The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Education

  • ‘Lagos committed to further develop education sector’

    ‘Lagos committed to further develop education sector’

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday said his administration is putting machinery in place to further develop the Education sector this year.

    The governor said the growth of the sector is key to the development of the state, adding that it is embedded in the state’s development agenda.

    Ambode was the special guest of honour at the launch of a book written by the Dean of the School of Education at Federal College of Education (Technology), Akoka, Lagos, Mrs Eniola Adigun, titled: History of Educational Development in Nigeria: A Concise Approach.

    The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Special Adviser on Education, Dr Shamsideen Allison, said the state government was fast-tracking development in primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions across the state.

    He said: “We are keen at developing the quality of education and we focus a lot on professionalism of our teachers. So much significance is placed on programmes as this because it would farther help us to develop our road map towards achieving the growth of the sector.

    “There is a lot in store for the Education sector in the state. As time goes on in the year, the plans will be revealed and the public will get to know that the state government does not take the issue of education lightly.

    “We appreciate the sacrifice of the author. This would help us to develop our road map. We know where we are coming from, where we are and where we are heading to.”

    Mrs Adigun said the book is a simple book on the history of Nigeria’s education.

    She said: “I decided to do write this book because at a point my students started seeing History as a voluminous subject and wanted to start losing interest. I had to look for something to simply it so that they can find it easy to read and understand.

    “This age, if a book is not flowing and easy to read and understand, students would not want to read it. The book would be useful for all History students in tertiary institutions.”

  • Education fund hits N800m in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Education Trust Fund (BSETF) has recorded N800 million contributions from workers, government officials and others within 10 months.

    Governor Seriake Dickson, on March 31, 2017, signed the BSETF and Higher Education Student Loan bills into law.

    BSETF makes it compulsory for workers, including contractors and civil servants, to pay education levies.

    Dickson inaugurated a board to administer the fund and appointed a famous educationist, Prof. Turner Isoun, as its chairman.

    Isoun, yesterday, while submitting its 2017 annual report  to the governor, said between March and December, the fund received N800 million from taxable stakeholders.

    Of the receipt, he said N300 million was spent, leaving a balance of N500 million.

    The governor urged the private sector, particularly corporate organisations and individuals, to contribute to the fund, to enable indigent children enjoy free and qualitative education.

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Francis Ottah Agbo, quoted Dickson as saying that the programme was targeted at delivering “the democratisation of knowledge.”

    He advised people to take over ownership of the programme, saying the fund would strengthen education to increase the literacy level.

    Dickson hailed the chairman and members of the board for prudent management of the funds.

    He directed the board, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Orientation, as well as the Education Ministry to create awareness for people to identify with the policy.

    The governor said: “I call on our people to own this programme, which is for your benefit. It will deepen education and deliver what I always call democratisation of knowledge, where we are taking children from the underprivileged circumstances and backgrounds and putting them in boarding secondary schools, taking responsibility for their feeding, clothing, books and everything.

    “We are doing this now and the schools are in the local governments. We are still working on more. I enjoin the board to increase their enlightenment.

    “I want to direct the commissioner for Education and Ministry of Information to work with the board, to increase awareness on behalf of the people about the benefits of this programme and then, most importantly, about their duties.

    “I also want to take this opportunity to call on the private sector, especially the international oil companies that have been making billions of dollars on this soil without giving much back. I call for collaboration.

  • ‘Education is best tool to kill ignorance’

    ‘Education is best tool to kill ignorance’

    The Lagos State Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo, has urged political stalwarts and office holders, religious leaders and professional bodies to invest more in children education.

    He said this would have positive impact on their future.

    Enilolobo spoke through the Chairman of Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Sanyaolu Olowopejo, at the launching of Meric-Victory Helping Hands Education Initiative in Idimu, Lagos State.

    Over 1,200 pupils were given free school uniforms and educational materials at the event.

    The APC chieftain said the initiative was in line with vision of the party’s National Leader and former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu on the need to assist less-privileged pupils get a good education.

    He said private and public schools in the state were not lagging behind, though they need to maintain their high standard.

    Enilolobo hailed those supporting the initiative, saying well-meaning Nigerians should support privileged children to acquire effective education.

  • Oyo govt injects N5billion in education in one year

    Oyo govt injects N5billion in education in one year

    Oyo State government at the weekend said it has realised about N5 billion direct investment injected into public primary and secondary schools education one year after the introduction of School Governing Boards (SGB) in the state.

    The government said the objective of establishing

    SGB, which is to provide management functions for secondary schools and meet performance targets, is bearing much fruits.

    Participatory management of schools under the SGBs introduced a year ago, though, met violent resistance, the government said it has been vindicated by the success story of the SGBs.

    The state Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Professor Joseph Adeniyi Olowofela, who was elated by benefits accrued from the policy, told newsmen in Ibadan yesterday that the SGB has brought massive infrastructural development in the education sector a year after it was introduced.

    The SGB , which he said is based on international best practices, is like a tsunami and a revolution that people and corporate organisations embraced, adding that the achievement recorded just a year after it took off was beyond expectations.

    He added that the policies on education sector continue to serve as strategic framework for improving quality and performance in the education.

    Without being immodest, the commissioner said, the investment from the SGBs cannot be less than N3billion in the last one year from old students and corporate organisations.

    Giving the breakdown, Professor Olowofela said “the education development levy of N1000 stays with the boards. So, if you have 420,000 students, multiply by N1000; that is N420million multiplied by three, that is about N1.2billion.

    Those are the ones coming indirectly from the students to the boards. But in terms of what old students are putting into the schools, it cannot be less than N5billion. I am not talking about government efforts; don’t forget that the government in the last two weeks has awarded contract for the renovation and rehabilitation of 100 out of the 628 schools to the tune of about N2billion.

     

     

  • Education emergency

    Education emergency

    The trope of failure in the education sector has driven the country to look in the direction of theatrics. Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare emergency in the education sector in April: “I appeal to the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the education sector for the country to be able to change the fortunes of the system. Indeed, even among Sub-Saharan African countries, we are trailing far behind smaller and less endowed nations in terms of our investment in education. There is need for a major investment in education in the national interest,” he said.

    Of course, the state of education is bad enough to call for any form of intervention. What is curious about Mr. Adamu’s announcement is why declaration of emergency (in a sector whose failure has made Nigeria the leading country with the largest number of students in search of education in other countries) has taken so long to happen, if such ritual is the panacea that the Federal Government believes the sector needs.

    In terms of access, over 10 million children of school age are not in school. This makes the country one with the largest number of out-of-school children in the world. In addition, youth literacy rate is about 73 percent and adult literacy is 60 percent while the global average is 90.6 and 85.3 percent, respectively. University admission is available for 500,000 out of 1.5 million applicants. Success rate in secondary school leaving examinations, (WAEC and NECO) has hovered around 50 percent in the past 10 years.

    Those in public schools and colleges study under poor learning conditions. Teachers work under tough conditions just as primary and secondary school students in public schools learn under very stressful conditions. Most schools are in poor physical state and mostly without teaching and learning facilities. Electricity is alien to most primary and secondary schools and erratic in universities and research institutes. Libraries in most schools have no books. Most schools are without the technology that supports teaching in other countries.

    Many of the teachers in public schools are not qualified and many of them are unable to pass the examinations they give to their own students. In the last 10 years, allocations to education  have been below 10% of the budget. The Minister of Education has not minced words about this: “Indeed, even among Sub-Saharan African countries, we are trailing far behind smaller and less endowed nations in terms of our investment in education. There is need for a major investment in education in the national interest.”

    Emergency declaration in the education sector is bound to generate rhetorical flourish and political optics. In other climes, such declaration would not be the most rational approach to solve a problem that has become perennial. What citizens are likely to find most useful is proper research on the scope and depth of the problem and sincere commitment to finding  lasting solutions. Education is too important for its challenges to be made to wait for the ritual of emergency proclamation. It is the key to national development and citizen empowerment needed to participate in the competitive environment of globalisation which is invariably driven by knowledge and innovation.

    The minister is right on inadequate funding of education. Also worrisome is the Federal Government’s penchant to decide for state governments how to spend money they accessed through the Universal Basic Education fund. The inability of some states to meet their counterpart funding is one chief reason why they still have their billions trapped in the fund. We should also take cognisance of the adverse effects of over-centralisation of a sector that thrives in an atmosphere of freedom and creativity.

    It is unusual to declare emergency in a sector of soft power like education. We urge the governments to apply the political will that has been driving expansion of free school meals to finding solutions to myriad problems facing the education sector.  The April declaration should accompany readiness on the part of governments to take all steps: adequate funding, political will, sincerity of purpose, proper apprehension of the problem, and the resolve to make future declaration of emergency in the education sector unnecessary.

  • IICC urges public education

    The Insurance Industry Consultative Council (IICC), an umbrella body of the various arms of the insurance industry, has called on the media to help create public education on insurance and financial issues.

    Its Chairman, Mrs. Funmi Babington-Ashaye, who spoke during the 2018 IICC Media Retreat for Insurance Correspondents at Grand Inn & Suites, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, urged the media to continue to enable  platform for measuring industry pulse and stability and or challenging situations.

    Mrs. Babington-Ashaye is also the President, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN)

    She said the IICC has been promoting the image and growth of the insurance industry, adding that it has also been acting as an industry voice for national matters and served as a platform for intra-industry conflict resolution.

    She said: “It is pleasing to note the significance of the importance of the media, especially in its position as a veritable source of public education on insurance and financial issues, and the platform for measuring industry pulse and stability and/or challenging situations. It also gauges public opinion about our industry.

    “A better understanding of insurance operations by the media cannot be over emphasised. As we all know, insurance is highly technical and its reporting can only be accurate if the media continue to partner the industry through mutual education, trust and commitment. The IICC was formed with the aim of raising the profile of the industry as well as increase its relevance to the nation’s economic growth. Concerted efforts have been put in place towards the attainment of its objectives,”she noted.

  • World Bank supports primary school in Kaduna with facilities

    World Bank supports primary school in Kaduna with facilities

    The World Bank has supported the most populated primary school in Kaduna, LEA Rigasa,  with educational facilities worth more than N30 million.

    The school, which has a population of 22,240 pupils, would benefit from  facilities which  include  500 chairs and  50 mats.

    Malam Dahuru Anchau, the Director of Schools, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, disclosed this in an interview with  News men on Tuesday in Kaduna.

    He said that the items would assist in improving the teaching and learning of the students.

    Anchau, who is also the Project Coordinator, Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in the state, said that the remaining chunk would be used to purchase books and other writing materials for the school.

    He recalled that the bank had in October  2017 ordered the immediate release of the amount during the bank’s midterm review of the N6 billion granted to the state under the bank’s GPE project.

    According to him, the bank’s representative, Dr Olatunde Adekola,  was moved to take action after he saw the pressure the over populated pupils had put on teaching and learning facilities in the school.

    “Adekola immediately announced the intervention for immediate upgrade of facilities at the school.

    Read Also: World Bank: Fed Govt showing more interest in social investment

    “Yesterday,  we supplied the school with over 500 chairs, 50 mats, bookshelves and other items for children’s playground with the first chunk of the money.

    “The remaining amount would be used to supply the school with books and other reading and writing materials as directed by the bank,’’ he said.

    Reports also have it that the bank is spending N20 billion under GPE to support girl-child education in the five states of   Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Sokoto where all indexes on education appeared to be very low.

    The partnership is being  supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and UK Department for International Development (DFID).

    The target is to increase reading and writing skills for pupils in nursery and those in primary one to three, and strengthen community activism and local governance.

    It is also aimed at expanding access to education through community initiatives and to increase the number of qualified female teachers in areas with high gender disparities.

    The state coordinator said that  over 3,400 primary schools have so far benefited from the programme.

    According to him, a total of 8,050 primary school girls from poor homes had received N45,000 scholarship grants to continue with their education, with 1,170 female teachers also getting similar amount to further their studies.

    NAN

  • Huawei seeks more funding for ICT sector’s education

    WITH fresh investments and improved standard of education in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, Nigeria’s economy can witness a major turnaround, Huawei Technologies has said.

    It stressed that more emphasis on education from the basic level and opportunities for entrepreneurial youths to embrace ICT will keep the country moving after emerging from its first recession in more than two decades.

    Huawei Nigeria Managing Director, Frank Li, who spoke during media interaction, in Lagos, said: “As a foreign investor, my greatest fear in the ICT sector is not the devaluation or the scarcity of dollar, but it’s the uncertainties that cloud the economy. However, ICT has countless potential in developing Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP.”

    According to him, during the recession, many foreign investors had the fear of shutting down and moving out of Nigeria. “But with increase in international oil price, Nigeria is gradually experiencing more economic fortunes in external reserves, sovereign weight fund and purchasing manager index (PMI), which have restored the confidence of foreign investors to invest in Nigeria,” Li added.

    The Huawei chief noted that the company has huge responsibilities in meeting the demands of over 90 million Internet users in Nigeria and also reaching over 200 communities, which house about 40 million people in rural areas, who still don’t have access to basic telecommunication service.

    Li further noted that the company has being supporting the government in its various methodologies with the aim of creating more jobs and increasing more revenue for government agencies.

     

  • We’re determined to reposition education for global competition —Akeredolu

    We’re determined to reposition education for global competition —Akeredolu

    Ondo State governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, yesterday said his administration planned to reposition the state’s education sector for global competition.

    He said the move became necessary to produce competent professionals who would be agents and drivers of societal development.

    Akeredolu, who spoke when the four panels on the state-owned tertiary institutions presented their reports at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, assured the panels that their recommendations would be critically looked into.

    It will be recalled that Governor Akeredolu in November last year inaugurated the four visitation panels to look at the plethora of problems bedevilling the four state-owned tertiary institutions as well as recommend solutions to them.

    The tertiary institutions are Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; University of Medical Science, Ondo and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.

    He said: “We are determined to efficiently use the limited resources available at this dire time to ensure optimal service delivery in all sectors of the economy with pride of place given to the education sub-sector.

    “We are unwaveringly committed to the delivery of 21st Century compliant tertiary education. We are not interested in rhetorics but delivery of people-oriented service that will be a lasting legacy.

    “As part of our efforts at revamping this critical sub-sector of our economy, we intend to improve on the funding of these schools as soon as our finances improve to enable them to improve on their infrastructure and payment of outstanding emoluments and staff entitlements.

    “Different measures will be taken to ensure that the fortunes of these institutions are in tune with the visions and aspirations of our administration.

    “Our passion is to reinvigorate the education system to make it vibrant, enviable and admirable globally.

  • NESG canvasses reforms to improve access to education, healthcare

    The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has said reforms in key sectors of the economy, accompanied by strategic investments, are necessary to improve quality of life and obtain better educational outcome.

    The group stated this in its 2018 Macroeconomic Outlook titled: “Will Nigeria’s growth be inclusive in 2018 and beyond?”

    The outlook, obtained by The Nation, indicated that development of human capabilities, access to quality education and healthcare are basic rights of citizens.

    The NESG advised that government policies should be tailored to significantly support both sectors to improve standard of living in the country. “The relevance of education remains unclear, as it is apparent that the educational system is raising graduates that find it difficult to fit into the workplace, even as innovation and entrepreneurship learning are not picking up as expected.

    “Healthcare in Nigeria is in a dire strait; this is evident in the high infant and under-five mortality rate.”

    According to NESG, growth in population, which is expected to reach 399 million by 2050, will increase the demand for jobs and social services.

    It indicated that there was an urgent need to up-scale job creation to salvage current unemployment and underemployment situation.

    The group revealed that the social sector could help in filling the job gap through skills development to boost productivity and reduce number of unemployed citizens.

    It indicated that government spending and urgent reforms must support the development of the social sectors to improve literacy rates; learning outcomes; access to quality health education and gender equality.

    “ Interestingly, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) recognises the importance of developing these sectors and outlines several reforms to be implemented by the government.”

    The NESG also recommended the provision of socio-economic data to measure progress recorded in the country. “The government should provide frequent and timely data on poverty, learning outconmes, out-of-school, mortality rates, unemployment rates to track Nigeria’s performance on improving quality of life,”it said.

    It also suggested the enactment of a national skills development policy and programme to address skills and capability challenges across all sectors in Nigeria.

    “In the light of this, we propose that the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) needs to be reviewed and implemented to encourage synergies between the private sector and the fresh graduates.

    “Nigeria needs holistic structural reforms for the education sector; the purpose of education in Nigeria needs to be clearly defined, while issues of accountability and governance of the sector must be given utmost attention.

    “Nigeria’s curriculum must be up-to-date with the rapidly changing skills-need of the country. To achieve this, the Nigerian government must strengthen public-private approaches in the review of the curricula at different levels.”