, Dominican College, Abuja, Rev. Fr. Stephen Ogbe, has announced the launch of an indigent scholarship Trust Fund to assist poor kids get free education.

He said the Dominican Society came up with the college to give free education to all indigent children who may never be able to afford private schools.

According to him, the Dominican Society is at the forefront of trying to see that many of our children are educated.

“We are flagging off today the indigent scholarship Trust Fund and so the number of children we are going to pick will be dependent on how many people are willing to help and people can decide to adopt children. If you adopt a child, all we need from you is to contact us  and we will tell you what it takes to keep the child in school.

“The indigent scholarship is not only at secondary school level, by the time they reach SS1 we will begin to look for the universities that will be able to give them scholarship,” Ogbe told reporters at the official unveiling of the college in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

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The coordinator of the college lamented Nigeria’s rising out – of – school children figures, saying it will worsen the country’s illiteracy level.

He said: “We started in 2018 but before that, looking at the situation of schools in Nigeria and also looking at the fact that the Catholic church, the Dominican society is right at the forefront of trying to see that many of our children are educated.

“Painfully enough, Nigeria is leading the world in out – of – school children and this is saying that the culture of illiteracy is growing very fast in Nigeria, that is not good for us as a nation, it’s not good for us as people and in the course of that, we have come up with this school so that through it, we will be able to give free education, hundred percent education, quality education, world standard to all indigent children who may never be able to afford private schools.

“And so to do that is to begin this structure you have seen here in 2018 and from 2018 to now, despite the COVID-19, I can say God has really helped us. Again, we cannot do it alone because education for all is the responsibility of all and because of that we are asking that well meaning individuals in Nigeria and around the world should help us so that we can give meaning to people’s lives.”

From Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

 

Two winners of this year’s “King and Queen” Mathematics competition in Bonny Local Government Area(LGA) of Rivers State will smile home with N1.5 million, The Nation learnt.

The contest was initiated by “G30 Ibani Voice”, a socio-political pressure group in  the coastal council, to stimulate pupils’ interest in Mathematics.

Its President, Dr. Fubara Dan-Jumbo, who made this this known, when he led some members to inspect the venues for the event billed to hold by year end, said the contest would be in Junior and Senior categories A and B.

The schools inspected were Bonny National Grammar School (BNGS) and Government Girls Secondary School, Finima (GGSSF).

“We have chosen Bonny National Grammar School as the centre for category ‘A’ in the King or Queen of Mathematics Competition 2021. We have Finima Girls as Category ‘B’.”

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However, Dan-Jumbo said apart from the proposed host schools, other colleges that have entered for the contest include Community Secondary School (CSS), Abalamabie; Community Secondary School, Burukiri; Ibitamuno Secondary School, Spring Foundation School, King and Queens Secondary School, Heritage Academy, Lucille Education Centre (LEC), and Logos School.

He said the star prize winner in the Senior category would be rewarded with N1 million while the winner of the Junior category will be given  N500,000.

“Sometime in November, we will have an examination. Three delegates from each school will write these exams. We will pick two persons who will qualify to contest in the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be more like an oral quiz.

“Then we will pick the champion of that category. Same thing we will do in category ‘B’ (Senior), the star winner smile away with N1 million.

“The star winner will reign for one year as the Brand Ambassador of the competition and also be part of various social impact initiatives by the G30 Ibani Voice,” he said.

He urged the students to go the extra mile to prepare for the competition.

By Bassey Anthony

 

 

The Samuel Bill Secondary School in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State is set to reopen after it was shut 33 years ago.

President Alumni Association of the school, Mr. Churchill Udoh told reporters in Uyo on Tuesday that Qua Iboe Church-owned institution will reopen to students in September, next year.

The school was shut in 1989 after a protest by students over poor welfare. An internal crisis within the church that led to its division into Qua Iboe and United Evangelical Church followed which made funding the school a problem resulting in its being for over three decades.

However, Udoh confirmed that a lot of work had been done towards rebuilding the infrastructure to reopen the school.

Speaking at the school’s 12th alumni reunion, he said the school would be reopened in partnership with both the Qua Iboe Church and United Evangelical Church, two factions of the original Qua Iboe Church.

Udoh explained that the school operated for only 10 years since 1979 but due to the quality of training, many graduates of the school are today in various leadership positions in government, business, professional practice and church administration.

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The vision of the alumni was to reopen a school that would continue the tradition of excellence, train children how to lead in the next generation and compete as the one of the best schools in Africa.

During the reunion, Rev. Samuel Udeme Ebukiba, the Conference Chairman of the United Evangelical Church, was inducted as Honorary Member, Samuel Bill Old Boys Association (SOBA).  He was decorated by Rev. Ekpedeme Effanga, Conference Chairman, Qua Iboe Church.

Rev. Effanga was inducted an honorary member of the association in 2017.

Both churches assured the alumni of their support to the new school. The honorary membership award is the highest honor given to a non-student and the award is given in recognition of the contributions and commitment to the mission of the Late Samuel Alexander Bill.

Other awardees in past events of the association include Professor Akpan Hogan Ekpo, former Director General, West African Institute for Finance and Economic Management (WAIFEM) and former Vice Chancellor, University of Uyo, Barr. Aniekan Ukpanah, Partner, Udo Udoma & Belo Osagie, and Ntufam Elijah Iyak, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs. Admission forms and prospectus for the new school will be available soon.

By Justina Asishana,  Minna

 

Graduates of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) would  be able to get their academic transcripts within five minutes if they applied for it online with the new transcript software launched by the university.

The software will address the challenges of graduates having to wait for long before accessing their transcript.

Director, Information Technology Services (ITS), Prof. Adamu Mohammed, demonstrated how the new software works during its launch at the Senate building on the Main Campus of the university.

He said the software has multi-step authentication.

According to him, student copies of the transcripts can be received in a maximum of five minutes while official copies can be sent to organisations and institutions with valid email addresses within two hours.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdullahi Bala praised the Registrar and the Director, ITS for cooperating towards the success of the new software.

He said: “I must say I am very pleased with this development. The issue of transcript is very important because it touches on the core integrity of an institution. Any university that cannot manage its examination results or account for the results of students, then that university has a systemic problem,” he said.

Bala pointed out that transcripts are required for pursuing postgraduate studies and scholarships while reiterating that the university will respond immediately to requests for the document so that its graduates would not lose out on opportunities.

“When you begin to have a high frequency of your graduates missing opportunities as a result of the inability of the university to provide transcripts promptly, then you are telling both your students that are still with you and your products that you don’t care about them.”

He noted that the university had made tremendous progress in the processing of transcripts as presently, it takes just about five days to complete, adding that all that is required for the new system to succeed is responsiveness on the part of the staff.

The VC said that the new development will bring a lot of goodwill to the university.

“We want FUT, Minna to always be mentioned when talking about the best universities in any sphere,” said the VC.

 

Many states in the country still struggle to get good infrastructure for schools. But, in Osun State, there are structures worth billions of naira that are underutilised. TOBA ADEDEJI reports.

 

One of the six-point integral action plans of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration was the promotion of functional education in Osun State and he worked tirelessly to achieve it through various interventions in the sector.

In giving education a new face, the Aregbesola-led government took painstaking steps by introducing new policies and building new schools, including 11 mega schools which cost over N16.5 billion across the three senatorial districts in the state.

Despite the laudable intention, educators, political opponents and individuals faulted the huge financial cost of the structures, which they thought, should have been channelled to crucial areas in education. They flayed Aregbesola’s administration for borrowing money to make such a ‘wrong’ investment.

But, Aregbesola declared that his government’s mega schools policy was informed by the need to cater for the interest of the masses and fear of God.

He said: “We have chosen to build modern schools’ structures with the expectation that our children can be given the hope of a better future and not just any school that lack quality and durability.

“Some people had built schools in the past. But our policy was thorough and purposeful, bearing in mind the future of our youths. If we were to build these schools today, borrowing money with the current exchange rate of over N360 per dollar, we would have spent double of what we used to build this educational facility.”

The Commissioner for Education in Aregbesola’s administration, Omotunde Young, noted that Osun schools were run like the zoo before they came to government and that they were determined to change the undesirable condition the previous government had left the sector in.

“The government had to bring down some schools and reclassified them.The government had to bring down some sheds, dangerous infrastructure being used as schools.”

Checks by The Nation have shown that each of the 11 mega schools has 72 classrooms with a capacity for 3,000 pupils (one of the schools is still under construction).

Three of the schools are in Osogbo, the state capital – Ataoja Grammar School, Fakunle Unity School and Osogbo Grammar School.

Others are Ilesha Grammar School, Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, Akinorun Grammar School, Ikirun, High School, Ila, Adventist Grammar School, Ede, Oduduwa Secondary School, Ile-Ife, Ayedaade Grammar School, Ikire.

Iwo High School is still under construction.

However, the schools, which cost N1.5billion each, are underutilised – with no corresponding population. Many of the schools have just 1,000 pupils, which means that about 2,000 spaces in some of the classrooms are deserted. The school located in Ejigbo has about 500 pupils of the 3,000 the building can accommodate. Only one school is operating at full capacity.

A source, who pleaded not to be named, said: “The mega schools, which are two-storey buildings, are now underutilised. One of them, Fakunle Unity Secondary School, has over 2,000 pupils while others have below it. The majority of the remaining nine schools have about 900 pupils attending those schools.”

On the uncompleted mega school, the source said it was likely to remain so.

“The remaining one mega school is 90 per cent completed. Due to the lean resources of the state, the current government could not fund or borrow money for its construction. I don’t think Governor Oyetola will fund the completion this time around due to some changes he is making in the education sector, especially on policies.”

The underutilisation of the schools is of concern for the present government.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Jamiu Olawumi, told our correspondent that the 10 mega schools were underutilised.

He said: “We have 11 of the mega schools the last administration constructed, we are using 10, the 11th one has not been delivered because of funding but the completion level is about 95 per cent. The schools are to accommodate 3000 students each, but those schools are underutilised and we are coping with it.

“Of the 10 schools, we are using, each has 72 classrooms. Students are not obtainable from the supermarket, it is a process; it is about density but if that is not considered in the conception of the programme, you will have the kind of situation we have now. In Ejigbo for example, as productive as they are, the people don’t live majorly in Nigeria. If you look at their population, about 60 per cent of them live outside Nigeria and we have a unity school in Ejigbo that is residential. So, if you build a 3,000-capacity school in Ejigbo, how do you get the pupils for it? Unless other secondary schools in that town are collapsed, the Unity School inclusive, you will face the problem of specification put in place by UNICEF about the distance of schools to homes. You will find a pupil walking five kilometres from home to school.”

Highlighting the capacity of the mega schools, Olawumi said: “At present, Wole Soyinka Grammar School Ejigbo has about 540 students, meaning that they are using only about 12 classrooms out of 72. The needs assessment was not properly done when it comes to talking about Ejigbo. Fakunle Unity Comprehensive High School has over 2,956. Osogbo Grammar School has close to 2,000, Ataoja Grammar School has about 1,200, Oduduwa College Ile-Ife has 1,300, Ilesha Grammar School is about 1,500, and the majority of others are 1,200.

“We are going to make use of those schools  because we have a full complement of secondary schools. All the schools have admitted J.S. 1 pupils; so by the time we have a full complement of a secondary school, we are going to bridge the gap but in those places that we cannot, there is nothing we can do about it.”

Olawumi dispelled the rumour that the state government is planning to sell off some of the mega schools to individuals.

He said: “There is no private investor that will put his or her money into those mega schools because the policy of education in the state is a free education and considering other private schools around. We have over 6,000 private schools in the state. So, no private individuals will try such. A private entity that was not part of the needs assessment and other planning cannot come at the 11th hour for partnership.”

The reversal of Aregbesola’s education policy, modelled after the American system of four years’ elementary school; five years of middle school – primary five and six and JSS1-3; three years of senior secondary school, and four years of tertiary education by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to the conventional 6-3-3-4 system has helped to increaese the population of the mega schools a little as the pupils in middle schools comprising Junior Secondary classes one, two and three have been moved to the mega schools.

During the Inter-ministerial  briefing organised by the Ministry of Information and Civic Orientation in Osogbo, the Education Commissioner, Folorunsho Bamisayemi, lamented the cost of building the schools.

He said he could have renovated the  schools in the state and employed enough teachers with the funds used to build one mega school by the immediate past administration.

“I will renovate every school in Osun and put more teachers if I have access to the money used in building a mega school,” he said.

Bamisayemi, who was a member of the House of Assembly during Aregbesola’s tenure, said only the last administration could explain what informed the mega schools.

Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Mr. Segun Adeniran, called for public-private partnership to solve the underutilisation of the mega schools.

He explained that “public-private partnership could be introduced in these mega schools so that pupils could come from far and near to Osun State. Students could come from Kano, Zamfara, Imo and other states from any part of Nigeria to Osun to learn and enjoy the facilities in these schools. Teachers in the schools will be specially paid for their service.

“It is unfortunate that most of the top floors of those schools are empty. This is because they are not put to use. The structures are a waste of money. The government should encourage public-private partnership.

“They are already schools  where the mega schools are located. The government that constructed those mega schools ought to have renovated the existing ones to make them modern structures instead of building new ones.”