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Tag: Adamu Adamu

  • FG directs payment of allowances of Nigerians studying in Russia

    The Federal Government has directed the Federal Scholarship Board to process the payment of allowances owed by the government to Nigerian scholars studying in Russian.

    Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, gave the directive when Nigerian Ambassador to Russia and Belarus, Prof. Steve Ugba visited him in Abuja.

    In a statement by the ministry’s Deputy Director(Information), Ben Bem-Goong, the Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to prioritise the being of all Nigerian students studying abroad.

    He said henceforth, the government would give priority to the welfare of Nigerian students studying oversea.

    Ugba urged the minister to meet with the students whenever the minister visited Russia.

    Read Also: Fallacies of Adamu Adamu and his cohorts

    He told the minister that Nigerian students in Russia were doing well.

    According to him, the students in Russia are a source of pride to the country, adding that the synergy and solidarity that exist between the students and the Nigerian Embassy have contributed to the survival of Nigerian students in the country.

    Adamu was joined in the meeting by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Sonny Echono.

  • Shelve plans to create Fulani radio, PCP tells FG

    The Federal Government’s plan to create a Fulani radio for herdsmen Saturday drew criticisms from the Peoples Coalition Party (PCP).

    The party urged the government to quickly shelve the idea as it would be seen to be promoting herdsmen killing and banditry in the country.

    The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had said on Wednesday that the Federal Government had acquired an Amplitude Modulation broadcast radio licence, frequency 720KHz, for herdsmen as part of efforts to end the perennial farmers-herders clashes.

    “The radio service will serve as a vehicle for social mobilisation and education, in addition to interactive radio instruction methodology that will be adopted to reach the very hard-to-reach segment of our target population,” he had noted.

    But the PCP noted that the government must avoid being seen as a promoter of herdsmen Killings, defender of terrorism, banditry and the vandalisation of properties and homes of law abiding citizens.

    In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Chief Anthony Harmattan, on Saturday in Abuja, the party urged the government to concentrate on creating employment for all youths in the country.

    The statement reads: “We vehemently call on the Federal Government to quickly shelve it’s planned creation of herdsmen radio station in the country.

    “Most importantly, our government must avoid being seen as a promoter of herdsmen Killings, defender of terrorism, banditry and the vandalisation of properties and homes of law abiding citizens of Nigeria.

    Read Also: Zamfara meet with Fulani leaders to end banditry

    “We call on the Federal Government to concentrate their efforts and developmental focus towards creating jobs for all active youths in the country in order to reduce the menace of kidnappings, killings and armed robbery now ravaging every parts of the country.

    “Our passionate call also goes to all aggrieved parties in the last general election to resolve to put the country first by peacefully engaging themselves in the tribunals and not attempting to overheat the polity.

    “Finally, we appeal to the government and the ruling party, the APC to embrace a reconciliatory posture by ensuring that all stakeholders are considered in an inclusive government to foster development, peace, progress, fairness, equity and justice to all. Nigeria needs absolute unity at this time in our history.”

  • Adamu Adamu’s milestones and unfinished business in education

    In this piece, former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Peter Okebukola shares his thoughts on Education Minister Malam Adamu Adamu’s achievements and why he should get another chance to do more during President Muhammadu Buhari’s second tenure.

    What is the mandate of a Nigerian Minister of Education? It is essentially to superintend educational provisions and be the chief harnesser of the power of education for national development. In a federal system, he sits atop the apparatus for national policy formulation and standards setting. The enforcement of standards in collaboration with federal and state-level actors is also part of his or her charge. As chairman of the national council on education with state commissioners of education as members, the minister wields the power of captain of the education ship, steering it into shores that can be rocky or calm. In November 2015, Malam Adamu Adamu received the baton from Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, stepping into the track as Nigeria’s 46th Minister of Education since independence in 1960. After three plus years of “ministering”, a behind-the-scene assessment of his stewardship shows several interesting milestones and some unfinished businesses.

    We open these excerpts of milestones with a glimpse at some public misperceptions. To some, Malam Adamu Adamu’s literary and journalist bent and training are weak ingredients for success as a minister of education. This warped perception is like looking at the hood of the monk rather than his deep entrails which serve as driver of the monk’s personality. In the mind’s eye of many, the archetypal minister of education should have a doctorate degree. The blind spot in the mind’s eye of such persons fail to see that the world of the leader of today and the far future is not about the higher degrees brandished (although these provide added value) but on the ability of the leader to “learn how to learn” and possession of 21st century skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, ability to work with others, media literacy, technology literacy and flexibility. These skills, which Malam Adamu Adamu is generously endowed, are called to duty in the day-to-day desk and field work of a minister of education of today. More than half of the ministers of education in high-performing countries in education in the world have no more than a first degree, a master’s at best, but are politicians and technocrats with superlative leadership and 21st century skills. The minister of education of Finland, unarguably the best-performing country in education, Sanni Grahn-Laasonen is a career politician who worked as a journalist (like our education minister!) in the Finnish afternoon newspaper Iltalehti.

    The other misperception is that Malam Adamu Adamu’s personality is ad contra to the bulldozer type needed in the education ministry to ferociously pierce the armour of challenges facing the Nigerian education sector. Unknown to many, Malam Adamu’s strategy is even more potent than being a bulldozer leader. Rather than being reactive, pugnacious and limelight-seeking, Malam Adamu empowered what can be likened to as his divisional commanders to take the battle to the enemies of poor-quality education and rout the foes. Donning my chemistry cap, Malam Adamu Adamuis like a group 0 element in the periodic table of chemical elements. Members of this group such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon are noble gases. They are octet in nature which makes them stable and unable to gain or lose electrons. I extend this analogy to Malam Adamu Adamu’s nature of ensuring that every subsector in education is served, not wishing some to gain and others to lose. So, what have we gained in the last four years, what education battles have been won? In the logbook of victories, some major milestones are discernible. A few will be highlighted.

    The “battle plan” was encoded in the Ministerial Strategic Plan 2016-2019. Here, access to quality higher education was one of the areas to be “captured”. The goal was to increase access by minimum of five per cent and significantly improve quality. Malam Adamu Adamu’s field generals in the higher education sector especially Prof Abubakar Adamu Rasheed (Executive Secretary, NUC) and Prof Is-haq Oloyede (Registrar, JAMB) achieved the 2016-2019 goals. Riding on the Rasheed Revitalisation Plan for the Nigerian university system, Prof Rasheed led NUC to increase the carrying capacities of our universities by over eight per cent through the twin approach of expanding the human and facilities resourcing of existing universities and licensing new private universities as well as recognising new state universities. Numerical strength of our universities leapt by over 15 per cent since Malam Adamu Adamu took over as minister. On the quality front, Prof Rasheed embarked on a massive, no-holds-bared attack on quality depressants through sharpening the quality-assurance teeth of NUC, barking and biting along the rough road of getting the universities to maintain quality standards. Today, on all measures of quality, the Nigerian university system has gained 12 percentage points since 2016. With the launch of the 2019-2023 Revitalisation Plan for the Nigerian University System, what is now popularly known as the Rasheed Revolution, is off to a fine start.

    The success story of JAMB catalysed by the mandate given it by Malam Adamu Adamu is now legendary and a subject of several global citations. Prof Is-haq Oloyede has set at least two gold standards- one for administering JAMB and the other for public accountability. The JAMB story of conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is one of freshness of vision, creativity and trust in authenticity of UTME scores. It is one of best practice in conducting cheat-proof public examinations. It is one of following your heart regardless of pressure by parents and candidates to release the results of the UTME without removing the bugs inserted by crooked candidates and their conniving parents and sponsors. It is one of establishing a level-playing field for blind candidates and offering equal opportunities for all regardless of disabilities. Incidentally, both Rasheed and Oloyede are of the same prudent, masses-loving, creative-achiever stock as their boss- Malam Adamu Adamu.

    At the basic education level, UBEC under Malam Adamu Adamu and his minister of state, Prof Anthony Anwuk are formatted its intervention system in the states. UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi was backed by the ministers to improve the machinery of release of funds to the states and monitor same for greater accountability. Today, there has been significant improvement in the performance of UBEC on its mandate over the status in 2016, chief of which are at least 10 per cent improvement in facilities for the delivery of basic education by way of new and refurbished classrooms and schools and school supplies. The new focus on teacher professional development by UBEC is heartwarming and a credit to the Adamu Adamu administration. The school feeding programme coordinated by the Presidency is another positive development in the education sector.

    The funding of the sector took a slightly upward swing from 2016-2019 and in the direction anticipated by the Ministerial Strategic Plan. While the tape of the anticipated quantum was not breasted at the end of the plan period, noteworthy gains were made through interventions by TETFund, UBEC and others.

    Turning to other education indicators such as literacy rate, gender parity indices, school completion rates and efficiency, there were marginal positives, although not enough for celebration. The expectation of the Ministerial Strategic Plan that the number of out-of-school children will significantly drop by 2019 failed to achieve the mark. Spates of strikes interrupted the academic calendar at several points in the period although the firmament is now calmer. Examination malpractice at all levels of the education system is still a blight. Minister Adamu Adamu, a man not to deceive himself, is aware of these pockets of resistance to quality education hence he convinced the federal executive council and the national economic council to declare a state of emergency in the education sector. Now is the time to step on the throttle of the implementation of the provisions of the declaration and hence a call to Mr. President to ensure that the persona behind the call, Malam Adamu Adamu is at the steering wheel of the implementation train. We need an Adamu-led Ministerial Strategic Plan 2019-2023 for the education sector to continue to take its rightful place as a level for national development as we gallop to “the next level”.

    • Okebukola was a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission

  • FG begins rehabilitation of 104 unity schools

    The Federal Government has begun the renovation and rehabilitation of 104 unity colleges in the country, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has said.

    He said the rehabilitation exercise include replacement of broken toilets, ceilings, creation of additional classrooms and the renovation of existing ones.

    The minister said the renovation, directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, is aimed at expanding access to education in the country.

    He stated this during the monitoring of  2019 common entrance examination organised by the National Examination Council, in Abuja, on Saturday.

    The minister said about 25, 000 students would be given admission into the colleges nationwide.

    Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Sonny Echono, disclosed that the government had already begun recruitment of teachers to carter for the new intake next term.

    He said: “We have a challenge of access to education in this country, as part of our interventions to ensure that we bring more children into the school system and reduce the number of kids who are out-of-school, we are having so many programmes. One of it is to increase the spaces available in our unity colleges.

    “You are aware that each time we do this there are other consequential interventions that are needed. You need to have additional classrooms; you need to have additional teachers.

    “We are pleased that Mr. President graciously approved that we should begin to rehabilitate many of these unity colleges. Besides the security infrastructure, we are now providing both new classrooms and as well as rehabilitating the dilapidated ones and we are also dealing with the libraries, laboratories and so on.

    Read Also: Fear grips Ondo Community over ritual killings

    “We are recruiting additional teachers for the unity schools as we speak. Both the regularisation of PTA teachers and new recruitment are ongoing at the Federal Civil Service Commission as we speak and they will come in early enough for them to be inducted, trained, given some kind of preparation ahead of the opening of the schools next term.”

    He said the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has already approved four interventions in some unity schools in Abuja.

    The minister explained that the intervention is to rehabilitate broken toilets, ceilings and classrooms to compliment what the ministry of education is doing.

    “We hope that in the next few years, all those schools will be returned to their glory days,” he added.

    NECO’s Acting Registrar, Abubakar Gana, said 75, 635 candidates sat for the examination on Saturday in 457 centres nationwide, including one centre in Port Novo, Benin Republic.

    Gana said that the results of the examination will be released on Wednesday by the agency through the ministry of education.

    He urged parents to check NECO’s website for the released results.

    Lagos state had the highest number of registered candidates with 23, 459 while Zamfara had the lowest with 59 candidates.

    “The results are expected to be released by NECO to the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday 1st May 2019 after which the ministry would direct NECO to release it to the public after the selection exercise.

    “Candidates are to check the status of their admission both at the various Federal Unity Colleges and online via NECO website: www.neco.gov.ng as soon as the release of the results is announced,” the ministry added in a statement.

  • Out-of-School children’s figure drops – Minister

    The Federal Government says the number of Out-of-School (OSC) Children in the country has reduced from 13.2 million to 10.2million, following various interventions of the government and development partners.

    The Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu said this at the 12th Edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing on the OSC Phenomenon held in Abuja on Friday.

    Adamu, who was represented by Mr. Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said that conflicting figures of out-of-school children were being given, ranging from 10 -13 million.

    Ministerial strategic plan states that Nigeria has 10.5 million children aged 6-14, out of school.

    However, a recent Demographic Health Survey (DHS) has shown that the population of out of school children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million.

    According to him, the reasons adduced for this unfortunate phenomenon include, though, not limited to the following: financial incapacitation, violent conflicts and ignorance on the part of parents/guardians.

    He added that lack of political will to confront the ugly phenomenon, socio-cultural complexities, distance to schools; physically challenged children, child labour, migration and orphanage were other challenges of the OSC.

    He listed the most endemic states of the OSC to include: Kano, Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Kaduna, Taraba, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara, Oyo, Benue Jigawa and Ebonyi.

    According to him, the concerns of this administration are two-fold; to find an empirical means of getting the figures right and the best ways of reducing the number to the barest minimum.

    “ln the last four years, therefore, we have been making efforts to determine the exact number of out-of-school children.

    “However, the good news is that the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and other stakeholders have been working towards this common goal of determining the number of children of school age who are not in school.

    “Similarly, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the World Bank, United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF), and other development partners are collaborating to reduce the number of out-of-school children.

    “For now, based on the recently conducted National Personnel Audit of both Public and Private schools, Nigeria has an estimated out of school children population of 10,193,918,’’ he said.

    Adamu explained that the ministry has, however, encountered some challenges in a bid to reduce the number of OSC.

    He enumerated the challenges as inadequate security due to banditry/insurgency, misconceptions about the value of education and slow implementation of UBEC programmes by States Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).

    He listed other challenges to include: low draw down of matching grant by SUBEBs, inadequate funds for special education, inadequate grassroots needs assessment before project execution and wrong location of projects.

    Read Also: Senate releases details of National Assembly’s 2018 budget

    Adamu added that the ministry in collaboration with the National Mass Adult and Non-Formal Education Commission had also developed a template to capture the OSC within the space of the next five years.

    “We have sent out our team to countries like Pakistan and Indonesia that have similar issues with Nigeria and find a way they were able to overcome it.

    “We have also carried out advocacy and sensitisation programmes on monitoring and mentoring of School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) on school governance in 36 states and FCT.

    “Steps are being taken under UBEC to construct 2,493 new classroom, 2,457 VIP toilets,19 laboratories, 91boreholes, 1,266 renovated, classrooms, procured 192,985 pupils and 10,038 teachers’ furniture,’’ the minister said.

    He said these interventions would further reduce the number of OSC in the country.

  • FG inaugurates committee to review National Policy on Albinism

    The Federal Government has inaugurated the technical committee for the review of the National Policy on Albinism.

    The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, inaugurated the committee on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Adamu, who was represented by Mr Sonny Echono, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the review of the policy was necessary because of the emerging issues and challenges confronting the albinism community in Nigeria.

    According to him, the issues need to be addressed and the review of the policy will facilitate improved lives of persons with albinism through access to social services such as education, healthcare and employment.

    Read Also: Issues on policy implementation

    He added that it would also reduce stigma, discrimination and ensure the inclusion of persons with albinism into the socio-economic development of the country.

    Adamu explained that the ministry had resolved to help those living with disability in one way or the other including ensuring albinos get the real sense of existence without discrimination.

    He said the mandate of the policy would be expanded as it was ready to invite other stakeholders to look critically into the challenges of the group.

    “The 14-man committee that has been constituted is saddled with reviewing the existing policy to conform to international best practices with emerging issues.

    “It will ensure that all critical stakeholders are carried along to close the gap on issues relating to albinism and disability.

    “It will also address the issues of non-implementation of policies and as well present a workable framework that will capture the current needs of persons with albinism,” he said.

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Albino Foundation, Mr Jake Epelle, said the major issues disturbing albinism should be addressed by the government.

    Epelle noted that Nigerians with Albinism would no longer be victims of social stigma and inequalities.

    This, according to him, is with the help of the United Nations and critical stakeholders who are focused on empowering persons with albinism as well as educating the society on issues relating to albinism.

    NAN

  • Jail for offending parents?

    The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has warned that the federal government is ready to send parents of school-age children, not enrolled, to jail. At a recent press conference, Adamu affirmed that it is a crime for parents not to enrol their children in school under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme.

    He also announced that the Buhari administration had spent, in the last four years, N350 billion on various aspects of UBE, adding that states which fail to provide their counterpart funding may start having their federal allocations deducted at source.

    The focus on jailing parents for not enrolling their children in school smacks of putting the cart before the horse. If after 19 years of UBE, there are still over 13 million children that should be in school but are not, it becomes logical for the Federal Government to take a holistic view of the laudable scheme, designed to make every child literate and numerate.

    It is, therefore, important to tie, more holistically, analysis of problems of UBE to identification of solutions and goals of the scheme; and to methods for achieving goals via implementation, before rushing to prosecute parents who fail to enroll children in school.

    Federal and State Education planners should consider the obvious problems of providing free education for every child up to nine years of schooling, along with understanding the role of parents in the success of UBE. For example, why were there quotas put on UBE enrolment for many years in the life of the scheme?

    How much research has been done to understand perception of parents about the quality of UBE schools in different parts of the country? In which states and schools does UBE function favourably enough to attract parents and even children to UBE classrooms? What challenges face the states with respect to planning expansion of access, in the context of absence of formal registration of birth and death in the country, etc?

    These questions are not to suggest that parents and guardians be left out of the task of encouraging children to enrol and stay in school. But full awareness of emotional, physical, psychological, and aesthetic dimensions of schooling need to exist and be seen to exist by parents and their children. Education and literacy are steps toward modernity. It may, therefore, be counterproductive for children to be put, as they often are across the country, in schools that even look worse than their homes—roofless, windowless, lacking modern toilet facilities, and basic learning tools.

    Certainly, parents and guardians who deliberately exploit children for unpaid labour; or traffic in children for profit, need to be prosecuted.  But governments—federal, state, and local—ought to look deeper and harder into implementation of UBE across the states, before heaping the problems of under-enrolment on parents. In short, we need to know where all the problems are before we start apportioning blame.

    Any effort to make UBE function properly requires that all other conditions, apart from ensuring positive attitudes of parents to education of their young ones, are in place: guaranteed free access to school or availability of space for every child that wants to enrol; provision of conducive environment for sustaining children’s attention; provision of qualified staff for early childhood education; good teacher-student ratio; implementation in all states of free feeding for pupils; etc.

    It is common knowledge that enrolment and retention have increased in states with school meal programme: Osun, Kaduna, and many others. It is only after there is empirical evidence that access, equity, and quality are assured for all children, that the government should resort to jailing parents, who fail to enroll their children in school.

    But the decision of the Federal Government to deduct from statutory allocations to states, the latter’s counterpart funds to complement federal matching grants, is a rational policy. Many of the problems facing effective implementation of UBE are traceable to failures of states to fulfill their part of the bargain. However, the UBE Commission must ensure that states do their parts in full, before parents and guardians are prosecuted.

    Further, such deductions-at-source ought to be covered by proper legislation, to prevent litigious states from frustrating the Federal Government’s efforts to achieve goals of UBE. Making public education free and compulsory does not have to start with threatening to send uncooperative parents and guardians to jail.  Rather, it should follow provision of all that is needed to attract and sustain attention of children in the new environment of schooling.

    We believe making free and compulsory schooling for nine years effective is the first step in moving Nigeria to the next level: the group of countries that ensure that no child is left out of free and compulsory access to primary and secondary public education in the 21st century.

     

  • Long overdue

    •Nigeria deserves a truly modern national library

    Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has indicated that approval is being sought for N50billion to complete the National Library headquarters in Abuja. In his own words: “Efforts are on to complete the National Library headquarters. You may have been aware that the project was awarded in 2006 at a total cost of N8billion. By 2013, the project cost reviewed upward to N18billion. Work was, however, stopped by the end of 2013 due to poor funding.”

    Although this announcement by the minister came in the middle of electioneering, it is still welcomed. However, some of the efforts to complete the library ought to have been made earlier, especially as soon as Nigeria recovered officially from recession in 2017. But, it is better late than never.

    The headquarters of the National Library moved to Abuja in 1995. For almost one quarter of a century, the library has been functioning in a rented facility. The constraints of operating in a rented facility not designed for the varied functions of a national library must have affected the effectiveness of the library in the last 23 years. It is, therefore, not surprising that the minister sounded sanguine in giving progress report, even at a time of high-wattage electioneering, on a matter that should have been of great concern to citizens.

    Like the minister, we are enthusiastic about hearing an irrevocable verdict on government’s commitment to complete the library building.

    Although it may sound fastidious to complain now about failure to complete the building while costs were less prohibitive between 1995 and now, we still welcome the decision of the Federal Ministry of Education to return to this important national assignment. A fully-formed and well-functioning national library is no longer a luxury for any nation in an ethos that is now globally referred to as the knowledge society. So, the contractor that is hired to complete the building should be made to know how urgent the project has become.

    Government’s insistence on adherence to deadlines for delivery of the building by the contractor will save the country a lot of direly needed public funds, such as must have been lost on account of indecisiveness on the parts of governments between 2006 and 2019, during which the cost of completing the building rose from N8billion in 2006 to N18billion in 2013, and to N50billion at the beginning of 2019. To avoid further increase in cost, there should be no further delay on completion of the building.

    National libraries are major cultural institutions in all societies that value generation and distribution of knowledge for empowerment of the state and citizens. Given the importance of Nigeria in Africa, the national library must not only be aesthetically pleasing to users and visitors as a fitting reflection of the country’s commitment to culture and knowledge, government must also commit to stocking and equipping the library to serve the purpose for which it is built.

    Beyond completion of the physical part of the library, there should be adequate provision to stock the library with analog and digital collections to reflect the changes that technology has brought to improvement of library operations and promotion of literacy in other countries. Sincere efforts need to be made to employ well qualified staff for all areas of modern library operations and management, ranging from capacious reading section for citizens interested in research and reading, inter-library loans to other libraries in the country, professional curating of archives for rare collections to well-coordinated promotion of reading culture and literacy. Further, for the purpose of safety and protection of the high investment in the national library, the building ought to be fire proof.

    It is also good for each state to have a functioning branch of the national library, to stimulate and sustain reading and research culture across the country.

     

  • ASUP suspends strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has suspended its two month old strike.

    Mr. Usman Dutse, ASUP, National President said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

    According to him, “we have decided to suspend our two month old strike; this decision was taken at the end of our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

    “We shall not hesitate to resume the suspended strike should government fail to review the Memorandum of Action (MoA) and ensure full implementation before end of May 2019.

    “This is in view of the progress made in the course of the union’s negotiations with government.

    “The NEC of the union, after exhaustive deliberations and in due consultations with the respective congresses across the nation resolved to suspend the current industrial action.

    “This is based on the condition that government committed to review the Memorandum of Action to concretise the resolutions and ensure its full implementation by end of May 2019, failing which the union shall resume the action at its discretion.”

    Dutse also noted that, the request for a revitalisation fund of N15 billion had been made by the Minister Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in lieu of the NEEDS assessment.

    He said government has equally made a public pronouncement on the issue conveying the government’s approval for the release of the sum as requested.

    “It is expected that the funds shall be made available for disbursement to deserving institutions by April 2019.

    “Equally, the approval of the NEEDS assessment report shall be pursued with all diligence to ensure a sustained and effective intervention in the infrastructure and other needs of our institutions,” he added.

    The union president also said on the issue of salary shortfall, promotion arrears and allowances that N16.7 billion has been released.

    According to him, the union was informed of the release of N16.7 billion covering agencies of government, including affected Polytechnics cleared by the Presidential Initiative for Continuous Audit for shortfalls and promotion arrears.

    Read Also: Who cares about ASUU, ASUP strike?

    “A circular had also been released to all Rectors conveying increased personnel funding for 2019 and directing the payment of full salaries and allowances in Polytechnics.

    “A schedule from the office of the Federal Ministry of Finance containing institutions contained in the phase one of the shortfall refund payments has been released.

    “Our union notes that 11 institutions from the sector are cleared to receive funds from the approved tranche. Our union has been reassured that the next phase will contain more institutions.

    ”The government reported moves to review the instruments for accreditation to include such requirements. The union was informed that NBTE had been directed to cease further regulatory activities in such institutions.

    “Document conveying the implementation of this resolution has been released vide letter ref: C/TEB.97/Vol.II/512 of 4th February, 2019 from the NBTE conveying a review of the guidelines for programme accreditation to include the issue of regular payment of salaries and allowances in institutions,” he said.

    He said that it was equally resolved that the union be included in the multi stakeholder forum involving proprietors of all public tertiary institutions to accommodate Polytechnics/Monotechnics.

    Dutse added that, it was agreed that the documents currently before the Head of Civil Service of the Federation be retrieved and reviewed to address the concerns of the union, and be presented to the board of the NBTE before the end of March, 2019 for approval.

    NAN

     

  • NUC grants provisional licences to four private universities

    Four new private universities were on Tuesday in Abuja granted provisional approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence academic programmes.

    The Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of the four private universities in January.

    Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, presented the provisional licences to the universities in Abuja.

    The universities are: Greenfield University, Kaduna State; Dominion University Ibadan; Trinity University Laloko, Ogun State and Westland University, Iwo, Osun State.

    He said issue of access to university education in the country continued to pose serious challenges, noting that it requires continuous effort to address.

    The minister, who was represented by Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the emergence of private universities had provided an environment for heavy competition that stimulates improvement in quality service delivery.

    Adamu said the approval was a clear manifestation of the continued mutual partnership between the government and private sector to ensure the provision of quality education in the country.

    The minister explained that private universities in the country had contributed immensely to the opening up of access to education over the past 20 years.

    He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the provisional licence for the four universities to operate is intended to create room for mentoring and qualitative growth within the first three years of their operations.

    “During the probation period, the four universities will be attached to older generation universities for academic and administrative mentoring.

    “It should also be noted that substantive licence will only be issued to the universities if they are adjudged of being worthy of it after the three years of probation.”

    NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said the four universities had been under its scrutiny since 2006.

    Read Also: Nigerian varsities not ranked in 14 years – NUC

    Rasheed said that there was need to increase the number of universities, taking into consideration the country’s increasing population.

    He added that with the country’s population, only about two million students can access university education.

    The NUC Boss said: “Only less than 6 per cent students’ enrolment is in private universities.

    “We hope the NUC work closely with you to ensure we introduce courses that are more attractive to prospective students and more appropriate to our current move to reposition the education system in Nigeria.

    “All over the world, private initiatives are welcome.  Proper education cannot be handled by government alone.

    “The NUC is not ready to sacrifice quality on the altar of access; we must ensure adherence to quality; we do not want to encourage you to run the university with impunity.”

    Rasheed added that the commission was currently processing about 270 applications.

    Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dominion University, Bishop Taiwo Adelakun, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, appreciated the commission for the approval and pledged to keep to the mandate establishing the universities.

    With the approval, Nigeria has 173 universities, out of which 79 of them are private.