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In commemoration of the 2021 World Book Day, Managing Director of Bridge Nigeria, Ms. Foyinsola Akinjayej,u has advocated for parents and teachers to read to children, saying doing so regularly has immense benefits.

She said reading to young children daily, starting in infancy, could help with language acquisition, communication skills, social skills, and literacy skills.

“Literacy and the ability to read is a skill that is vital to a child’s future success. The habit of reading should begin at an early stage and should be imbibed throughout one’s lifetime,” she said in a statement.

To help children develop healthy reading culture early, she urged parents and caregivers to stimulate their interest by providing them books and encouraging them to read for fun.

She said Bridge Nigeria, a network of nursery and primary schools serving underserved communities in Lagos and Osun states, consider reading and literacy to be foundational to a child’s learning.

In the area of literacy, she said Bridge pupils in Lagos are demonstrating higher attainment than their peers in other comparable private schools (by 0.35 standard deviations) and public schools (by 1.38 standard deviations).  She said the statistics was corroborated by an independent study report by DFID.

Also speaking, the Regional Director, Academics, Rhoda Odigboh said that reading expands the mind by developing a child’s imagination and engaging critical thinking skills, while also noting that reading to children at an early age stimulates the part of the brain that allows them to understand the meaning of language which helps build key language, literacy and social skills.

According to Odigboh, “Bridge pupils are provided with resources and textbooks to help them improve literacy among other skills such as problem-solving, creative and critical thinking as well as social awareness.” Bridge offers an electronic reading programme, in which pupils spend time working and reading books on a computer tablet per lesson in the classroom. “We also have the  Bridge@Home virtual storybook library with hundreds of age and grade level story books which provide daily reading practice for pupils, even when they are at home,” she said.

The Bridge @Home learning resources was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that children continue to learn and grow even when at home. The resources include learning guides which help children complete different learning activities for each subject, self-study activity packs which are designed to help children complete different tasks, hundreds of stories through the virtual storybook library to help children practice literacy and free mobile interactive quizzes that children can take directly on WhatsApp.

Speaking on the daily reading practice, a parent, Mrs Adeola Ojo, said the @Home reading practice initiative kept her son who is in Nursery class, busy and engaged at home. On the reading practice, she said: “I end up reading each story multiple times because he keeps asking me to read it again.”

Reading to young children is proven to improve cognitive skills and help along the process of cognitive development. Introducing reading into your young child’s life, and the conversations that it will prompt, helps them to make sense of their own lives, especially at a young age.

 

This year, the screening test for admission into the 16 model colleges and upgraded Junior Secondary Schools run by the Lagos State Government will be computer based only.

In a statement to announce registration for the examination, Director of the Lagos State Examinations Board, Mr. Supo Gbadegesin, noted that forms would be on sale until May 31, 2021 for the CBT which he said was the only yardstick for admission into the schools.

Read Also: JAMB de-lists 22 CBT centres for alleged fraud

 

He said Primary Six pupils to be considered for admission into JSS1 classes of the colleges must be at least 10 by June.

He added that candidates who pass and meet the required cut – off marks would be offered admission irrespective of his/her first and second choice of schools.

Gbadegesin said parents/guardians should visit the board’s Iyana Ipaja office to obtain invoice for the N10,000 examination fee following which they can register their wards for the test.

 

By Toba Adedeji, Osogbo

 

Amidst the spate of invasion by gunmen into schools to kidnap students, Fountain University Osogbo, Osun State has beefed up its security system to prevent invasion by gunmen.

Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Amidu Sanni said on Tuesday that the management had contracted conventional and local security operatives to secure the school.

Sanni in his address during the matriculation of 500 new students held at the University’s lecture theatre hall, urged the freshers to be security-conscious and report any suspected breach in the institution’s security architecture to the authorities.

Read Also: Imo varsity shut over Okorocha, Uzodimma rift

 

He said: “I urge you to report any strange movement or face to the hostel managers or security personnel in a calm and reasonable manner. I also urge you to face your studies. We are very strict when it comes to the issue of discipline; we frown at cultism, indecent dresses, internet fraud, taking of hard substances among other social vices.

“We have a conventional security system network, a government security network, our own outsourced security personnel and the local security network to guard against invasion and kidnapping of our students. However, the population of our students is an added advantage to the security of our school. They have been taught to be security conscious, report any strange face and suspected breach of our security system on time to prevent invasion and kidnapping.”

Congratulating the students on their admission, Sanni said the institution had the requisite facilities they needed to learn.

 

Ejalonibu Foundation, a Badagry-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), focused on helping the less-privileged actualise their dreams, is to distribute 200 UTME forms to financially-challenged youths to further their academic pursuit.

Its founder, Mr. Wusu Babatunji-Ejalonibu, said education of youths was the key to development of the area.

He said: “Youths are key elements to developing a community. When you develop them,you are building a community. For the foundation,this is our contribution to humanity.”

Read Also: JAMB registers over 300,000 for UTME, 8,000 for DE

 

Co-ordinator of the Foundation and the Free JAMB Committee, Popoola, Grace Oluwapelumi, urged indigent Badagry youths to take the advantage presented by the Foundation.

Other members of the JAMB Committee are Mr Ahmed Tijani,Mr. Gabriel Ashe,Mr. Sewhenu Wusu and Mr. Amuda Tijani.

To benefit, she said the applicants must be 16 by the time of the admission, have their NIN, and be waiting for their ‘O’ Level results.

 

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

 

The National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has called on the Federal and Kaduna State Government to secure the release of remaining students and teachers of Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation Afaka, Kaduna State.

Since the abduction of students of the college, over 20 students of a private university, Greenfield University, Kaduna State, have also been abducted – with five of them killed by the gunmen as at Monday.  The abductors are demanding N800 million as ransom.

The body called on government at all levels as well as private school owners to relocate all boarding schools in rural areas to urban areas as well as provide well-equipped joint  security forces to patrol and secure all schools to protect students and workers from attacks by bandits.

Its National President, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma said in an interview that the government should drive all resources towards ensuring security to protect lives and properties in schools.

“There can never be sound education where there is insecurity and trauma.  Government at all levels should concentrate on schools and tertiary institutions. Some parents have withdrawn their children from schools due to insecurity. Parents Teachers Association (PTA) should also be allowed to play their role,” he said.

Speaking further, Danjuma said: “Government at all levels should drive all their resources to ensure that all our schools, students, teachers, and staff are secured. Also, all boarding schools in rural areas in any part of the country should be relocated to urban areas.

Read Also: Bandits release new video of abducted Kaduna students

 

“We want adequate well equipped joint security personnel to be on standby as well as patrol all schools including tertiary institutions.

Underscoring the need for collaboration, Dajuma called on all traditional rulers, community leaders, youths and all NAPTAN members to join hands with security operatives to secure all schools as the third term begins.

“All hands must be on deck,” he said, as he called on the government to build more classrooms, urban schools to accommodate students from boarding schools in rural areas.

He appealed to governors not to allow students from schools closed due to attacks to remain at home but fixed them in other schools so they do not lose academically.

Speaking on strike, the NAPTAN President urged the government to address issues with workers’ union as he lamented that strikes contributed to dwindling educational system in the country.

Regarding NIN registration, Danjuma called on government to take the registration to schools to make it easy for students to register.

 

By Adebanjo Marire Ohunnla

“No man is born either rich or poor, the society makes him what he becomes”. This is a popular saying that quite a number of people have heard.

However, it is you who decides which one you want to be and work towards it.

As Dr. Myles Munroe said, what you are designed to be known for is your gift. Your gift is that ability that has been deposited in you by God.

Some people develop or acquire their gift as they grow while some other people have been exposed to theirs right from a very young age.

Common cases of this set of people are actors. For example, Williams Uchemba started acting when he was little.

Another example is Regina Daniels. Most of what they do is to keep developing their gifts and impacting other people.

An example of those who found out their gift as they grew is Dr.Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and the author of “Gifted Hands”.In this book, he tells us how he used to be a dullard as a child until one day when he made a decision to not fail in school again.

Years later, he became a Neurosurgeon. A well-known one at that. He became a Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33. He also was able to successfully separate a conjoined twin without complications.

To clear the air, being rich does not only mean being financially stable and wealthy.

Wealth or poverty does not boil down to one’s financial state. Wealth can also happiness, good health, the creative ability to think, apply proper wisdom, have self-control, and soon. The proper application of all the above can make way for you into many opportunities or adventure and even place you before kings, queens and great people. It is by making use of your gift that you feel fulfilled and has a purpose-driven life.

At this point, it is clear to us that each and every one of us has a gift or two whether we know it or are yet to discover the gift. Anyone who discovers and develops his or her gift becomes a commodity. In agreement with Dr.Myles Munroe, no matter how big the world is, there is a place for you in it when you discover and manifest your gift. Mind you, education or schooling is not the key to success. Education does not exactly guarantee anything although society makes us think that. It is your gift that is the key to your success.

If Education was to be the key to success, then every literate and educated person would be rich and successful; everyone with a Ph.D. would be wealthy. However, it is not so. If you’re educated but have not developed your talent, you’re likely going to be depressed, frustrated and confused and most especially hate to go to work on Monday mornings.

“If you do things in a halfway manner, you can always find a job somewhere. Yet if you do just enough to get by, you are going to remain simply an employee. However, if you decide that you’re going to find something that is truly yours, then you will fulfill your vision, and you will be remembered by others”-Dr.Myles Munroe.

Alexander Graham Bell believed sound could be converted into electrical impulses and transmitted by wire and with this idea, he created the telephone. People made fun of him then for his crazy idea but he succeeded and we remember him for it.

You also can find your gift and use it to bless and enrich the world. That is the main essence of your gift. The other essence is to make you successful, wealthy and live a purpose-driven life. Discover your gift today, use it and that will give your life meaning.

As Pablo Picasso, a famous painter, once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of your life is to give it away”.

Agency Reporter

University of Ilorin has advised candidates to check their admission status to the institution from the Central Admission Processing Systems (CAPS) on Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) website.

Its Deputy Chairman, Admission Committee, Dr Tayo Arinde, gave this advice while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin on Tuesday.

Arinde said that any admission seeker that saw his or her name on JAMB CAP had gotten admission through the recommendation of the university.

He said candidates should, therefore, constantly check the JAMB CAPS and accept their admission offer accordingly.

He said that the admission process was in three stages.

“The first is merit admission, the second is for catchment area and the third stage is for the educationally disadvantaged areas.

“The way admission is done now, JAMB oversees the process to ensure compliance with protocols.

“Ours, as a university, is to recommend candidates to JAMB and we have been sending messages to candidates, directing them to upload their documents on JAMB CAPS portal,’’ he said.

Arinde said that the main challenges were the ignorance of admission seekers and the carrying capacity of the university.

“Right now, we have 39,000 qualified candidates but we can only admit 12,500 based on our carrying capacity.

“Our case is peculiar because we are the most sought-after.

“We would love to admit more but we can’t go beyond our capacity,’’ he said.

Explaining why some candidates got admission into courses they did not apply for, the committee’s deputy chairman said it was the result of the grading of candidates’ UTME and O’ Level results.

He explained that when someone scored 250 in UTME, those who scored more and the departmental carrying capacity were factors that could hinder the admission prospect of such a candidate.

READ ALSO: Don boosts UNILORIN library with N1.2m books

Arinde said that this was because their UTME scores and O’ Level results were graded.

“At times, someone with 190 in JAMB could have a higher total grade than a person who scored 250 if the former had a better O’ Level result.

“And, rather than not giving such candidate admission at all, the University in its wisdom, provides them with another option.’’

Arinde emphasised that the University of Ilorin would no longer have the problem of admission seekers uploading fake results.

According to him, technological advancement in the digital environment allows those in charge to verify data instantly.

He said that the institution also offered admission to remedial students of its School of Preliminary Students (SPS), who passed and had earlier scored a minimum of 180 in UTME.

He added that it banked the results of those who did not score up to 180 in JAMB for a year so that they could have another opportunity to get the required score. (NAN)

Agency Reporter 

Prof. Abayomi Fasina, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), on Tuesday dismissed reports that the institution was planning a mass sack of its workers.

“We have no plans to sack anyone; any rumour in that direction is false. The governing council is not thinking in that direction,” Fasina told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Oye-Ekiti.

He said that the institution was committed to the welfare of the members of staff, urging them to ignore the negative rumours and focus on quality service delivery.

READ ALSO: FUOYE: Indigent students get N3.1m insurance scheme

“Members of the governing council have specifically directed that no matter what happens, no staff of the university should be sacked.

“Deployments from one schedule of duty to another may happen as part of normal administrative processes, but no one will be sacked,” Fasina declared.

NAN recalls that the governing council recently queried the processes of a recent recruitment exercise after it generated some controversy, a situation that created the fears that some of the workers may be sacked. (NAN)