The Nation Newspaper

Tag: atmosphere

  • Peaceful atmosphere as school resumes

    An impressive turnout of students and pupils was recorded on the first day of resumption of public schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as school children in their thousands defied an early morning downpour to attend classes.

    It would be recalled that the FCT Administration had penultimate week extended the resumption date for the 2016/2017 academic calendar for all public primary and post primary schools in the FCT, from September 4 and 5 to 18 (for boarding schools) and Monday, September 19 2016 (for day schools).

    However, a visit to some public primary and secondary schools in the nation’s capital revealed that while many school children were seen moving around cleaning up their classrooms, in readiness for full learning session; some were already learning in their classes.

    Some of the schools visited included Government Secondary School (GSS)-Wuse zone 3, Festival Road Primary School and two Government Secondary Schools, all in Area 10 and Area 11 of Garki District.

    At the Senior Secondary School in Garki, Area 10, the Principal of the School, Haruna Mohammed Nabayi, disclosed that a total of five hundred students were recorded on the first day of resumption, out of the eight hundred students on the school’s register, which is about 80%

    turnout.

    And most of the students in their separate interviews expressed joy over the resumption of schools, saying they are very ready and eager to continue their learning process.

    Speaking to newsmen during an inspection tour of FCT schools, to assess the level of turnout of students and pupils, Acting Secretary, Education Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Musa Maikasuwa Yakubu, expressed delight with the impressive turnout at the schools.

    He observed that when the team visited some of the secondary schools, the classes were almost filled up, which he said shows that everybody is ready for full academic activities.

    “We are very pleased with what we have seen; because in spite of the fact that it rained heavily this morning, students and pupils were able go to schools, and some of them are still coming.

    “And the fact that the students are ready for the teachers, only means that they should be more serious with their job.

    “The teachers have had their pre-resumption meeting in all the schools, so they are ready-they have prepared their lesson notes and scheme of work.”

    According to him, the school inspection will be a continuous exercise, as even at the zonal level across the six Area Councils; the inspection is also going on there.

    On what could be responsible for the impressive turnout of students on the first day of resumption of schools, he said; of course everybody is really serious, because it seems that the change agenda of the government of the day is really moving into the system.

    “And I believe we should be able to move with time, so if you do not change, of course the change will change you,” he stated.

    He added, “The environment is also ready to absorb all manner of children from any part of the country.

    “FCT is the centre of unity, and as such we are always ready to accept pupils and students at any time they come, we are aware of the exodus of school children from private schools.

    He advised pupils, students and teachers alike to not only maintain the momentum, but also up the tempo of academic activities in order to improve learning and performance in the schools.

  • Educationist seeks conducive atmosphere for low cost schools

    An educationist, Dr Gboyega Ilusanya, has urged governments to create an enabling environment for low cost private school providers. He said governments could do this by regulating the schools to enable their growth, facilitate access to finance and collect data that can help stakeholders make informed decisions.

    Ilusanya, who leads a team, Developing Effective Private Education Nigeria (DEEPEN), made the appeal at the 2016 Congress of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), held at the National Arts Theatre, Orile Iganmu, Lagos, last week. Ilusanya spoke on the theme: ‘Socio-economic impact of low cost education in Nigeria: The need for more enabling environment.’

    He argued in favour of low cost school providers, saying they are also improving access to education, contributing positively to the economy through employment and improving on learning outcomes.

    He also advised low cost education providers to key into research, as the data incurred through this process will bring to light their influence and impact on the society.

    Ilusanya said: “It is essential that we open our doors for more meaningful research so that the impact of low cost private education can be unearthed while what is needed to be improved upon is also communicated.”

    The Director-General, Lagos State Quality Assurance, Mrs Ronke Soyombo, said Lagos State is always interested in partnering any low cost school, provided such school meets the recommended standard.

    “The government is passionate about infrastructure in its schools and is willing to embrace any good partner in progress if its meets its basic requirements,” Mrs Soyombo said.

    On his part, National patron of AFED,  Prof Pat Utomi said: “Education for all is desirable. If people are educated they can produce a way out of poverty for them. Take pride in what you are doing because it is a noble thing to do.”

    The association’s president, Mrs Esther Dada, said AFED is committed to reducing the number of out-of-school children. Dada advised its members to upgrade their technical skills so that public confidence in them can be emphasised.

    “I want to encourage members to brace up for the challenges ahead because of the enormous responsibilities and public expectation. We need to upgrade our technical skills regularly in order to meet our schools’ requirements,” she said

    High point of the event was presentations of cash and prizes to best pupils of member schools in unified examination. n educationist, Dr Gboyega Ilusanya, has urged governments to create an enabling environment for low cost private school providers. He said governments could do this by regulating the schools to enable their growth, facilitate access to finance and collect data that can help stakeholders make informed decisions.

    Ilusanya, who leads a team, Developing Effective Private Education Nigeria (DEEPEN), made the appeal at the 2016 Congress of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), held at the National Arts Theatre, Orile Iganmu, Lagos, last week. Ilusanya spoke on the theme: ‘Socio-economic impact of low cost education in Nigeria: The need for more enabling environment.’

    He argued in favour of low cost school providers, saying they are also improving access to education, contributing positively to the economy through employment and improving on learning outcomes.

    He also advised low cost education providers to key into research, as the data incurred through this process will bring to light their influence and impact on the society.

    Ilusanya said: “It is essential that we open our doors for more meaningful research so that the impact of low cost private education can be unearthed while what is needed to be improved upon is also communicated.”

    The Director-General, Lagos State Quality Assurance, Mrs Ronke Soyombo, said Lagos State is always interested in partnering any low cost school, provided such school meets the recommended standard.

    “The government is passionate about infrastructure in its schools and is willing to embrace any good partner in progress if its meets its basic requirements,” Mrs Soyombo said.

    On his part, National patron of AFED,  Prof Pat Utomi said: “Education for all is desirable. If people are educated they can produce a way out of poverty for them. Take pride in what you are doing because it is a noble thing to do.”

    The association’s president, Mrs Esther Dada, said AFED is committed to reducing the number of out-of-school children. Dada advised its members to upgrade their technical skills so that public confidence in them can be emphasised.

    “I want to encourage members to brace up for the challenges ahead because of the enormous responsibilities and public expectation. We need to upgrade our technical skills regularly in order to meet our schools’ requirements,” she said

    High point of the event was presentations of cash and prizes to best pupils of member schools in unified examination.

  • Educationist seeks conducive atmosphere for low cost schools

    An educationist, Dr Gboyega Ilusanya, has urged governments to create an enabling environment for low cost private school providers. He said governments could do this by regulating the schools to enable their growth, facilitate access to finance and collect data that can help stakeholders make informed decisions.

    Ilusanya, who leads a team, Developing Effective Private Education Nigeria (DEEPEN), made the appeal at the 2016 Congress of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), held at the National Arts Theatre, Orile Iganmu, Lagos, last week. Ilusanya spoke on the theme: ‘Socio-economic impact of low cost education in Nigeria: The need for more enabling environment.’

    He argued in favour of low cost school providers, saying they are also improving access to education, contributing positively to the economy through employment and improving on learning outcomes.

    He also advised low cost education providers to key into research, as the data incurred through this process will bring to light their influence and impact on the society.

    Ilusanya said: “It is essential that we open our doors for more meaningful research so that the impact of low cost private education can be unearthed while what is needed to be improved upon is also communicated.”

    The Director-General, Lagos State Quality Assurance, Mrs Ronke Soyombo, said Lagos State is always interested in partnering any low cost school, provided such school meets the recommended standard.

    “The government is passionate about infrastructure in its schools and is willing to embrace any good partner in progress if its meets its basic requirements,” Mrs Soyombo said.

    On his part, National patron of AFED,  Prof Pat Utomi said: “Education for all is desirable. If people are educated they can produce a way out of poverty for them. Take pride in what you are doing because it is a noble thing to do.”

    The association’s president, Mrs Esther Dada, said AFED is committed to reducing the number of out-of-school children. Dada advised its members to upgrade their technical skills so that public confidence in them can be emphasised.

    “I want to encourage members to brace up for the challenges ahead because of the enormous responsibilities and public expectation. We need to upgrade our technical skills regularly in order to meet our schools’ requirements,” she said

    High point of the event was presentations of cash and prizes to best pupils of member schools in unified examination.

  • Atmosphere of tentativeness in Kogi

    Atmosphere of tentativeness in Kogi

    Unfazed by the deliberate convolution scripted into the recent Kogi governorship election, Abiodun Faleke, running mate to the deceased All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Audu, has stoically returned to the House of Representatives amidst cheers and approbation. He has put the Kogi conundrum in the hands of Nigeria’s eminent judges, assured that he and the state he strove to serve would get justice. In the hands of the media, reporters and columnists have judged the APC leadership derelict in their responsibilities, lax in political morality, and superficial in their understanding of the historical import of their actions, biases and prejudices. Were the matter to end in the media, both APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would stand condemned.

    The public, on the other hand, is ambivalent. They will flow and ebb with the tide of opinions on the subject. If APC’s Yahaya Bello, the anti-party politician and APC member peremptorily thrust forward to collect the diadem when the election was virtually concluded, then so be it. And if Hon Faleke, as morality, logic and common sense would dictate, then why not. Indeed, irrespective of the state’s ethnic configuration and the quaint arithmetic of the poll result, should circumstances dictate that Idris Wada, the governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) be foisted on the state by INEC’s electoral sleight of hand, again, to the ambivalent public, why not.

    For Kogi, held in thrall by unprincipled party leaders, hesitant and scheming INEC, and ambitious and grabbing party candidates, everything is in flux, as tentative as it can be. No one typifies this tentativeness as much as the opportunistic Mr Bello, now governor-elect. He had inherited a vote of over 240,000 from the Audu/Faleke ticket on November 21 simply by the decree of APC leaders, and added a little over 6,000 of his own in the supplementary election of December 5. But asked how he intended to harmonise the fractious state and placate the aggrieved, the governor-elect suggested, “In a family, there is bound to be one misunderstanding or the other, but if I assume the responsibility as governor, I will ensure that all the aggrieved parties are brought together.”

    Mr. Bello is sensible not to speak of justice, without which peace can neither be restored nor enthroned. He spoke, matter of fact, of a mechanical and abstract effort on his part to engineer peace and reconciliation, almost as if these goals float in the atmosphere, and can be plucked insouciantly. But more importantly, plagued by doubt, his conscience pricked, Mr. Bello betrayed his appreciation of the tentativeness unnerving the state when he talked of “if I assume the responsibility as governor.” It is not just doubts that plague him, it is clear his conscience is troubled. He is rightly judged by the public as grasping and opportunistic, but at least he has a conscience, it seems. Had APC leaders and INEC itself half as much reflectiveness and conscience as Mr. Bello, it is doubtful Kogi State would be enveloped by a spirit of tentativeness or confusion.

    APC leaders have suggested they would be minded to replace Hon Faleke as deputy governor-elect, should he continue to stick to his position. The public should ignore the party’s bravado. What ails them is not the implication of the conundrum they engineered in the state, or of any abiding interest in the cause of justice or even the welfare of the state. They are troubled by their frothing conscience. After all, the matter of selecting a running mate is definitely and constitutionally not the responsibility of the party, but that of the governorship candidate. The party’s leaders are worried that if Hon Faleke sticks to his guns, and Mr. Bello embraces realpolitik to pick an Igala running mate, it would foster the anomaly and injustice of having a governor and his deputy who were really not part of the process of winning the election. It is apparent APC leaders fear this injustice will haunt them to the very end of their days and, if iconoclastic posterity is anything to go by, be interred with their bones.

     

  • Provide conducive atmosphere for new port order, Shippers’ Council urges FG

    Provide conducive atmosphere for new port order, Shippers’ Council urges FG

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)  yesterday  urged the Federal Government to provide a more conducive atmosphere to achieve the new port order.

    The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, made the plea during a two-day training programme on effective media practice for maritime journalists with the theme, “A New Port Order: A New Maritime Media,’’  in Lagos.

    The new port order is designed  to ensure that the nation’s ports become as efficient as what could be obtained in other advanced countries.

    An efficient port order  discourages diversion of ships to neighbouring countries, increases vessel and cargo traffic and generates more revenue for government and service providers.

    Bello said the need for good maritime reports could not be over-emphasised because the media were among the change agents of operations in the industry.

    “If maritime reporters are performing their roles effectively, everybody in the sector will do the right thing at the appropriate time,” Bello said according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “Maritime reporters need to upgrade their knowledge of the familiar trends in the industry and should report critically,’’ Bello said.

    He also said that for quick and positive results of the new port order, procedures should be carried out appropriately as being done globally.

    The NSC chief also  stressed   the need to introduce automation into the system, saying this would reduce delay in all chains of shipping until the consignments get to the owner.

    The Executive Secretary said there had been reduction in delay in shipping processes, adding that Nigerian ports need to be competitive to attract more shippers who would use them as preferred destinations.

    “Before we can achieve new port order, Nigerian ports must be efficient.

    “Nigeria has 860 km nautical miles with 26 terminal operators and the competition needs to be supervised,”  Bello said.

    He said there should be a moderator to checkmate the operations of the terminal operators as well as the shipping companies.

    Bello said there must be equilibrium in operations which would stimulate positive competition and efficiency in the port system.