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Tag: Mallam Adamu Adamu

  • FG to assist states access N64.8b UBE funds

    FG to assist states access N64.8b UBE funds

    The Federal Government Wednesday said it was working on a decision that would allow states that have not been able to access the N64.8 Universal Basic Education funds for the development of basic education in the country have access to do so.

    Only nine out of the 36 states and FCT were able to access the funds in 2015. 28 states could not because they failed to provide the matching grants or afford to pay counterpart funds required to access the funds.

    Some of the states include: Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara, Bayelsa, Zamfara, Enugu, Plateau, Rivers, Nasarawa, Abia, Niger amongst others.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, had said the ministry was working to reduce or do away with the requirements for matching grants by states for them to have access to the funds.

    “Meanwhile we at the ministry we are doing our best to reduce or do away with the requirements for matching grants so that states can just apply to UBEC and get what is their share,” he had said.

    Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hameed Bobboyi, told journalists during a meeting with state chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in Abuja on Wednesday that for states to be able to access the funds without meeting the requirements, the UBE Act 2004 has to be amended.

    Bobboyi stated that ministry of education has presented the challenge faced by states before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration.

    He said: “The Federal Ministry of education and the relevant agencies has been doing quite a lot to ensure that the funds that are un-accessed are accessed by the states. This case is before ministry of education which is taking up the issue with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and I think when the FEC makes its decision these things will be available for each and everywhere person to know just where we stand on this issue.

    “There are two parties involved here and I think we should understand the major reason of instituting the matching grant of the UBE Act is to ensure that you build sufficient resources for the basic education sector where whatever the federal government brings the state governments will also match those funds and that is how the funding formula was developed.

    “The idea is for us to push and ensure that people understand the initial impact of having the matching grants but subsequently also to see what could be done to see policy changes which could come from government because it involves change in UBEC Act that will facilitate or institute a lower percentage of matching grants to enable a large number of states which may be in some difficulties to access the funds.”

    He blamed some states for failing to take basic education seriously even before the present economic challenges affecting the country.

    According to him, the government is worried about the numbers of out-of-school children in the country and the poor quality of teachers in the basic education sector.

    He added that teacher development was crucial to sustaining the quality of basic education in Nigeria.

    “But unfortunately because of certain factors, even before the economic crisis that people are talking about, there are some states, perhaps who have not taken basic education very seriously. UBE has a road map for the development of basic education in this country. Any Executive secretary who comes will look at this and see what the priorities of government at any moment are.

    “This government from the discussions and mandate that was given to us when we were inaugurated is to look at such key areas and ensure those concerned areas are addressed.

    “The worrying areas of out of school children, issues of teachers’ development are crucial to sustaining the quality of basic education in Nigeria because if we don’t develop the teacher it becomes very difficult for us to realize the quality we are looking for.

    “You know the key area that concerns this government is that area of accountability and transparency in the use of funds. And I think UBEC is going to improve its monitoring processes to ensure that whatever funds that come from UBEC are utilized in a transparent and accountable manner so that we can realize the core mandate of the organization that has been put in charge.

    The Executive Chairman/Dean of SUBEBs, Prince Stephen Alao, confirmed that some states have been able to access 78 per cent of the funds.

    He said: “Most states as I speak today have been able to access 78% of the fund for major infrastructural development across the nation and it is a continuous process.

    “Most of the governors take basic education as a priority and the money that they have to pay for them to access is quite a lot of money and I am very happy, for example we have been able to access and we are working.

    “There are some states that have not access for quite some time. I will mention like Ebonyi state. I want to commend their governor. Today they have accessed almost all their funds in UBEC and a lot of work is going on there.

    “Our job is to talk with our various chairmen to dialogue with their governors. Of course most governors know that basic education is a priority in this country. You and I know if that if you miss basic education there is no nation. So I think all of us are on the same page in this matter.”

  • FG directs schools to teach IRS, CRK separately

    FG directs schools to teach IRS, CRK separately

    The Federal Government on Wednesday directed secondary schools to ensure that Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) and Christian Religious Studies (CRK) are taught as separate subjects.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu gave the directive in a statement issued in Abuja by the ministry’s Deputy Director (Press), Ben Bem-Gong.

    According to the statement, the directive became imperative because of speculation regarding the merging of the two subjects.

    The statement quoted the minster saying that students would not be compelled to study the two subjects, adding that secondary school students are at liberty to choose any of the two subjects depending on their religious beliefs.

    The statement said: “The directive has become necessary following weeks of speculations in the social and conventional media networks across the country that the two subjects have been merged into one.

    The confusion was created by a publisher who produced a book on the subject, combining Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) and Christian Religious Studies (CRK), which is being used in some private secondary schools.

    “There is no compulsion in the study of the two religions. Secondary school students are at liberty to choose any of the two subjects depending on their religious leanings.

    “The Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Religious Studies have remained separate subjects in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).

    “If such a change has occurred (merger of IRS & CRS), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) would have reflected same in their programmes and examinations.”

  • FG scraps post UTME

    FG scraps post UTME

    • Pegs cut-off at 180

    The Federal Government Thursday scrapped the conduct of post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) for candidates seeking admission into higher institution.

    The government explained that all tertiary institutions were at liberty to conduct screening for candidates seeking admission into any school.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said this on Thursday in Abuja after declaring open the 2016 Combined Policy Meeting on Admissions to Universities, Polytechnics and other higher institutions in Nigeria.

    Adamu, expressed confidence in the examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), adding that there was no need for other examination to be conducted by universities after JAMB.

    He said: “As far as I am concerned the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing. The universities should not be holding another examination and if the universities have any complain against JAMB let them bring it and then we address it.

    “If JAMB is qualified enough to conduct tests and they have conducted test then there will be no need to conduct another test for students to gain admission.”

    The Minister also asked the JAMB to stop extra charges on several categories of changes on admissions such as the change of course, change of school and others.

    Meanwhile, the JAMB has pegged the cut – off mark for admission for 2016 at 180.

    The 180 benchmark, applies to all universities and higher institutions in the country, including polytechnics, colleges of education, and others.

    JAMB’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, after a long debate with delegates from various institutions, told journalists that no institution would go below the 180 cut-off set by the board.

    He said: “180 is given, no institution will go below 180 this year, And some universities can go above it, I know University of Ife will not go below 200 and University of Lagos will not go below 200 and also UI. All these ones stand but 180 as bench mark for others.

    “This year we have more than enough candidates, we have over 1.5 million candidates so we will get enough candidates to take in all the schools if they are serious. Re-distribution is already ongoing, because it is embedded in the registration procedure.”

  • NANS demands reinstatement of 13 VCs fired by Buhari

    • Urges Adamu to resign

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Wednesday demanded the reinstatement of the sacked Vice Chancellors of the 13 FederalUniversities established by the administration of former President, Goodluck Jonathan.

    12 VCs, as well as that of the National OpenUniversity of Nigeria, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, were fired by Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, recently. The Governing Councils and Boards ofthe institutions were also dissolved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    But President Buhari, during the National ExecutiveCouncil meeting of the All Progressives Congress, apologized for the action todissolve the governing councils and boards of the institutions.

    Following the apology by the president, NANS National President, Tijani Usman Shehu, at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, urged Adamu to do the “needful” by reinstating the sacked VCs.

    He said the association would continue to press homeits demands if the Federal Government refused to reinstate the VCs.

    Tijani said: “The unjustly sacked Vice Chancellorsshould be reinstated immediately in consonance with Mr. President apology andspelt out universities rules.

    “We are dismally dismayed by the fact that the Ministerof Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has remained hesitant in doing the needful which is the reinstatement of the sacked Vice Chancellors which was wrongfully done.

    “Rather the minister has chosen to give diverse counter- interpretations to Mr. President’s apology just to soothe his whims andego whereas the President categorically stated that there are specificallyspelt out roles for which the Governing Councils are meant to perform and whichcannot be usurped such as appointment of Vice Chancellors.

    “Clearly, Mallam Adamu’s refusal to take the rightpath has demonstrated his contempt and disregard for our dear president, Muhammadu Buhari. On the heels of this, we herein state our resolve topeacefully press until the right thing is done with respect to the sack of the 13 affected Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities.”

    Tijani said that the sacking and subsequent hiring ofnew VCs for the institutions did not follow due process.

    According to him, the association has not received any response to the several letters written to the Ministry of Education throughthe Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folashade Yemi – Esan.

    He therefore, asked the minister to resign formisleading Buhari into firing the VCs.

    Tijani said: “The minister should tender an unreservedapology to Nigerian students and the entire academic community for his misleading actions and statements thus far. Conversely, he
    should resign hisappointment. Obviously the Vice Chancellors’ appointment of Adamu did notfollow due procedure since no board sat down to consider and interview prospectivecandidates for the said appointments.

    “The National Association of Nigerians Students hasvowed to pursue this just cause for the right thing to be done in our universities.We have peacefully taken our cry to Mr. President who gave his favourbaleattention and followed same with a sincere apology.

    “Our demands have also been tabled before the NationalAssembly which has also empathized with us and waded in to resolve the crisis. Theminister of education on the contrary has adopted an adversarial approach toour genuine
    demand choosing instead to harass the never intimidated Nigerian Studentsvia arrest by men of the Nigerian Police
    Force until the IGP graciously intervened.

    “All eyes and attention was thus fixated on theminister of education who in the first instance misdirected the Federal Government.”

  • Photos: Buhari in Washington for Nuclear Summit

    Photos: Buhari in Washington for Nuclear Summit

    Buhari in Was
    President Buhari being welcomed by Minister of Defence, Monsur Dan Ali, Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, DG National Intelligence Agency Amb. Ayodele Oke and Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Hon. Abike Dabiri.

     

    Buhari in Wah
    President Muhammadu Buhari arrives the United States to hold bilateral talks with the United States’ Secretary of States, Senator John Kerry at the Walter Washington Convention Centre.

     

    Buhari in Washi

     

    Buhari in Washington

     

     

  • Sacked VCs: Police tear gas NANS protesting students

    Sacked VCs: Police tear gas NANS protesting students

    Protesting members of the National Association of Nigerian Students were on Thursday dispersed by a team of Policemen around the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.

    The protesting students had gathered at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Education to protest the recent sack of Vice-chancellors of 13 Federal Universities appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The body argued that the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, erred in the appointment of new vice-chancellors, adding that the action of the minister was interference on the duties of universities governing councils.

    The students carried placards with inscriptions such as: “ASUU break the silence against this injustice.” “Sack of VCs, an attempt to cripple our citadels.” Say no to injustice,” among others.

    They said: “On February 12, 2016, the Federal Government, without due recourse to the governing councils of 12 Federal Universities and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), removed their vice-chancellors without any clear statement as to what their offences might have been.

    Shehu said: “What is the reason for the sacking of the four vice-chancellors of Federal Universities and that of NOUN before the expiration of their tenures?

    “We request that the Federal Government, should in the interest of due process, reverse its decision and reinstate the illegally sacked vice-chancellors.”

    He said that the association notified all relevant agencies including the minister of its planned protest. They wondered why the minister could not come to address them.

    The NANS president accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of complicity in the sack of the VCs because of as its silent on the issue.

    However, trouble started when the students smashed the windscreen of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) with registration number FG 23 A31, belonging the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as it drove by.

    The students chanted angrily, threatening to force their way into the ministry if the minister did not come out to address them.

    All efforts by the policemen to ensure that the protesting students retreated were resisted. A situation which resulted in the firing of tear gas at them by the police.

    Journalists, bystanders and the protesting students scampered for safety while the policemen made arrests.

    The NANS President, Mr. Tijani Shehu, and no fewer than five other students, were arrested.

    The Policemen also manhandled a camera man working with the African Independent Television (AIT) and smashed his camera.

    However, the Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Command, Anjuguri Manza, (ASP) when contacted on the development said that he was yet to be briefed on the issue.

     

  • No going back on sacked VCs – FG

    No going back on sacked VCs – FG

    The Federal Government will not reverse the decision to sack 13 Vice Chancellors appointed by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the government said Thursday.

    The government had last week announced the sacking of 12 VCs of federal universities as well as that of the National Open Universities of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Vincent Tenebe.

    The decision, which has drawn protests from different groups and civil societies, has generated controversies within the academic circle.

    But Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the flag off of the 2015/2016 annual school census in Abuja, reaffirmed the sacking of the VCs by the federal government.

    Asked why the VC of NOUN Prof. Tenebe, whose tenure had not expired, was removed, the minister explained that he was removed because of the petitions against him.

    He said: “Do you reverse government decision simply because somebody has criticized them? I don’t think there is any decision of government not going down well with everyone in the country.

    “The ministry has received communications from some people who feel like this and we are looking at this.

    “What I am saying is that they have already written to us. We are looking into their complaints. We will reply them.

    Adamu said that all states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be included in the school census.

    He said that the exercise would aid educational planning, administration and inform decision making by government.

    According to the minister, the current trend in the conduct of the annual school census was informed by the provision of the Nigeria Education Information System (NEMIS) policy of 2007 which provided for the collection of data from schools.

    He said: “The Education Management Information System (EMIS) process has since been decentralized to the states to enhance efficiency in the collection, collation, management and dissemination of education data in Nigeria so as to ensure the availability of credible, reliable and timely education data.

    “The states therefore conduct the ASC exercise while the Federal Ministry of Education through NEMIS co-ordinates and monitors the process.”

    He said that the ministry has concluded arrangement to host the NEMIS software on the internet for real –time online data entry and processing.

    “This will further ensure uniformity in data reporting so that end-users will have timely reports for decision making and research. I am optimistic that, beginning from this year, Nigeria’s education data, at the basic and secondary school levels, will be cleaner, more accurate, more accessible and up-to-date,” he added.

    Earlier in his address, Minister of the FCT, Musa Bello, said that the census was required to keep up – to –date and comprehensive data in schools in terms of infrastructure, numbers of students and personnel.

    “The annual school census is very important because it is the foundation upon which all our planning and therefore policy directions are built.

    “I learnt that UNICEF has already supported the FCT’s 2016 school census by printing 7,234 census forms to cater for all public and private schools minus the tertiary institutions within the territory,” he said.

     

  • Group urges Buhari to make education a priority

    Group urges Buhari to make education a priority

    A non-governmental organization (NGO), Africa Arise for Change Network, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to prioritize education and make it affordable to all Nigerians.

    Executive Secretary (AACN), Israel Hassan, in an electronic email issued on Monday in Abuja, said that it was time for the Federal Government to seriously commit to the constitutional requirement to provide affordable education at all levels to Nigerians.

    He noted that education remained a cardinal avenue for mobilizing and empowering citizens to make meaningful contributions to the economy, adding that it must be made accessible to all.

    The statement urged the new Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to strengthen distance learning in view of its growing popularity.

    The statement reads: “We have seen the growing acceptance of distance learning as a pathway to getting tertiary education particularly in the wake of the milestones the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has recorded during the tenure of its vice chancellor, Professor Vincent Tenebe.

    “This repositioned NOUN should be explored by the incumbent government as a way of getting more of those currently not getting tertiary education into some form of study programmes. The team that has made distance learning to its present level in Nigeria should be included in a panel to advice government on how to give more Nigerians education using the strategy that has worked for them.

    “The last time Nigerians were able to pursue education that lead to award of recognized certificates on this scale was in the olden days when people were taking foreign correspondence courses. The distance learning of NOUN therefore makes for educational revival for all citizenry.”