The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Education

  • ‘Prioritise education’

    The Acting Director, FCT Secondary Education Board, Hajia Rakiya Daniya has stressed the imperatives of education, saying it is the key to social and economic development. She advised communities to make it a priority.

    Daniya stated this during her first visit to Kabusa community in the Abuja Municipal Area Council.

    Her prompt visit which was to inspect the Senior Secondary School and solicit for the Chief and the Community’s support in facilitating the movement of the school to its permanent site was accompanied by officers from the Board.

    The acting education boss explained that educating children has proven to be a great asset to parents, communities and the nation, adding that investing in it will make positive impact.

    She noted that no community can develop without providing functioning education services.

    In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, (PRO), Odugbo Sarah, she further stressed that the FCT Secondary Education Board in fulfilment of its mandate of providing and sustaining qualitative senior secondary education to FCT residents will continue to work assisdously to achieve its objectives.

    The acting director stated further that the establishment of Government Secondary School in kabusa among other communities in the Federal Capital shows the determination of the FCT Administration to make Education accessible and affordable as it has place education in its front burner for its teeming populace all around  the six Area Councils of FCT.

    Daniya while soliciting for the Chief’s support in ensuring the existing mutual relationship between the school and its host community is maintained said, it is the wish of the Board to embark on its projects at its permanent site noting that, the present structure and facilities at the old site are over stretched.

    She appealed to the community to continue to encourage their children to take the advantage of the school and learn for their advancement.

    Daniya restated that, the FCT Administration is committed to providing functional and sustainable education aimed at bringing speedy development to its indigenes and residents.

    In response, the Chief of Kabusa Community, Yohanna Koche commended the Ag. Director and her team for their visit and expressed his readiness to help where necessary in the movement of the school to its permanent site.

    He noted also that, the establishment of the school has been a blessing to the community and as such, the community will not hamper its expansion.

    He also appealed to the authority to assist in providing other social amenities needed in the community.

  • FG restate commitment to partner with private sector on education

    The Head of Research of National Educational Research and Development Commission, Mr. Garba Gandu, has restated Federal Government’s commitment towards partnering with non-state innovators to ensure that Nigeria children have access to meaningful learning opportunities.

    Gardu made this known at the Nigeria Education Innovation Summit (NEDIS) organised by the Educational Partnership Center (TEP Centre) in conjunction with Center for Education Innovations and held at the Africa Sun, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Gandu said the need for new insight, innovation and creativity in the formation and implementation of national curriculum is very apt, and can be achieved through transparent public and private partnership that priortise children interest.

    The Founder, LEAP Africa, Mrs. Ndidi Nwuneli, noted that research is imperative in thinking about how much the public and private sectors can collaborate to scale promising innovations and exhorted implementations of the models to ensure that they have sufficient capacity to implement and scale their initiative.

    In her words, the Representative from Leading Learning, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo emphasised the need for education stakeholders to put the child first and to consider ways by which emerging innovations focus on effectively strengthening teaching and learning.

    Earlier, in her opening speech, the Managing Director of TEP, Mrs. Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, said from evidence available, it is clear that the general quality of learning as measured by pupils achievement and teacher competence is perversely low in Nigeria.

    She said: “Nigeria currently accounts for close to a fifth of the estimated 60 million out-of-school children globally-10.5 million Nigerian children are not yet enrolled  according to statistics by the British Council”.

    Olateju said one of the key challenges to attaining goals of access, quality and equity in education is the limited participation of the non-state sector in the funding, provision and management of education.

    The programme tagged strengthening the design Implementation and Impact of Education Innovation in Nigeria brought together 50 experts drawn from government agencies, research institution, civil society groups, donor agencies and media.

    Participants at the summit included representatives of government institutions such as NERDC,  and the Universal Basic Education Board, (UBEC). Other participants were: United State Aid for International Development, Ford Foundation, TY Dajuma Foundation, British Council, LEAP AFRICA, Ashoka Changemakers and CEI East Africa, among others.

  • How to make education functional, by Ibidapo-Obe

    For a nation that seeks development, provision of quality education remains the key to unlock its potential, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University Ndufu-Alike (FUNAI) in Ebonyi State, Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, has said.

    He spoke at the N200 million fund raiser dinner at Lagos Sheraton Hotel and Tower in Ikeja, organised by the Old Students Association of Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo State to mark the school’s 70th anniversary.

    The spoke on the theme: Education and the change mantra.

    Ibidapo-Obe, who was accompanied by his wife, Sola,  an alumnus of the school, said the curricular of basic and secondary education are dysfunctional and useless, and that the education system has failed to impart knowledge on pupils.

    He condemned the replacement of merit in admission into higher institutions using catchment area, observing that such policy had further eroded the values of education. According to him, due to emphasis on catchment area education had been taken out of the reach of deserving students.

    To the former VC of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the practice of converting blocks of flat to classrooms by private school owners is an aberration that negates the essence of outdoor education. According to him,  pupils could only learn better in a setting where they could freely relate with natural environment.

    He said: “We educate people so that they can be functional. Education that has no function is a useless education. I can see that we have a lot of useless education in this country. We have to change it because the whole idea is to affect national development. And we know that, to achieve national development, knowledge is key. Education must impart knowledge to bring about positive thinking and emancipation. If that is not there, then it is useless.”

    In his view, education will be functional if the society payed attention to public education by recruiting quality teachers and providing good curricular. He added that there should be mass public education of illiterate adults to solve insecurity challenges facing the nation.

    Ibidapo Obe called for the merging of Federal Ministries of Education and Science and Technology to properly inculcate modern method of instruction in young generation. He said the government must implement the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act of 2004, which makes school attendance compulsory for all children.

    Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, who was chairman of the occasion, said the solution to identified problems in education remained a challenge for local intellectuals without shopping for solution abroad.

    Earlier, President of the old students association, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, said the lecture was a wake-up call to the government and the people to save public education from its steady decline.

  • Malala launches school to mark 18 birthday

    Malala launches school to mark 18 birthday

    Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace laureate, Malala Yousafzai, on Sunday launched a Secondary school to mark her 18th birthday.

    Malala inaugurated the school as a way of supporting Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, near Syria’s border.

    The Nobel Laureate, who survived a Taliban gunshot to the head in 2012 as she returned home from school on a bus with her classmates in northern Pakistan, has since become a female education activist.

    The newly inaugurated school has the capacity to serve more than 200 Syrian girls between ages 14 and 18, according to the Malala Fund, known as Yousafzai’s nonprofit organization, dedicated to supporting the school.

    Malala schoolAccording to information made available on the fund’s online platform, “The new curriculum will enable students to receive their baccalaureate or vocational degrees through the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education or the Syrian equivalent.

    “Students unable to commit to the four-year baccalaureate training will participate in skills courses intended to help them find work and generate their own incomes.”

    Today’s school opening in Lebanon follows Yousafzai’s appearance at a Summit on Education in Oslo about a week ago, where she noted that her birthday was approaching: “My life of being a child will come to an end,” she had said while promising to continue to fight for the rights of children: “I think there’s no limit of age … to speak of children’s rights.

    “My father has been doing it as a teacher and I will continue to do it as a woman. As an adult, you can be the voice of children,” the Pakistani activist said.

    “I am honored to mark my 18th birthday with the brave and inspiring girls of Syria. I am here on behalf of the 28 million children who are kept from the classroom because of armed conflict. Their courage and dedication to continue their schooling in difficult conditions inspires people around the world and it is our duty to stand by them.

    “On this day, I have a message for the leaders of this country, this region and the world — you are failing the Syrian people, especially Syria’s children. This is a heartbreaking tragedy — the world’s worst refugee crisis in decades,” Malala said during the inauguration.

  • Foundation pledges support for education

    Founder and chairman, GEMS Education and the Varkey Foundation, Mr Sunny Varkey, has to give more than half of his wealth to charity to support teachers across the world provide a quality education for all children.

    The Varkey Foundation has pioneered an ambitious programme to train 250,000 teachers across Africa that is winning plaudits from government and non-government leaders across the region. The aim is to impact 10 million children. Already, 12,000 teachers have been trained in Uganda in the last two years.

    The foundation also runs Ghana’s first interactive distance-learning project – Making Ghanaian Girls Great! (MGCubed). The project will impact more than 4000 marginalised girls (aged 9-14 years) in 72 schools within two regions in Ghana (Greater Accra and Volta) and offer them an enhanced quality of education to improve their lives and transform their future.

    He signed the Giving Pledge, the initiative founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to help address society’s most pressing problems by inviting the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit to giving more than half of their wealth to philanthropic or charitable causes.

    Varkey said: “Fifteen years on from the Millennium Development Goals, huge global education challenges remain unmet. Around 250 million children of primary school age cannot read and write and, at current rates of progress, it will take until 2072 to eradicate youth illiteracy.

    “New 2030 targets on education are being drawn up and I hope Governments around the world will sign up to them.  But the hard truth is, that without a rapid deployment of major resources, we won’t make a real difference to the lives of the millions of children that cannot access a good quality teacher and a good quality education.

    “This is the greatest challenge of our time by which we will be judged by future generations. Time is running out for so many that could contribute so much.

    “The giving pledge community is a group of exceptional individuals, and I hope to rally them and others to this vital cause”.

    Varkey will join 136 billionaire individuals and couples who have signed the pledge. These include Mark Zuckerberg, co founder, chairman and chief executive of Facebook, Richard Branson, chairman and founder of Virgin Group and Ted Turner, founder of CNN.

    The goal behind the pledge is to talk about giving in an open way and create an atmosphere that can draw more people into philanthropy. He will become a signatory of the giving pledge at an annual event where those who take the pledge will come together to share ideas and learn from one another and outside experts about how to give most effectively in order to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.   “I am delighted to sign the Giving Pledge. I was fortunate that I grew up in a family where charity was ingrained in us from a very early age. Even when my father earned a small amount, a large portion was shared with the community we lived in, sometimes at the cost of our own comfort.

    “To this day, our underlying philosophy remains that good giving ‘pinches’, meaning that the sacrifice you make has to be felt. Therein lies the appeal of the Giving Pledge to my family.

    “I have also always believed that education is key to fixing so many of the world’s greatest problems: violence, poverty and health. These two pillars of charity and education have always guided me, and out of them came the Varkey Foundation, which focuses on capacity building interventions for teachers and school leaders, and championing their work through initiatives such as the Global Teacher Prize. “Through the Giving Pledge we hope to shine a spotlight on the millions of children that do not have access to a quality teacher and quality education,” he added.

    Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: “When we started the Giving Pledge five years ago, we had no idea we’d get this many people to come together. It has really grown, first in the U.S. but more recently all over the world.

    “We hope to intensify philanthropy and encourage people to get started younger. It’s exciting to see people becoming bolder and more thoughtful in their giving. This is about building on a wonderful tradition of philanthropy that will ultimately help the world become a much better place.”

    The Varkey Foundation’s projects include teacher training and pupil education programmes in Africa, which has trained 12,000 teachers to date, and aims to impact upon the lives of 10 million children. It also produces original research such as the Global Teacher Status Index.

    Last year, the Varkey Foundation launched the Global Teacher Prize. Widely referred to as the Nobel Prize for teaching, the US$1 millionaward is the largest prize of its kind. It was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society. By unearthing thousands of stories of heroes that have transformed young people’s lives, the prize hopes to bring to life the exceptional work of millions of teachers all over the world.

  • ‘Govt not commercialising education’

    The Ekiti State government has denied the claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Governor Ayodele Fayose was planning to commercialise basic education.

    It said: “The APC government of Dr Kayode Fayemi killed education in the state and the Fayose-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government is trying all that it could to restore the lost glory of the state in the education sector.”

    Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, in a statement yesterday, said it was insulting for the APC to have made reference to the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    “The APC does not stand for one single ideal of Awolowo. The 1999 Constitution  guarantees Free Universal Basic Education from primary school to JSS 3. That is a law that no government can contravene.

    “However, does the APC as a party have the moral right to speak on education? Here is a party, whose government scrapped universities under the excuse that the state could not fund more than one university, but the same government could use borrowed funds to build N3.3billion Governor’s Lodge, civic centre, state pavilion and other irrelevant projects.

    “Shouldn’t these characters in the APC show remorse and stop this persistent advertisement?”

  • How to improve education, by scholars

    How to improve education, by scholars

    The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) hosted an international conference on how to improve education and promote best teaching method. No fewer than 2,000 scholars were in attendance, OLADELE OGE (NYSC Enugu) reports.

    Good policies and best method of implementation are needed to improve  education, says Dean of Faculty of Education of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Uju Umo. She urged the Federal Government to restore the value of education.

    Prof Umo spoke at the opening of an international conference held at the Princess Alexandra Hall of the university. Its theme was: Promoting best practices in education through effective policy formulation and implementation strategies. Over 2,000 local and international scholars gathered to discuss how to grow in university education.

    The Dean said: “It is only through effective implementation strategies that the visions and objectives of education policies being introduced by the government can yield long-term solutions that will improve the standards and values.

    “To improve and strengthening quality of education and service delivery, good and effective strategies must be explored by people and agencies charged with formulation of national education policies. This will enhance professionalism and best practice.”

    Highlighting the aims of the conference, Prof Umo told the participants to look beyond the paper presentations, noting that the forum was to generate ways policies could be implemented for sustainable growth in education.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Ozumba, represented by his deputy for Academic, Prof Polycarp Chigbu, noted that faculty had the capacity to generate ideas that could tackle the challenges facing the country’s education.

    He said the large turnout to the event underscored the role being played by the institution in championing the cause of effective policy implementation in the country.

    He said: “Education is an international commodity and the products find application and employment within local, national and international communities.”

    The VC urged the participants to carefully look into the standard of education, particularly the elementary school. He said many youths had passed out from tertiary levels with intimidating certificates but without good knowledge and confidence to back their qualification.

    In his paper, former VC of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Prof Ibrahim Kolo, highlighted some of the problems associated with funding of education, saying government must seek help from experts to stop the decline in education.

    Kolo said the conference would identify long-term gains of revitalising education for effective teaching and learning, urging collaboration with governments at all levels and private sector for the implementation of the experts’ recommendations.

    The Dean of Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Joel Babalola, said the purpose of education is to combat illiteracy in the society. Without education, Babalola said no country would achieve growth.

    He advised the youth to have sincere passion for education and urged schools’ managements to introduce new method that would make teaching easy for the lecturers. This, he said, could be achieved through collaboration with advanced varsities.

    In an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, Prof Umo said the UNN had introduced new teaching method to engender academic progress, noting that classrooms had been renovated to complement the effort.

    She said inadequate funding remained the bane of education in the country, noting that the challenge was not peculiar to educational institutions alone.

    Despite the funding problems, Umo said her faculty had numerous achievements to its credit. She said the faculty’s curriculum had brought about of developmental researches conducted by its undergraduate and graduate students. She added that the faculty publishes e-journals to enhance the visibility of good researches by its scholars.

    The conference organisers said the paper presented would not only be recommended for publication in academic journals but will also be made available to policymakers for the provision of education at all levels.

  • New publication chronicles education online

    The Chronicle of Education, an online publication from the stables of Debb Gosean Limited (DGL) has been launched to provide timely education-related news articles to various stakeholders in the education sector.

    Its promoters hope that the publication, which can be accessed on www.thechronicleofeducation.com, can support the efforts to improve Nigeria’s education system by providing a platform for ideas.

    A statement from the firm, noted: “The Chronicle of Education will therefore be the foremost platform where the diverse groups of stakeholders, whether locally-based or in the Diaspora of the Nigerian education system can freely proffer innovative and constructive solutions to the myriads of challenges in the system.”

    It welcomed news, reports, analyses, assessments, documentaries, opinions, discussions and blogs for editorial consideration and publication in the paper.

  • Education is catalyst for human growth

    Education is catalyst for human growth

    How the nation can use education to develop human capital was the crux of discussion at a conference organised by the International Association for Promoting Professional Excellence in Research and Education (INTAPPERE) at the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Umunze, Anambra State. EMEKA CHUKWUEMEKA reports.

    How can the nation use  education to develop human capital resources and solve developmental challenges? This is the puzzle professionals, educators and students gathered to solve at a conference held at the ultra-modern auditorium of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Umunze, Anambra State, last week.

    For hours, participants brainstormed and suggested ways of developing and maintaining human resources capital to complement the government efforts for economic growth and human development.

    The conference was organised by the International Association for Promoting Professional Excellence in Research and Education (INTAPPERE).

    In his paper titled: Education and human capital development: Changing global dynamics and skill-set, Prof Ben Osisioma of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, noted that human development should not be seen in the realm of personal affluence, but economic growth.

    He said quality education remained the pivot of national transformation and development, noting that a dysfunctional educational system would only deepen poverty and promote underdevelopment. With his resources, he said Nigeria remained in the backwater of human development because of the state of its education.

    Through education, he said, a society is equipped with knowledge, values and skills to develop its human capital and promote sustainable human development.

    Osisioma said: “We must raise a generation of men and women that think critically, solve complex multi-disciplinary and open-ended problems, create and innovate, and communicate and collaborate. This is the best way out of the present conundrum.”

    Speaking on Development of human capital through education: Prospects and challenges in developing countries, Reverend Father Felix Uchechukwu, a lecturer at St. John’s University in New York, United States, argued that developing countries needed to develop their human capital to achieve physical growth. He said this could only be done through education.

    He said: “Developmental theories and evidence-based studies substantiate the conviction that the attainment of this laudable objective is feasible. Therefore, there are prospects of development by developing nations. The challenges are also there, but they are surmountable. Japan, which has fewer resources, accomplished it. Nigeria and other African countries can do better.

    “Quality education is very expensive. Adequate funding of institutions remains the challenge facing most developing nations. Apart from funding, there are problems of understaffing, poor remuneration and dearth of grant for researches, and inadequate infrastructure and modern facilities to aid learning. It is incredible to hear that there are colleges in this country without internet services for staff and students. These challenges can be properly addressed by due commitment by the governments and wealthy individuals.

    “The readiness of Nigerians to bear the cost of qualitative education for their children underscores the fact that, they value education and will cooperate in that regard with their wealth. The number of unemployed graduates points to the fact that, something is wrong with the education system. The turning out of graduates by universities should be a relief to the graduates themselves, their loved ones and the society. But this is not the case.”

    To solve the problem, Uchechukwu said funding of education should be increased to provide amenities that will make learning easy for students.

    Earlier, the Provost, Prof Josephat Ogbuagu, said human development is a major foundation for building of progressive nation. He was represented by Prof Ezimma Nnabuife.

    For any nation to develop, Ogbuagu said human beings must live above board. He said education is the engine that propels the economy through human resources. Ogbuagu observed that without human resources, no society would move forward.

    He said: “Developing requisite human capital means developing people with the right skill, knowledge, competences, frame of mind and attitude that will facilitate the creation of personal, social and economic wellbeing.”

    He urged affluent people to invest in education to complement’s government efforts to provide facilities that will promote quality education. Sounds education, he said, is the most important tool for human capital development.

  • No technical intent in polytechnic education, ASUP laments

    No technical intent in polytechnic education, ASUP laments

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has accused successive governments in Nigeria of formulating policies that are antithetical to polytechnic education.

    ASUP added that there is no technical intent in the delivery of polytechnic education in the country.

    National President of the union, Chibuzo Asomugha, said this during the 81st National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union hosted by the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (FEPOFFA), Kwara State.

    He, therefore, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to review, on a stakeholders’ platform, the present state of Nigerian polytechnics.

    He said that Buhari should allow the practitioners and all stakeholders to evolve a model that can fit into contemporary times, especially in meeting up with global standards.

    He said: “There is no understanding of what we really want polytechnic education to be. We have deviated from the original vision. There is no focus. There is hardly any technical intent in the delivery of polytechnic education and we must return to the basics. This dovetails into what happens in the wider economy, in the industries and workplace.

    “There is no contact between the industries and the schools, because of that hiatus it is not coordinating. It is like we are just producing polytechnic graduates without actually being able to exactly know where they will fit in.”

    On the discrimination between university and polytechnic graduates, Asomugha urged the President to fulfil his campaign promise to “look at the issue of discrimination against HND graduates.”

    He said: “Thousands of Nigerians are seeking tertiary education in this sector and the system is structured in such a way that already by making that choice they are placed as not meeting up to the standard of another sub-sector. It is better government looks at these issues completely.

    “Paucity in funding eventually derives from the perception of polytechnic education in the minds of policy makers. When you don’t consider that a system is serious enough then you don’t give it serious consideration in fund. Even in Tertiary Education Fund (TEDFUND) you find out that there is lopsidedness among the three sub-sectors that participate.

    “The polytechnics are clearly disadvantaged. We tasked the past government to monitor its funding of the sector. Don’t just throw money in a system and then go and write in the papers that you are funding such system. With all the money that government is parading that it has thrown into the system, government has not gotten better result because of lack of proper monitoring.”

    Chairman, ASUP, FEDPOFFA, Dr Shola Ojeniyi said the poor regard for polytechnic education was caused by the ineptitude of success governments.

    “By this meeting I am envisaging that we will come out with a statement that would remind the new government of the need to direct its focus of polytechnic education in Nigeria and at least try to tap from the potentials we have to technological advancement of the country,” he said.