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Tag: Prof. Anthony Anwukah

  • Special treatment for teachers soon, says Fed Govt

    The Federal Government on Monday said efforts were underway to accord teachers special status in the society.

    Minister of State for Education, Prof Anthony Anwukah, disclosed this to reporters in an interview in his office in Abuja 27 days after returning from the U.S. for medical treatment.

    Anwukah said he has prepared a memo that will enable the government review teacher quality and training.

    He said: “I am proposing a memo to the government. We have to look again at teacher quality and training in Nigeria and to get the right people into (the) teaching profession.

    “We have to give a particular unique status to teachers in this country. Remove them from the normal grade level strata. You employ a teacher on Grade Level 8, you employ an agric attendant on Grade Level 8, there is nothing special for teachers.

    “I am making a proposal that the teachers will have some attraction that will make quality people get into teaching.

    “If you want to get quality teachers in this country, we must accelerate teachers every point for instance to be at Grade 9 while others come into Grade 8; that will be an attraction for special talents to go into the teaching profession to improve the quality of teaching and learning in our school system.

    “We must have to rethink teacher training, teacher quality in this country. Quality persons must be attracted into the teaching profession. We must have to provide incentives for teachers so that it will attract quality people into the teaching profession.

     

  • FG mulls special treatment for teachers

    FG mulls special treatment for teachers

    The Federal Government on Monday said efforts are underway to accord teachers special status in the society.

    Minister of State for Education, Prof Anthony Anwukah, Disclosed this to reporters in an interview in his office in Abuja 27 days after returning from the U.S. for treatment of cholesterol.

    Prof. Anwukah said he has prepared a memo that will enable the government to look at teacher quality and training in the country.

    He said: “I am proposing a memo to the government. We have to look again at teacher quality and training in Nigeria and to get the right people into (the) teaching profession.

    “We have to give a particular unique status to teachers in this country. Remove them from the normal grade level strata. You employ a teacher on grade level 8, you employ an agric attendant on grade level 8, there is nothing special for teachers.

    “I am making a proposal that the teachers will have some attraction that will make quality people get into teaching.

    “If you want to get quality teachers in this country we must accelerate teachers every point for instance to be at grade 9 while others come into grade 8. So that there will be an attraction for special talents to go into the teaching profession to improve the quality of teaching and learning in our school system.

    “We must have to rethink teacher training, teacher quality in this country. Quality persons must be attracted into the teaching profession. We must have to provide incentives for teachers so that it we attract quality people into the teaching profession.

    He said the debate generated over his health condition in the media was unnecessary, adding that he was not treated for prostate cancer as was reported.

    “I have no prostate cancer,” the minister said.

  • Court reinstates deposed Imo traditional ruler

    Court reinstates deposed Imo traditional ruler

    An Owerri High Court, on Wednesday reinstated Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, the traditional ruler of Obinugwu autonomous community in Orlu Local Government Area, who was deposed by Imo Government.

    The court also declared that the purported withdrawal of Ilomuanya’s certificate of recognition and staff of office by Gov. Rochas Okorocha on June 6, 2014 was “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.”

    Since 2011, Eze Ilomuanya had won nine legal cases against the Imo Government.

    Justice Theresa Chikeka, in his ruling, frowned at the governor’s conduct in claiming that he had dethroned the monarch vide a press release signed by the then Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Anwukah.

    Anwukah is the current Minister of State (Education).

    The judge said that the government breached Law N0.6 of 2006 and violated various court judgments, restraining the governor or his assignees from doing anything that would truncate Ilomuanya’s tenure as Chairman of Imo Traditional Rulers ‘Council.

    “Such release by the Secretary to the State Government was not a lawful instrument of authority and therefore null and void as it violates the express provisions of Law No. 6 of 2006,” the court maintained.

    She noted that the defence put up by Okorocha’s counsel, Chief Eddy Onyema, was alien to Nigeria’s rules.

    The court noted that in spite issuing an order on June 4, 2014, ordering that parties allow pending appeal at the Supreme Court, the governor and his attorney general, two days later, violated the said directive.

    “The actions of the governor contravened Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.

    “Similarly, Sections 13 and 14 (1) of Law No. 6 of 2006 provide conditions precedent in Section 14 (1) (a-h), before the governor can exercise his powers.

    “It was wrong for the governor to have acted as he did when the Court of Appeal judgment of July 5, 2013 was still subsisting.

    “The entire objections of the governor are misconceptions of Law,” Chikeka maintained.

    Reacting to the judgment, Mr Miletus Nlemedum, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, said the state would appeal the judgment.

    According to the commissioner, this is a miscarriage of justice and we will appeal the ruling.

  • Buhari orders ban of unregistered teachers from classrooms

    Buhari orders ban of unregistered teachers from classrooms

    President Muhammadu Buhari and Ministers of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and Prof. Anthony Anwukah, have agreed to ban unqualified and unregistered teachers from classrooms, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye has said.

    He also said the Federal Government would not employ teachers without registration certificates and licenses from the TRCN under the 500, 000 teachers’ scheme.

    Prof. Ajiboye said this during the 10th Education Conference in Abuja on Wednesday with the theme: “Improving Education Standards and Emulating the Global Perspective and Practices.”

    Ajiboye said: “Presently, it has been accepted by the Federal Government, the President, the ministers of education have agreed that no one again that is not qualified, that is not registered with TRCN will stand in front of our classrooms.

    “I can assure you that no one will be employed as a teacher by the federal government without license and registration certificate.

    “We are calling on all teachers, if you know yourself and you refer to yourself as a professional teacher you must be registered with TRCN. You must carry our certificate and our license.

    “At the last induction ceremony that was conducted last week in OAU, six professors registered with TRCN and 14 other academics were also inducted into the teaching profession.”

    Prof. Ajiboye, who called on teachers both in public and private schools to ensure they are duly registered and licensed by the council, said Kaduna state government, had directed its teachers to obtain their licenses and registration certificates before they would be promoted.

    The registrar, who said teachers in private schools, had started registering with the council, called on orders that are yet to register with TRCN to do so.

    “Teachers in private schools are also expected to be registered and licensed by TRCN. According to the law establishing the council we are the ones who can talk about who is a teacher in this country.

    “Currently, teachers in private schools are responding to TRCN’s call for them to come and register. Now we are in the level of persuasion when we move beyond this level we will go to the enforcement of the law.

    “Kaduna state government has really gone out to tell the teachers that look if you are not registered with TRCN you cannot be promoted. This is what we want to encourage in all the states,” he said.

    Earlier in her remarks, President of NAPPS, Dr. Sally Adukwu-Bolujoko, called on the federal government to invest 50 per cent of the budget on education.

    “Government should invest 50 % of the national budget every year for the next 20 years to revamp public schools from dilapidation and degeneration. From 2012 to date, all the budgets in education have just been about 11%. Whereas you know that UNESCO’s benchmark for developing country is 26%. Countries like Senegal, Ivory Coast have begun to give more than 26% and ourselves, with our large population, and the biggest economy in Africa, we have not reached half the mark of UNESCO.

    “The state of our public school is appalling. It is not a place where value is given. It is a place where the values children acquire from good homes get eroded. We are asking that as a matter of strategy focus on education by funding it and having the political will to drive and to monitor our money till it delivers results.

    “We are bothered that the Nigerian child’s education is poor, under the threes, dilapidated houses, sitting on bricks and on the floor. Every child should be captured in school. No longer should Nigerian child be at home or hawking when others are in school,” she said.

  • NUC grants provisional license to eight private universities 

    NUC grants provisional license to eight private universities 

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) on Tuesday granted provisional licenses to the eight newly approved private universities to run degree programmes.

    Executive Secretary (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed presented the certificates to representatives of the eight universities at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

    He warned proprietors of the universities against subjecting their academic staff to degrading treatment and all forms of practices inimical to democratic freedom.

    All but one of the newly licensed universities is located in the southern part of the country, bringing the total number of universities in the country to 152.

    The ES said the NUC issued provisional licences to the universities after a rigorous assessment exercise, adding that the commission was fully satisfied of the facilities on ground in terms of human and material resources.

    He however warned that what have been issued are provisional licenses which may be withdrawn in the event of poor performance or breach of standards.

    “What is being issued today is a provisional license with a lifespan of three years. In line with global best practice, the new universities would be mentored by older ones for the next couple of years.

    “The NUC will assist these eight universities to commence new programmes to make them different in some areas from the older ones.

    “Dictatorship in the running of a university would not be tolerated and this you must avoid at all cost,” he said.

    In his address, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, said Nigeria needs more universities to increase access to tertiary education.

    According to him, the 152 universities in the country today are grossly inadequate to meet the demands of tertiary education.

    “With these 8, it means the ratio of the universities in relation to population is 1 for 23 million people, a challenge that must be addressed, considering the huge population of Nigeria conservatively put at 170 million today,” he said.

    Earlier in his remarks, Chairman, Standing Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU), Prof. Akaneren Essien congratulated the new institutions for scaling the difficult hurdle involved in issuance of provisional licenses, noting that all eight universities are ready for students to commence their academic activities.

    According to him, the process of getting the license took between two to fourteen years, recalling with pain the death of some SCOPU members in the 2012 Dana plane crash while on assessment of four of the universities even as he prayed God to grant their souls eternal rest in peace.

    The newly licensed private universities are Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos State (owned by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry); Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State (owned by Clitter House Nigeria Limited); Clifford University, Owerrinta, Abia State (owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church); Coal City University, Enugu, Enugu State (owned by ATCOICOE Nigeria Limited).

    Others are Crown-Hill University, Eiyenkorin, Kwara State (owned by Modern Morgy and Sons Limited); Dominican University, Ibadan, Oyo State (owned by the Order of Preachers, Nigeria, Dominican Community; Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, Oyo State (owned the Kola Daisi Foundation); and Legacy University, Okija, Anambra State (owned by the Good Idea Education Foundation).

     

  • Govt flags off independent power supply in 40 federal varsities

    The Federal Government in conjunction with the German Energy Partnership Project on Thursday formally flagged off its independent power supply initiative to all the 40 federal universities in the country with the Ground-breaking ceremony of a 10-Mega Watts Solar Power Plant at the University of Ibadan.

    Performing the ceremony on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari at the Ajibode Extension location of the University of Ibadan, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, described the event as “an historic occasion in the life of the university and of our nation” adding that it is in line with the national energy policy.

    “That the project is commencing at the University of Ibadan should not surprise anyone. This is where the story of University education in Nigeria started,” the minister stated. He added the fact that UI, with its huge staff and student population had necessitated a corresponding high energy requirement which is in the region of 6 to 8 Mega Watts.

    Anwukah remarked that the Federal Government, in its bid to replicate the gesture to all the 40 federal universities in Nigeria, envisaged that the project should be achieved through the utilization of off-grid Independent Power Plants (IPPs) which falls under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.

    He noted that “it was in this respect that the Federal Government, under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, recently launched the Energizing Education Programme Initiative (EEPI), a collaborative effort of the Federal Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to ensure self-sufficiency in power to all the 40 Federal Universities in the country.”

    The EEPI is aimed at providing reliable power supply which, in turn, will promote economic growth and sustainable development in our Universities, the Minister further clarified.

    The minister said further: “This is why the Federal government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has committed itself to this project with the provision of Funds. It clearly attests to government’s commitment to supporting a robust educational system. The project, when completed, will also ensure the realization of the vision of the University of Ibadan in becoming a world-class University, in the sense that academic activities will be boosted, and ground-breaking researches can be conducted.

    “For our universities to be highly rated in Africa and the world, we must have a good research infrastructure, and a provision of energy is very key in the process. The plant will also have the multiplier effect of providing electricity to neighbouring communities. Government is keenly interested in this project, and its timely completion and effective utilization will inform an extension of the project to other Universities. We shall, therefore, be monitoring the progress of the project. It is expected that the faculties of Science and technology and the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law would take advantage of his project to enhance the capacity of their staff, while embarking on further research in renewable energy resources.”

    Also speaking at the event, the German ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Bernard Schlagheck, assured that the project, which is a culmination of more than two years of negotiations involving the University of Ibadan, the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the German Government, would be completed and ready for commissioning within the next six months.

    In attendance at the ground-breaking ceremony were dignitaries including the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole who is also the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka; as well as the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Ajeogungunniso I

  • 25.3 million Nigerians out of school – FG

    25.3 million Nigerians out of school – FG

    The Federal Government on Monday said about 25.3 million Nigerian children and youths are out of school across the country.

    To reduce this figure, the government said it plans to enrol about 2. 9 million pupils annually in four years to reduce the figure of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

    Nigeria currently has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world with 11. 4 million out – of – school children out of the 20 million worldwide.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said 60 per cent of the 11.4 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls.

    Adamu, who said this at the presentation of “Education for change: a Ministerial Strategic Plan (2016-2019) to stakeholders in Abuja, said only 3.1 million or 17 per cent nomadic children of school-age had access to basic education despite decades of intervention.

    He therefore said government would urgently raise the national Net Enrolment Rate (NER) to ensure that are enrolled in basic education schools in the next four years.

    The Minister said: “About 25.3 million students at all levels of education are out- of- school in the country.

    “Nigeria has the highest number of out of school children in the world with 11. 4 million out- of-school children of the 20 million worldwide. These include the girl-child, Almajiri-child, children of nomadic pastoralists and migrant fishermen and more recently the children displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

    “60% of the 11.4 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls. Only a fraction (17%) of the 3.1 million nomadic children of school-age has access to basic education despite decades of intervention. Similarly, only a small proportion of the FME’s 20120 estimate of 9.5 million Almajiri children have access to any form of basic education.

    “An increasing number of displaced children (1 million) are being forced out of school in the insurgency-stricken states. These figures suggest that the educational process has given these groups of marginalized children very little access to education.

    “For the 11.4 million out-of-school children the most urgent concern is raising the national Net Enrolment Rate (NER) to ensure that all of them are enrolled in basic education schools in the next four years. To achieve this target, the government planes to enrol, 2, 875,000 pupils annually for the next four years.

    “The FME will come up with more effective strategies for engaging with states in addressing the problem of escalating numbers of out-of-school children including where necessary, the use of targeted funding that deliberately addresses the factors of exclusion.”

    Adamu said the government would renovate the schools destroyed by Boko Haram and construct additional 71, 875 classrooms annually for the next four years to accommodate the pupils.

    The minister also said the government would provide additional 71, 875 qualified teachers through the deployment of the 14 per cent of the new teachers to be recruited by the federal government annually to cater for the anticipated increase in pupils’ enrolment.

    “The government will renovate the schools destroyed by Boko Haram and construct additional 71, 875 classrooms annually for the next four years to accommodate the anticipated increase in enrollment of out-of-school children.

    “Provide additional 71, 875 qualified teachers through the deployment of the 14% of the new teachers to be recruited by the federal government annually to cater for the anticipated increase in pupils’ enrolment.

    “Raise the current enrolment of girls in the basic education schools by 1.5 million girls annually for the next four years if the 6 million girls currently out of school are to be provided with access to basic education as required by the UBE law.

    “Deploy 37, 500 qualified female teachers, (or 7.5% of the 500,000 new teachers to be recruited by the federal government annually), to serve as role models for female pupils/students; and determine the amount of resources in terms of the learning materials and other facilities, as specified in UBEC’s school norms and standards, required for training the Education For All (EFA) goals,” he added.

    Earlier, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, said the education sector needed strengthening for Nigeria to meet goal four of the SDG.

    According to Anwukah, the efficient and effective implementation of the Strategic Plan when finalized by all levels of governments and stakeholders would offer Nigerians the means to optimize opportunities, create solutions and find new paths to a better future.

    He said: “For Nigeria to meet the targets of the SDG 4, the education sector needs strengthening, our dilapidated schools must be provided with befitting infrastructure to become learner-friendly for all learners, including girls, the vulnerable and those with special needs.

    “We must recruit and re-train existing teachers for quality delivery. Every child, girl or boy must not only enroll in school but must complete the full cycle of basic education and must be seen to learn. Our tertiary institutions must be citadels of learning that foster innovation to meet the needs of the workforce, strengthen research capacities and advance knowledge by increasing higher education opportunities for young people.

    “It is important also to say that education for change must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of their own times.”

     

     

  • Minister queries FG’s implementation of 500,000 teachers’ recruitment

    Minister queries FG’s implementation of 500,000 teachers’ recruitment

    The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, Wednesday queried how the Federal Government planned to identify graduates and National Certificate of Education teachers for the proposed 500,000 teaching jobs to boost basic education in the country.

    He also queried how the proposed recruits by the government would be distributed across the country.

    Prof. Anwukah expressed these observations on Tuesday in Abuja at the inauguration of a committee to work out how the proposed recruitment would be done.

    The minister, who walked out journalists from the meeting after refusing to answer questions on the numbers of committee members, duration of their assignment as well as the chairman of the committee, urged the committee to come up with collective efforts that would reposition the country’s education.

    He said: “How will we identify this 500, 000 potential teachers? Is it position to source the 500,000 teachers out of the already trained NCE and graduate education candidates? Is it possible to source this number of teachers from the pool of already trained but unemployed NCE and graduate education teachers?

    “How will they be distributed to the states when they are recruited? Is it on a quality of states? Or will it be based on justified needs of the states? What will be the role of the states in funding and supervision of the projects? How sustainable will the project be? Is it going to be a one shut affair? Or is it going to be annual and continuous? What is the name of this project? Is it basic education cost? What are we going to call it? We must give it a name. Who owns the project?

    “In fact your mandate, our mandate is to reposition education for the better in our country. And that is a very serious responsibility. The first leg in this very serious dance is the responsibility placed on us to recruit, train and deploy 500, 000 teachers, NCE and graduate teachers for our basic education sector.

    “To kick start the effort, the ministry relied very much on the 2016 (2015) budget speech of Mr. President on the shortage of teachers in public schools across the country promised to recruit, train and deploy 500,000 unemployed graduates and NCE holders and deploy them to our primary school.

    “It is the feeling that this measure will no doubt help to reducing the level of unemployment in the country and greatly aide in producing teachers and enhancing teacher quality.”

    He said that the committee has the responsibility to examine and recommend the methodology to adopt in the recruitment, training and deployment of such teachers.

    The committee in its terms of reference also has the responsibility to calculate the cost of the recruitment project.

    The committee is also expected to take other measures that would aid in the achievement of the recruitment objectives.

    He said: “To determine in addition the pedagogical communication and other skills critical to such teachers that will be recruited and trained. To spell out the nature on the ratio of the remedial and other refresher courses the selected trainee teachers will need to go through. And to determine the viability, feasibility of the proposal in the first instance.

    “These were the very broad terms of reference given to us. As I said it is a very big order. It’s a tall order of the federal government to actualize the provision of teachers in our basic education sector and at the same token scratch on the unemployment problem in the country by such recruitment.”