The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Education

  • We will improve heart and mind – NAF chief

    We will improve heart and mind – NAF chief

     The Nigerian Air Force has continued to invest heavily in the welfare of its officers and men especially through the provision of standardize educational facilities for dependents of its personnel. Assistant Editor, Seun Akioye who was at the commissioning of two schools reports

     

    Inside the headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Abuja, the vision statement of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar was boldly written. The statement reads:  “To re-position the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives.”

    On the surface, it may look like one of those well-crafted mission statements which usually end up as empty statements, but for the man who is referred to simply as “chief”, the vision is worth every weight.

    NAFOWA Little Angels Primary School Kaduna.jpg
    NAFOWA Little Angels Primary School Kaduna

    One of the ways which the CAS is hoping to re-write history and fulfill his vision is through education not only of Air Force personnel-which is done through training- but also providing for the needs of the dependents of his men through provision of world class educational  facilities.

    One of such is the Air Force Girls’ Comprehensive School located at the NAF Base Abuja.  The NAF was not the original initiator of the school, but the Nigerian Air Force Officers Wives Association (NAFOWA), led by Hajia Hafsat Abubakar, wife of the CAS. But the NAF took over the construction of the school after NAFOWA ran out of resources to complete it in 2013.

    In December 2015, the CAS directed that work should resume and in eight months, a world class infrastructure stood in the ruins of the abandoned structure.   What was built was described by the Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folasade Yemi- Esan as a “21st century school.”

    The sparkling new school boasts of a mini stadium, dining hall, hostel, tennis court, fully equipped classrooms, a library and a clinic. A standby generator is on hand to provide electricity while the science, Art and Agriculture laboratories and four other classrooms are equipped with interactive white boards which enables the students to experience the three ways of learning: hear, see, and feel.

    Educating the girl child

    Air Force comprehensive girls school Abuja
    Air Force comprehensive girls school Abuja

    The CAS did not bite his lips when he enumerated the importance of educating the girl child and why the NAF view it as one of its cardinal focus.” Our experience in fighting insurgency in the Northeast indicates the exploitation of the girl child by insurgents due to low literacy level. At present, birth rate statistics show that 65 percent of births are girls. It is documented by most state Ministries of Education that the enrolment of girls in secondary schools is below 45 percent.

    “This statistic is further supported by the results of the West African Examination Council. For instance in 2011,out of a total of 688,516 girls that sat for the examination, only 226,804 got 5 credits. Similarly in 2012, about 747,553 girls sat for the examination and only 310,822 were successful.”

    The CAS said this NAF resolved to establish the school as “our modest contribution to Mr. President’s efforts at enhancing girl child education in Nigeria.” With the new school, the NAF now has two secondary schools dedicated to girl child education with one in Jos and Abuja respectively. He added that the school will educate the hearts and minds of the girls that would pass through its gates.

    For the Minister of Education, the construction of the school was “humbling” also stressing that the ratio of girl child education to boys is 1:3 in some states. This is also reinforced by the extremism of Boko Haram and the risks associated with girl child education kept the female educational attainment perpetually low.

    After commissioning the school and a tour of the facilities was conducted, Dr. Yemi Esan said: “ I came here with some uncertainties but I am impressed, this school is directed towards the underprivileged to curt out of school syndrome, we encourage other arms of government to follow suit, this is a 21st century school.”

    Yemi- Esan would not be the only one to be impressed, the next day at the Air Force Base Kaduna where NAFOWA had rehabilitated a nursery school and added the NAFOWA Little Angels Primary School, the CAS was also left impressed.

    “I am overwhelmed,” he said when he was called to make a remark after the school had been commissioned by Hajia Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the wife of Kaduna State Governor, Hajia Hadiza El-rufai.

    “Four years ago, I brought my daughter to the crèche here, but I am sure she cannot recognize her school again because of the transformation,” he said. Like the girls school, the NAFOWA Primary school was built to world standard with ample playing room for the children, a fully equipped library and computer centre, spacious and conducive atmosphere for learning, white black boards, fully equipped home economics room and a crèche with modern facilities.

    While the CAS may have focused on education for the dependents of personnel, the real driver of these projects is adding value to the society.” Adding value to the society is our core mandate, I strongly belief that adding value to the society is the best legacy we can bequeath to our children,” he said. But there is also a greater vision, that of thinking ahead. “ We have recruited 2,400 personnel ad with the increase, you must start thinking of infrastructure. Our actions are driven by the desire to add value to society and that is the right direction to go,” he said.

    There are many worries that come with such projects, will the infrastructure not a pointer to an exorbitant school fees.  Will the school be opened to children of civilians and how would the NAF maintain such a high standard facility, how much was expended into the project?

    The CAS has answers for all. The school will follow the usual NAF fees schedule without adding anything on, the school will be opened to civilians, the NAF has maintenance structure put in place and the schools are of high standard so will stand the test of time and the schools are built using direct labour from the NAF, thereby cutting costs and enhancing the skills of Air Force engineers.

    Relaxation centre in Air Force Girls school
    Relaxation centre in Air Force Girls school

     

  • Lagos records 50.4 per cent in WASSCE

    Lagos records 50.4 per cent in WASSCE

    The Lagos State Government said its investment in education has yielded dividend as the state’s public schools recorded a 50.41 per cent pass in the 2016 result of the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate (WASSCE).

    The result represents the best performance of the state in the examination since 2007.
    Mr Adesina Odeyemi, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, said this in a statement on Friday in Lagos.

    According to the statement, a breakdown of the result obtained from the examination body revealed that out of the 44,108 candidates who sat for the examination, 22,233, representing 50.41 per cent, got credits in a minimum of five subjects, including Mathematics and English.
    “This is a major improvement on the result of 2015 which saw 15,542 students, representing 37.27 per cent, obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English and Mathematics, out of the 45,991 who sat for the examination.

    “A total of 24,069, representing 54.57 per cent, got credits in a minimum of five subjects, including Mathematics and 27,885 candidates, representing 63.22 per cent, got credits in a minimum of five subjects, including English.

    The permanent secretary said this was a very commendable result when compared to the statistics obtained in 2015.

    “A total of 18,094 students out of 41,697, representing 43.39 per cent, recorded credit passes in at least five subjects, including Maths and 20,731 students, representing 49.71 per cent, in five subjects including English respectively in 2015.

    “Also, 22,524 candidates, representing 53.33 per cent candidates got four credits including Mathematics and English; while 25,999 candidates representing 58.94 per cent got four credits including Mathematics.

    “30,635 candidates, representing 69.45 per cent, got four credits, including English.
    “This is a direct reflection of the investment of government in training and welfare of its staff.
    “For instance, 300 Mathematics teachers were trained on effective classroom delivery of the subject at a cost of N4.5M, while 100 Physics teachers were also trained on the same class delivery of subjects”.

    Adesina recalled that the state government had in 2015 organised a Mock Examination for the students as part of efforts to groom them ahead of WASSCE.

    “The result of the mock examination showed that 41.06 per cent of the students obtained credits in five subjects, including Mathematics and English, a feat that encouraged the government to pay the sum of N561, 346,100 for the 2016 WASSCE,” he said.

  • Private sector participation in education is key’

    Private sector participation in education is key’

    Mr. Adolphus Abraham is the Group Head, Education of Sterling Bank Plc. In this interview with our reporter, Abraham highlights the various challenges in the education sector and what Sterling Bank is doing to remedy the situation

    How would you describe the state of education in Nigeria at the moment and what do you consider the major challenges facing the sector?

    To put it succinctly, I would say that the industry is decrepit and at the same time, emerging. Decrepit when you consider the challenges but emerging when you look at private participation and the volume of investment being made.

    One is dearth of Infrastructure! There are also the challenges of systemic decay of values, dearth of manpower, obsolete learning methodology, unnecessary bottlenecks for new entrants, misplaced priority on the part of industry players, lack of continuity and consistency of policy, weak regulation and control, extinction of skills training for players and weak financial system to adequately support the sector. Indeed, government should increase the budgetary allocation to the education sector to enable it attain the 26 per cent set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

    Take budgetary allocation to education between 2010 till date for instance. In 2010, the budget was N234bn. It was 306bn in 2011 but in 2014 and 2015 it jumped to N493bn and N492bn respectively. These figures seem interesting but when you compare them to the budget size, you will be shocked to see that we contribute less to education on a yearly basis. In 2014, allocation to education accounted for 10 per cent of the total budget, while in 2015 it dropped to 6.2 per cent due to the disproportionate income in budget allocated to the sector.

    So where does the problem lie?

    Beyond government, there is a need for urgent intervention in the education sector by private sector operators because government cannot do it all alone. This is why we have decided as a bank to focus on the sector.  Sterling Bank’s intervention in the sector will help ameliorate some of the challenges.

    Over the years, youth unemployment has remained one of the daunting challenges in Nigeria. Recent statistics shows that over 25 million youths in the country are unemployed.  This abysmal statistic is linked to, among others, the issue of employability. Where jobs abound, the lack of competence to handle them arises. This problem can be attributed to the declining quality of education. This necessitated our foray into education as we too suffered the lack of employable graduates. We hope that not only do we contribute to reducing unemployment in white collar jobs but also to developing businesses for Nigerians.

    I would also urge that ‘capacity building’ be given conscious effort by concerned stake holders to develop themselves, imbibe the right attitude and paradigm shift in their value system. There is also the problem of service delivery which I should have mentioned earlier. Stake holders should be conscious of the manner with which they deliver service and the quality. Customers in this sphere are open to alternatives, both locally and internationally to satisfy their appetite for education. Consumers of educational facilities should also hold administrators accountable and demand quality.

    Recently your bank set up what it called ‘One Education’ desk or group as the case may be. Why did you venture into this business despite the enormous challenges?

    The involvement of Sterling Bank in the education sector is very strategic in the sense that our position is based on the outcome of various research conducted by the bank to determine the state of education in the country and areas that would require immediate intervention. There are two sides to education, the academic and the business sides. Most often, we concentrate on the academic side at the expense of the business. Our idea is to use the business orientation to drive the quality and delivery of academics. We have designed models to achieve this. It is not straitjacket. Every project has its own solution and this is driven by a thorough understanding of the problem or issue. Understanding the problem and adopting the appropriate solution is where we have strength as a bank.

    Let me say here that the federal and even state governments are doing their best to improve the sector. But government by its structure does not have the capacity to achieve the desired result. Don’t forget that government has a lot of other things to attend to. So it is our intention to introduce a unique model to support the various institutions including government to drive the quality and delivery of academics.

    What do you have to offer the sector?

    What we want to achieve for now is to make necessary impact by focusing on technology, content and personnel/ participants in the sector.

    It is worthy of note  that Sterling Bank is the first and only bank to publish two books on financial literacy for kids and teenagers which we distributed free to these set of children nationwide during the Global Financial Literacy Week two years ago. The second edition of the books was distributed to children during last year’s Financial Literacy Week and also this year nationwide. There is a need for institutions to promote financial literacy among students which would provide the foundation to understand the use and management of money ensure the child’s long-term financial security and equip them with  the ability to make informed and effective financial judgments.

    This is what we are doing at Sterling Bank. We take each group, either students or teachers and provide solutions that make their lives richer.

    Secondly, to help education providers manage cost and quality, we have built partnerships with technology providers for the sector. These partners are equipped to provide educational content, payment system, inventory management, security management etc. at lower costs than the schools are currently spending.

    Lastly, we have not left out the value chain. We are also determined to support publishers, bookshops, importers of educational materials, contractors, consultants to educational outfits to mention a few. Our package for the industry is holistic.

    What specifically have you been able to achieve so far?

    The One Education Group initiative is less than two years old. We have had to run a pilot to fully understand the business and the responsibility expected of us. So, in the few months of existence we can conveniently outline our achievements;

    They include: adoption of a public school for mentoring and infrastructural upgrade. We are going to be doing this annually. Every year, we will adopt a school. This year it was Ireti High School in Ikoyi and we have trained their teachers on financial literacy and a renovation of their Home Economics laboratory is ongoing.

    Second, we have established Financial Literacy Clubs in schools for free. Combined population of students is in excess of 10,000. We are signing on more schools this month as we build capacity of the trainers. Currently, all resources are sourced in-house.

    Third, we have deployed school management system and payment gateway for free to schools. We shall deploy more as we receive applications. The benefit of a web pay system cannot be overemphasised. They range from completeness and accountability of collections to proper documentation and quality service delivery in schools. It cost so much to deploy but we are giving it to schools for free!

    We have also partnered with one of our technical service providers to train over 1000 children during the last summer break on coding and computer skills. We are looking forward to owning a coding competition franchise.

  • Osun and its investment in education

    The epigraph to this piece by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, speaks appositely to the significance of education in the development of a country. His view correctly implies that investment in education will always yield the highest dividends. If quality investment in education produces the highest dividends, it is incontestable that a country which invests hugely and consistently,and substantially and not symbolically in education cannot become bankrupt. In any case, human beings remain the surest agency of development. If their capacities are purposefully enriched, meaningfully enhanced, and consistently improved, they will creatively initiate workable ideas and contribute considerably in driving the multifarious engines of sustainable socioeconomic development.

    Education, for any society which privileges and prioritises it, becomes the sub-stratum of itsdevelopment which will always set it apart from those that do not invest in education. This is the core lesson that the informative book, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (2012), co-authored by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, persuasively teaches. According to the authors, consistent and hefty investments in education and the necessary infrastructure is one of the reasons that explain why some countries are developed and prosperous while many others come a sad cropper. Access to education facilities contributes greatly in enabling people to move forward and become useful for self and society. No nation whose political and economic institutions are unviable can invest in education and provide motivation for the people to be educated.

    It is against this backdrop that the inspiring efforts of the OgbeniRauf Aregbesola administration in reforming and investing in education in Osun Statecan be appreciated. The conviction of the administration that education holds the key to the realisation of the all-encompassing transformation it envisions for the state informs the undistracted attention it accords educational development right from 2010 when it assumed office. The administration makes education the bedrock of the various policies it has designed and been executing to improve the existential condition of the people of the state.

    The priority the administration gives to the development of education in Osun has inspired many initiatives that have brought marked differences to the grooming of minds there. The blueprint that emerged from the Education Summit the administration organised in the first year of its assumption of office provides useful direction for its drive to reposition education in the state. From huge investments in instructional materialsand teaching aids, crucial changes in curriculums, corrective restructuring of schools into Elementary, Middle, and High in conformity with international best practices in school management, to the construction of mega schools, the administration manfully moves on to ensure that public schools in the state become virile emporiums of sustainable capacity-building. In the last six years, remarkable successes have been recorded and rich lessons distilled from low points.

    What stands out in the administration’s unwavering pursuit of educational development in Osun is the humongous amounts it continues to invest in it. It does not consider any amount too prohibitive if the task is educational development. Like Aristotle, Governor Aregbesola understands that ‘[t[he roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet’. Accordingly, the princely price of investment in education has to be paid for the grand prize of enduring socio-economic development. Nothing can be more important than creating the right environment and emplacing the needed infrastructure for the building of human capacity, the agency and gateway of societal development.

    Clearly, this accounts for why Osun is still able to pluck new fruits of educational infrastructure development even in the face of the disruptive hurricane of cash crunchsweeping furiously across the Nigerian federation. The notable reduction and desultoriness in cash flow have not discouraged Osun from going with its school infrastructural development project. On the first day of September, the state commissioned the Osogbo Government HighSchool in a memorable ceremony witnessed by President Muhammadu Buhari and many other dignitaries.

    Conceived and constructed in line with international standards, the building has the capacity to seat 3,000students; it has 72 classrooms, each capable of sitting 49 students; and is capable of graduating 1,000 students annually.Its other facilities include six offices for study groups, six fully furnished laboratories, 60 toilets (30 apiece for boys and girls), one fully furnished science library, one fully furnished Art Library, one facility manager’s office, one bookshop, one sick bay, one bursar’s office, three furnished principals’ office, three general staff office, one furnished senior principal’s office, one record storage, one security shed/reception.

    More, it has an Olympic-sized football field, a seven-lane sprinting tracks for 100 meters and 400 meters, a pavilion and an outdoor basketball court that doubles as tennis court. It has parking space for 75 cars,and examination hall to sit minimum of 1000 students.This hall has a stage, office space, storage for documents, and 10 toilets for males and femalesrespectively.

    Students of Grades 10-12 (SSS I-III), between ages 15 to 17 years, will be using this school sited on a-10-hectare land. The Aregbesola-led administration has a tidied plan to build 20 mega High Schools across the state and in places where the old, dilapidated buildings that were not healthy for modern-day poultry once stood. The Osogbo Government High Schoolis one of the 11 that have been completed.Of the 100 school buildings planned for the elementary level, 14 have been completed, and 15 of the 50 forthe Middle school have also been finished.

    For Osun State government, the functional education the children of the state must receive has to take place in befitting structures, which have advanced facilities, are conducive for learning, and enhance human dignity. By embarking on these projects, the state government is simply saying the culture of excellence that guide the affairs of standard private schools cannot be impossible for it to attain. The quality, sound education vouchsafed for the children has to take place within modern facilities. What exists in Osun in terms of educational infrastructure development is not symbolism but substance.

    About 12,000 teachers have been added to the already existing pool of teachers across the schools in the state. It is not just about physical infrastructure; the human infrastructural is also seriously taken into cognisance, for no educational system can rise above the quality of the teachers.

    The idea of education for development motivates Osun to prioritise education. Governor Aregbesola underscores this in the address he delivered at the opening of the Osogbo Government High School. In his words, ‘Education for us, therefore, is the path to development. We are 25 years now, but we are looking at the next 25 years and we want to create and determine the next 25 years through education.’

    That education, he adds, is the sort that sees to the full development of the personalities of the learners. ‘The overall aim’, he explains,‘is to develop the new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of society who views his own development as part of and for the development of society.This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man who views his existence in light of the growth of others; he views whatever is acquired to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for society.’

    In spite of the financial constraint it has, Osun refuses to give up its walk on the path of educational development. It continues to invest in it because it is persuaded that doing so has many invaluable benefits and not bankruptcy.

     

    • Ademola is of the Features Unit, Bureau of Communications& Strategy, Osun.
  • School or education?

    School or education?

    SIR: No career is as time-wasting as going to school, especially in Nigeria where the essence of school is not made clear. A school is a place people go to get educated. Education is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which make one a useful member of the society. And so will you say schools in Nigeria still educate with graduates of computer science who cannot put on a laptop and graduates of English who can’t define preposition? It is not so much of the students’ fault anyway; it is the system that is faulty.

    Have you wondered why the educational system in Nigeria was called 6-3-3-4 and not 6-6-4? It is because students should be tested after junior secondary school for their academic or vocational strength. Those who are academically inclined should proceed to senior schools and those who are good at vocational/technical acts should proceed to one of the six vocational schools that were made available in all states. There the problem begins. They are all pushed to SS1. I even imagine sometimes if any Nigerian mother will accept being told that his or her ward will be better in a technical school? You sure want trouble. But truthfully not all wards are mentally designed for academic career; many will be fulfilled in vocational schools.

    We were/are all moved to senior schools and from there all to the university and then we leave the polytechnics for those who cannot make it to the university. Where has it led us? What can the graduates do? How useful are they? Education is not another word for formal education (schooling). Skill acquisition is another relevant type of education called semi-formal education and it is not for the less-human or unprivileged. Informal education which takes care of attitudes and values and which should be taught at home and in schools is also essential for any human being who will be tagged educated.

    Essential to the development of any country is education and educated people, not schools and schooled people. We need to pay attention to the aptitude of wards and determine if they are academically or vocationally inclined. Both kinds of wards are conditions for a great nation. The over-schooling and little regard for vocation is the factor responsible for the fall in educational standard.

    Educate your children and this may demand more than formal schooling.

     

    • BamgboseGaniu,

    ganibamgbose@gmail.com

  • Education District trains 500 pupils

    Five hundred pupils attending secondary schools under the Lagos State Education District II will resume this month, boasting of new vocational skills, courtesy of the district’s yearly Summer School Vocational Skill Acquisition Programme.

    The programme exposed the pupils to skills in tie and dye, fashion design, hair dressing, cobbling and shoe making, catering, soap making, event and interior decoration, bead making, barbing, make-up and gele tying in three centres in Kosofe, Ikorodu and Somolu.

    Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary of the district Mrs Margaret Solarin, said the programme was the government’s way of showing commitment to raising the bar of education service delivery.

    She therefore, thanked Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, and his Deputy Dr Idiat Adebule, for their commitment to education thus far.

    “The students have more to offer than classroom activities and that is why they are here today to showcase and exhibit the other skillful part of them that will be effective in nation building,” she said.

    Mrs Solarin said the skill acquisition training would help the young ones to be independent, beome employers, contribute financially to their family and achieve all-round education.

    She, however, frowned on after- school hour vocational activities, urging parents to stop such training so their wards can concentrate in school.

    “I am not in support of after school vocational training, because it will derail the attention of the students from meditating on home work.  As a matter of fact their brain might be congested,” he said.

     

  • UK, Nigeria to collaborate on education

    UK, Nigeria to collaborate on education

    The United Kingdom and Nigeria will collaborate to improve the education sector, it was learnt yesterday.

    The process will be driven by Insight Africa UK and the British Department for International Trade.

    They will discuss the state of education in Nigeria and work toward forging a mutually beneficial relationship with UK universities, a British High Commission official said.

    Communications Manager of British Deputy High Commission Mr Wale Adebanjo, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said discussions would be held at the launch of  Insight Africa UK Nigeria, to be hosted at the British High Commission in Abuja, on Tuesday, October 4.

    He said the aim of the collaboration was to make quality education and training affordable and accessible to all.

    Adebanjo said the collaboration would “help to improve the quality of health care through quality training for health care providers, and link Nigerian institutions with reputable universities from the UK to explore areas of collaboration.’’

    He said Insight Africa UK was working with some British universities to deliver services to specific countries in Africa and extend advisory services and training to stakeholders in education and training.

    According to Adebanjo, the areas of particular interest are teacher training and re-training of teachers, continuous professional development, internship and exchange programme.

    Others are study tour, trans-national education partnership, fly in faculty, joint venture and research and dual, joint, double and concurrent degrees.

    Adebanjo quoted Ms Ralueke Parkin, Executive Director, Insight Africa UK, as saying,  “we are looking forward to start our work in Nigeria.

    “Our services are a new avenue for educational institutions, entrepreneurs, leaders and stakeholders in Nigeria and Britain to connect and seek results in collaborative approaches.’’

    He also quoted James Wharton, Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State at the Department for International Development, as  saying that  ‘’Nigeria’s success truly matters to the UK and to Africa as a whole.

    “As an outward-looking, globally engaged nation, I want to deepen the broad range of support and assistance the UK provides Nigeria, including in health, education and economic reform.”

     

     

  • Buhari’ll restore public education glory, says APC chieftain

    All Progressive Congress (APC) Chairman in Benue State, Comrade Abba Yaro, has assured pupils that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will restore the glory of primary education in the county.

    Addressing pupils of St Theresa’s Primary School, Makurdi, when they visited him, he said the APC manifesto placed priority on laying a solid foundation for educational development of the youth.

    He said during the 16 years of Peoples democratic Party (PDP) rule primary school education was neglected, thereby giving advantage to private school owners to exploit parents by increasing schools fees yearly.

    An APC chieftain, Chief John Akperashi, called on the government to free parents from the stranglehold of private school owners by upgrading public schools.

    The former House of Representative candidate for Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency praised the steps taken by APC administration to reposition education in the country and called for support from stakeholders.

     

  • Proprietor canvasses technical education

    Parents have been advised  to embrace technical and vocational education (TVE) to be job creators rather than job seekers.

    Bestgift Group of Schools Chairman, Ijegun in  Lagos, Basil Chiedozie Madubueze,  said disciplines, such as Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Building Technology, Computer Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, among few others, place young graduates in a more advantageous position with respect to employability.

    He spoke with reporters during a familiarisation tour of the school’s facilities. The structures and instructional materials for the school’s technical college section.

    Madubueze, an engineer, said the world is bidding farewell to white- collar jobs owing to lack of planning and gross mismanagement of available resources  by authorities. The unpalatable development, he stressed, has become imperative for young graduates to be equipped with the skills which empower them to be self independent.

    Madubueze, however, promised that the school which took off few months ago, would be more aggressive in TVE training.

    He said: “Students that are exposed to wide knowledge of sciences are in a better position to pursue science-oriented courses like Medicine, Engineering and other related programs in the university having had a pre-knowledge as foundation at the technical college.’’

    He said the school is working with a science oriented curriculum, the type that would enable graduands cope with the challenges of the future in a fast changing world

    “The platform we have in place also provides products of our technical college the options of enrolling for the normal examinations like the, WAEC/SSCE, NECO, NABTEB, and the City and Guilds of London Institute based on choice,” Madubueze added.

     

  • Nnewi crown prince laments poor state of education

    The crown prince of Nnewi Kingdom in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Prince Obi Orizu, has lamented the decrepit state of education in Nigeria, especially at secondary and tertiary levels.

    He decried the bad attitude exhibited by some teachers and lecturers which, he said, has contributed to the level of inefficiency in the education system.

    In an interview in his palace at Nnewi, Orizu urged the Federal and state governments to hasten efforts to arrest further degeneration of the nation’s education system.

    The prince said the poor state of infrastructure in schools has moved him to construct new classroom blocks in some parts of the country and give scholarships to indigent students in his hometown and other places as well.

    In 2012, Orizu said he built a classroom block for Edoji Central School, Uruagu, Nnewi to celebrate his father, Igwe K.O.N. Orizu at 87; and a block for Nnewichi Central School, Nnewi.

    In Cross River State, he also built a brand new school fitted with  state-of-the-art facilities for Hope Waddel Training Institute in honour of his grandfather, Igwe J.N. Orizu II, and his own father who both went through the school in 1924 and 1942.

    In 2010, he renovated about five classroom blocks for Nnewi High School, Nnewi among, many others.

    The king-in-waiting, who studied up to PhD level in Nigeria and abroad, however, expressed confidence in the Buhari-led administration and Anambra state governor, Dr Willie Obiano, to reposition the ailing education sector and other areas of the economy.