The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Academic

  • Academic integrity dominates experts’ talks

    The 1,500 capacity Alex Ekwueme Auditorium at the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State, was filled to its capacity with guests from over 20 polytechnics in the Southeast and South-south regions.

    The gathering aimed at restoring academic integrity and quality through the Computer-based Testing (CBT) system in schools.

    The event brought together intellectuals from the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to brainstorm on the way forward.

    Four traditional rulers namely Igwe R.N. Offor of Omogho, Igwe Chika Ochime of Ufuma, Igwe Onyeneke of Ekwulobia and Igwe C.O. Okeke of Amaokpala and men of the Department of State Service (DSS) were in attendance.

    In her remarks, Mrs. Helen Oduntan, who represented the expanded management of the institution reminded the institutions of the need to get the country’s education sector right.

    Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who was represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology and former Deputy Governor in the state, Prince Chinedu Emeka, said the state would always partner with the Federal Polytechnic Oko. He also said that both share the same vision on CBT.

    In his remarks, Igwe Ochime advised students to shun any urge from anyone not to embrace CBT.

    He noted that the institution had witnessed tremendous transformation in the last few years, stating that without the support of the students and management of the institution, it wouldn’t have been possible.

    In his address, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Dr. Mass’udu Adamu Kazaure lamented that unethical practices had bedeviled and negatively affected the fortunes of the education sector.

    This, according to him, had adversely affected the quality of graduates that are churned out of higher institutions, despite several measures adopted to curb the development.

    Kazuare said this is noticed especially in enrollment and output of graduates of our tertiary institutions. From all indications, however, it will appear as if the measures have little or no effects in curbing it.

    “This workshop is therefore organised to introduce participants to one of the  important measures, developed by JAMB to minimise unethical practices in the admissions process in our higher institutions, and that is the computer-based test (CBT) system,” he said.

    For Prof. Shola Akinrinade of the  ICPC, the time to get it right in the education system was now with the current change mantra.

    He listed some corrupt practices identified in relation to include admissions, enrollment and registration as non–adherence to approved carrying capacity as set by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    He also said political interference in the admission process is a major reason some more qualified candidates who have no godfathers were marginalised.

    In his address, the Rector of the institution, Prof. Godwin Onu  noted that the most virulent challenge being experienced by the CBT was the opposition by some lecturers who, he said, were beneficiaries of the old order.

    He said some of their arguments were that the system would strip them of their responsibilities and negates practical-orientated courses.

    However, Onu said that CBT would make the work of the lecturers easier, while appealing to all the schools to embrace the system.

    “For some time now, there have been hues and cries about falling standard of education and the attendant unethical practices in teaching and learning as well as examination administration.

    “These have attracted a lot of criticisms and condemnations. The sector is being challenged to reposition and provide quality and functional education that meets the needs and aspirations of the 21st Century society.

    “The computer-based testing system is one of the ways of addressing these challenges and repositioning the sector in the right direction. This is because the system has built-in mechanisms designed to restore academic integrity and engender quality assurance,” Onu said.

    Also John Okonkwo, who represented JAMB Registrar Prof. Ojerinde, delivered a second paper on the day entitled “Restoring Academic Integrity Using CBT.”

     

  • Our academic goals must come before anything’

    Our academic goals must come before anything’

    What are the major challenges confronting the Law Students’ Society (LSS)?

    We have been facing challenges ranging inadequate funding and lack of support from the institution. We don’t have sponsors for our projects, especially those that are capital intensive. Although the faculty leadership is trying its best to attend to the welfare of students, I believe we can do more.

    What are your achievements since you became the president?

    I am proud to say that I run a people-oriented administration. We have brought LSS closer to the members. We have equally executed several projects, which have affected academic and social lives of law students. With the support of the faculty management, our administration has organised many programmes, such as Ankara Nite, freshers’ orientation, debate and oratory contests, among others. I believe the programmes would help in grooming great lawyers.

    How do you combine your studies with politics?

    God has been helping me to maintain the two areas. I have a schedule for each activity I’m involved in. Although my priority on campus is to study, but there is still time to do some extracurricular activities. While I engage in political activities, I create time for my studies.

    How would you rate the performance of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali?

    He has performed impressively. There is hardly a session that the management doesn’t have new projects to unveil. The Vice-Chancellor has really made his mark in providing infrastructure and welfare for staff and students. He has used the power of innovation and technology to change the story of the school. No wonder University of Ilorin has become popular among its contemporaries. With the kind of technological platforms provided on campus, all students and staff of the university are now information technology-compliant. We need to commend Prof Ambali-led management.

    What is your advice to the students?

    I will urge them should set their priorities right. Academic pursuits must come before any other thing. It is when we have achieved success that we can say we have had fulfilling and fruitful moments on the campus.

     

     

  • WAEC should educate beyond academic excellence

    WAEC should educate beyond academic excellence

    Making good grades is good, but not enough, the Liberian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augustine Ngafuan, has said.

    Ngafuan who delivered the 20th Endowment Fund lecture of the council last Monday, which was part of the 63rd annual Council Meeting of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), said the time has come for the council to conceptualize new ways to reward excellence beyond just making A1.

    Speaking on the topic: “What Else Are We Writing on the Slate? A Call for a Holistic Preparation of the Youth”, the Minister said that the high level of illicit funds flowing out of Africa, insurgencies and violence that have underdeveloped the continent could only be addressed by an education that enthrones morals, team work, leadership and other virtues.

    In a lecture that was hailed by many as excellent, Ngafuan showed how academic excellence alone cannot help to produce good leaders.

    He said: “What are the ideal outcomes we seek on the WAEC exams? Obviously, an outcome where every candidate sitting the exams would master the various subjects so well that they would earn an ‘A’ and fall in the ‘Division One’ category.  We call these top performers in public exams ‘excellent students’.  But again I ask, is academic excellence in and of itself sufficient in getting the youth of today prepared for the multifarious challenges of today and the future? It is often said that the young people are the future leaders, but are we preparing them so that they can be good future leaders of our countries, our region, our continent, and our one world?”

    Ngafuan stunned the audience when he said some of his former classmates were among the rebels that unleashed mayhem during the 14-year Liberian civil war.  He equally said there are many brilliant people responsible for Africa’s loss of about $50 billion yearly in illegal funds.

    To adequately prepare youth for future leadership roles, Ngafuan said “all players including the family, the peer group, the government, and faith-based institutions must play their part.”  However, he made a case for proper treatment of teachers.  He noted that as strong influencers, teachers must be adequately rewarded so they can teach without being tempted to compromise.

    Ngafuan said: “To help close the integrity gap in the system, we need to address a host of challenges that undermine the strength and integrity of the system, not the least of which is the dismal plight of teachers and other education workers. This will require increased and sustained financial support to the education sector from governments, the private sector, donors, and ordinary citizens.

    “Students in their impressionable years do not only learn from what the teacher says in the classroom but also what he actually does in and out of the classroom.   Therefore, we should never cause these teachers, examiners, invigilators, test markers and support staff,all positive contributors to the forward march of our countries,to become so desperate for survival that they could easily yield to the slightest temptations.  We must change the situation where to pursue a career as an educator is to sign a perpetual contract with poverty.”

    The four-day meeting, which should have held in Liberia, culminated in the election of Dr. Evelyn Kandakai and Mrs. Hawa Goll-Kotchie, both of Liberia, as the chairman and vice-chairman of the WAEC Council.  It is the first time in the 63-year history of the council it would be chaired by a woman.

    She took over from Prof Pius Obanya, a renowned Nigerian educationist.

  • Students score union low on welfare, academic out put

    Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State have rated their Students’ Union Government (SUG) low on welfare. They accused their leaders of causing them untold hardship and suffering because of the union’s unrealistic approach to issues.

    The students said the union has not delivered on its promise to improve on their academic performance and welfare. They accused the union of introducing a levy, which stopped  commercial vehicles from taking them to their halls as it was in  the past.

    The union President, Isaac Ibikunle, said the commercial buses stopped going to the halls because they did not accept the fares proposed by the union. But, the students said the union’s greed forced the drivers to take the action.

    Some drivers, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said the union asked them to pay N2,000 for a sticker after paying N5,000 to the management. They said the union wanted to reduce their fare from N20 to N10, describing the move as unreasonable because of the prevailing economic reality.

    The students’ other complaint was the alleged downward review of results  pasted by departments. They claimed there was mass failure in a course when students’ scores were reviewed downwards after the union wrote to the department over sale of course materials.

    Students said they passed the exam after reading the materials,  but their  union‘s letter. This letter prompted the deduction of 10 marks from their scores, they alleged.

    The union said it was unethical to compel students to buy course material, but the  department did not take it lightly.

    A student, who did not want to be name, said: “When the results were released, I scored 71. But after reviewing, they gave me 31. How can I fail that course if it was 10 marks they deducted from the whole result?

    This  is a compulsory course taken by over 5,000 students.”

     

     

  • Ali Mazrui: An academic who lived for humanity

    Ali Mazrui: An academic who lived for humanity

    Ali Mazrui, one of Africa’s most firebrand and revered scholars and critics, died during the week in his residence in New York, USA, aged 81.  Edozie Udeze takes a look at the man, who, through his many incisive and profound works, attacked African leaders whom he blamed for the economic and social retardation of the continent, among other issues he focused his attention on.

    The death, last week, at 81, of one of Africa’s most celebrated and outstanding scholars, critics, teachers, authors and political historians, has yet depleted the rank.  Professor Ali Mazrui, author of over 30 books, 2000 monographs and academic papers in different journals of the world, was a Kenyan citizen.  He was more or less a world citizen, someone who did not limit his gaze or attention to the continent of Africa, but used his wide and global connections to champion laudable programmes and ideals for the good of Blacks at home and in the Diaspora.

    Born in Mombasa, Kenya on February 24, 1933, he was educated at the famous Makerere University, Uganda where he graduated with a first class distinction in Political Science.  In 1960, he did his Master’s  degree at Manchester University in Great Britain and his Doctorate in Philosophy at the Oxford University (Nuffield College) in 1966.  Upon completion of his studies, he returned to Makerere University Kampala, Uganda, where he served as head of the Department of Political Science and later Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

    Exile

    In 1973, he was forced into exile by Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada, the defacto head of state of Uganda at that time.  Amin, who had followed Mazrui’s academic progression and his keen observation of the deeds of most East African leaders, said he did not find it comfortable with Mazrui so close to his regime.  From that moment on, Mazrui remained in exile until his demise a few days ago.

    He had lampooned African leaders as iron-fisted people whose roles could not help Africa to move forward.  Once he was driven out of Uganda, Mazrui headed to the University of Michigan, USA, as a Professor of Political Science where he was later appointed the Director of the Centre for Afro American and African Studies.  A restless and incisive scholar, with a big heart to create his own ideals for the sake of humanity, in 1989 he moved to the University of Binghamton, the state of New York as the Albert Schweitzer Professor of Humanities and the Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies.  This was a position he maintained till death.

    However, Mazrui’s research interests centred more on how to improve the lot of Africa and Africans.  In serving on the editorial boards of more than twenty international scholarly journals, he was offered the opportunity to breathe down on despotic leaders in Africa.  He never spared them for being the architects of the retrogression of the African peoples.  Even when he was widely sought after to help in fashioning new ideals by most of the heads of states and governments in Africa on political strategies and alternative thoughts, Mazrui never lost the chance to tell them the truth.

    Writings

    An Uganda-born Professor of History and International Human Rights, Amii Otunu, who teaches at the University of Connecticut, USA, described him as a great Pan-Africanist.  “Yes, Mazrui turned his life into a great Pan-Africanist in the mould of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.  He was a great African, one of the most prolific and controversial African writers.  Indeed, he was one of the most revered Pan-Africanist of the century.”  He was an innovative thinker, someone who put Africa on the world map of popular African ideals.

    Otunu further stated that he used biography and juxtaposition of ideals to explain Africa in a way no one else could have done it.  He did so especially with his 1986 Africa: A Triple Heritage documentary which was jointly produced by the BBC and the Public Broadcasting Service in Washington in association with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).  That film exposed the innate social and political and economic potential of Africa and then zeroed down on how some of these are being daily siphoned by the cabal to deprive the youths of their own golden chances.

    Professor Tunde Babawale of the University of Lagos who had close contacts with Mazrui described his death as a big loss to scholarship in Africa.  “He was indeed one of the foremost African intellectuals of this century.  His commitment to Africa’s autochthonous development is unequalled.  He was a powerful advocate of African cultures as a tool for independent development.  He also dealt extensively with the positive role Islam and Islamisation has played in African politics.  Mazrui has become one of the loudest voices in the need to democratise the continent as well as the need to have a more politically oriented leadership for the continent.”

    Mazrui, whose second wife, Pauline Uti, is a Nigerian, attracted the ire of most sensitive Nigerian leaders when he suggested that the Muslim North are meant to rule Nigeria in perpetuity.  A great advocate of Sharia and the rule of law, he held vehemently that Sharia should form part of a democratised society.  This was a stand for which he received hard and several knocks from many world and African leaders, yet Mazrui did not budge.

    While rejecting violence and terrorism in its entirety, he equally gave vent to some of the anti-imperialist and capitalist sentiments that play important roles in modern Islamic fundamentalism.  At the same time, he was a prominent critic of the current world order.  To him, the composition of the current capitalist tendency is deeply and unfortunately exploitative of Africa.  What the West does to Africa, he contended, was merely and could be conveniently described as global apartheid.  He was opposed to the Western interventions in whatever forms in the developing world.  His attention was particularly directed at the Iraq war which he insisted couldn’t have happened if the West did not meddle in  Iraqi internal affairs.

    He didn’t quite toe the line of the Israeli government in settling the political quagmire in the middle East.  To him, most of  Israeli policies were totally anti-Islam and therefore should be opposed and discountenanced for the sake of peace and progress in the region.  He, in fact, linked the treatment of the Palestinians by the Israeli government to the Apartheid situation in South Africa.  This was one sentiment that also earned him doses of attacks from most world leaders.

    Trial of Christopher Okigbo

    In one of his prose fictions dedicated to the late Nigerian poet, Christopher Okigbo, he lamented the sudden death of this great son of Africa.  A book that was supposed to be a fiction somewhat passed on other comments that invoked undue nostalgia and ill-feelings.  In his own comment on the death of Mazrui, Chijioke Uwasomba of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State made specific reference to Mazrui’s demeaning of Okigbo, even though as a great man, Mazrui, himself lived a total life dedicated to scholarship.

    Uwasomba said: “In spite of his demeaning work, The Trial of Christopher Okigbo, he was a damn good African historian, politically-engaged intellectual, a resounding voice for the African and a source of inspiration to the upcoming African and Africanist scholars.  No doubt, he was in the class of Samir Amin, Walter Rodney, Aye Kwei Armah and other well-meaning scholars who through their intellectual exertions wrote back to imperialism and empire builders.”

    Mombasa

    Even though Mazrui left East Africa, his birth place in 1973 and never went back to live there, he has requested that his body be taken home to Mombasa, Kenya, for burial.  Known to have died of natural causes in his Vestal home, in New York city, Mazrui is said to have come from one of the most renowned and famous families in Fort Jesus, Mombasa, the city of his birth.  The family cemetery was where his parents and other late family members have been interred over the years.

    As at the moment, the Kenyan government is not opposed to this request.  Even Mazrui’s children are ever eager to take his body home for burial to end an era riddled with the nostalgic fears of exile.  To them, it is now time for their sage, a man who brought the family to global limelight to have his final rest where no more exiles or despotic and erratic leaders will haunt and hunt him.

     

  • School celebrates moral, academic excellence

    School celebrates moral, academic excellence

    Any education curriculum that does not address the morality cannot stand, says Mrs Oluwayemisi Oloriade, Principal, Wellspring College, Omole Phase II, Lagos.

    In an interview during the 10th anniversary of the secondary school, Mrs Oloriade said academic excellence without integrity, honesty and positive values will continue to bring reproach on Nigeria and result in underachievement in comparison to other nations.

    She said: “All of us are aware of the hue and cry in our country, not only about the continuous falling standard of education, but also the lack of moral rectitude among the so-called educated people in our society – a situation that has made our dear country that could have been a giant not only in Africa but also in the comity of nations to be retrogressing and depreciating. This situation underscored the need for education that would impart on both knowledge and integrity,” she said.

    In the past one decade, Mrs Oloriade said Wellspring has focused on providing excellent cognitive training without leaving out the affective and psychomotor domains of learning. She added that the school believes that success can be achieved by doing things right without cutting corners. To this end she said the school does not tolerate malpractice of any sort.

    She said: “Wellspring College has established itself as a school that does not compromise academic, examination and moral ethics. Vices such as stealing, bullying, sagging, immodesty, not to talk of immorality are not tolerated at all. First offenders are usually given mild punishments and counselled. A reoccurrence may attract punishments ranging from suspension to expulsion, depending on the magnitude of the offence committed.

    “The college has zero tolerance for examination practices start from class tests and external examination. Any student caught cheating during our tests (exams inclusive) automatically scores zero (0) in that test or examination among other punishments to be meted.

    “During external examinations, none of our teachers is expected to be seen around the examination hall when their subjects are being written. Hence, the college is known among examination bodies as a place where examination and moral ethics are not compromised for any reason.”

    Despite its strict stance of malpractices, Mrs Oloriade said the performance of its SS3 candidates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has been good, particularly last year when she said the school recorded 98 per cent pass in the examination.

     

  • Academic activities begin

    Academic activities have begun at the Ekiti State University following the directive by the management that all fresh students admitted for 2013/2014 should commence registration from Monday.

    Accordingly, the students who must have paid their acceptance fees, are expected to present original copies of their credentials at the various points of registration.

    Details of the registration are on the university website and in the dailies.

    The information warned students that they would not be screened until all tuition fees and other charges are paid.

    Earlier, EKSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Patrick Oladipo Aina has congratulated the fresh students for the golden opportunity of gaining admission into the institution out of thousands of candidates who applied. He urged them to be peaceful during the screening exercise.

     

  • ‘Academic activities to begin in 124 Almajiri model schools in September’

    ‘Academic activities to begin in 124 Almajiri model schools in September’

    Academic activities will begin in September in the 124 Almajiri model schools built by the Federal Government, the Minister of State for Education, Mr Nyesom Wike, has said.

    He said the model schools were built to address the out-of-school challenge among school age children.

    Wike spoke yesterday in Abuja at the July edition of the monthly meeting with contractors handling basic education projects for the Federal Government.

    Eighty-nine Almajiri Model Schools are being built by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) while 35 have been built by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) for the Federal Government.

    The minister said 100 Almajiri model schools, which have been completed by contractors, would be handed over to the states after the Ramadan fast at a symbolic inauguration ceremony to be performed by President Goodluck Jonathan, who will be represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

    Wike hailed the contractors for living up to the expectations of the government and the people and for increasing the tempo of their work.

    For the 24 Almajiri projects, which are yet to be completed, the minister gave the contractors a three-week deadline to finish the projects.

    He added that UBEC engineers would take over the sites for direct labour execution of the projects, if the contractors failed to meet the deadline, so that academic activities can start in the schools in September.

    Wike said: “The Almajiri schools will be handed over to states after the Ramadan fast and academic activities will start fully in September in all the schools. Our target is to increase the enrolment of out-of-school children across the country by the end of the year.”