The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Pupil

  • Edumark boss counsels pupils on diplomacy

    The Chief Executive Officer of Edumark Consults, Mrs Yinka Ogunde, has implored  secondary school pupils to be abreast of information with respect to international issues and etiquette. She said getting acquainted with the aforementioned would prepare them for the world ahead.

    Mrs Ogunde made the call during The African FutureTrust Model United Nations (TAFMUN) which held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, where she spoke on the theme: ‘Preparing them for the future’.

    TAFMUN, organised by  FutureTrust Initiative for Capacity Building (FTI), an NGO, is modelled after the United Nations general assembly to expose secondary school pupils to international affairs.

    They are given roles as delegates of various countries and research problems of such countries and propose resolutions.

    Lauding the intiative, Mrs Ogunde said: “My generation was not prepared for this world of global village and global technology; but in another way we were prepared through education and information that we were exposed to. The youths of today should be fully prepared for the future that cannot fully be envisaged by exposing themselves to international issues and their impacts on them”.

    Ogunde added that the times of children being seen and not heard had long gone, noting that they  should be equipped for leadership and decision making roles through education and information.

    Earlier, the Founder FTI, Mrs Maureen Egbuche, advised the delegates, SS2 pupils from various secondary schools, to inculcate the attitudes and knowledge that would be instilled in them.

    She said they would be trained in areas such as critical thinking, capacity building, international etiquettes and rigorous debates. She added that at the end of the conference, each delegate would be required to submit a 16-page research on International issues in Nigeria.

    “Pupils will engage in rigorous debates as ambassadors, experts and activists to tackle the international community’s pressing issues. It is a time to step out of your comfort zones and we are confident that pupils who participate in our conference will become the policy shapers and world leaders of tomorrow”, Egbuche said.

    TAFMUN 2016 Secretary General, Miss Chisom Ogbummmuo, also advised delegates to be cooperative, cultivate friendships as well as see the world as it ought to be during the training.

  • Soyinka to mentor pupils, parents

    Soyinka to mentor pupils, parents

    Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka is scheduled to kick start activities to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Halifield School, Maryland, Lagos, with a keynote address today.

    Director of the school Mrs Halima Oke said Prof Soyinka would be speaking on the theme: ‘The dream, the reality and the possibilities,’ to mentor pupils and guests.

    In a briefing with reporters, Mrs Oke noted that this year’s celebration would run all through September, with various activities, the peak of which will be an opportunity to learn from Soyinka and notable motivational speaker Fela Durotoye.

    It will climax with a closing ceremony on September 20.

    Mrs Oke is optimistic that learning from such notable citizens will inspire her pupils.

    She said: “When you get to see a legend in childhood, it results in many things that we are not aware of immediately. So we have the expectation that our children will see Soyinka and want to be like him. He is a legend, he will be a motivation to our children to excel and most of them will be inspired to make a mark in their country and the world at large.”

    Oke said the school’s success and growth over the past 20 years were credited to staff loyalty and cooperation, as well as the satisfaction of raising children and working with understanding parents.

    She decried government’s poor attitude to developed schools, through multiple taxation, local government harassment, among others.

    “We are very good partners with the state government. We are compliant. But we have the local government always harassing us and when necessary, we go to court. They have forced us to buy our own transformer, they ask for certificates of fumigation, they even tried forcing us to build a recycling plant, but our lawyer fought against it, because even big estates don’t have such. We keep having these issues over and over again. It is unfortunate because government should know that there is a lot more we spend than our tax payments. So if they look at a school, and without even knowing the population but because it looks big, they impose big taxes on us, they seem insensitive.”

    She noted that her school prides itself in training the total child through theory, practical and engaging the child’s mind.

    She counseled government to broaden the curriculum to include morals, civic education and history.

    “We blend the Nigerian curriculum with the British and American curriculums. The Nigerian curriculum is strong but it is not broad enough. Imagine a curriculum without history. We buy storybooks that contain history, always looking for a little piece of our history to teach our children. We must know where we are coming from so that we can know where we are going and not making mistakes from the past,” she said.

     

  • Pupil beats them all

    Pupil beats them all

    The Junior Engineering Technicians and Scientists (JET) competition organised for private and public schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ended, with Master Essien of Stella Marris Schools walking away with the top prize.

    Ibok who was this year’s overall Best Graduating Student of Stella Marris, beat other winners from the six local councils in the FCT.

    He is to represent the nation’s capital in the national JET competition scheduled to hold next month in Port Harcourt.

    The Head Teacher, Stella Marris Nursery and Primary School, Area 1, Mr. Bitsu Zamani Bitrus said that if Ibok eventually wins the national contest, he will represent the nation in North Korea where the final edition of the competition will take place.

    Bitrus said the competition was organised by Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to develop pupils especially in science-related subjects.

    The contestants were tested in Maths, Physics, Science, Basic Technology and Computer.

     

  • Pupil shines brightest at Mind Builders

    Pupil shines brightest at Mind Builders

    For Miriam Atobiloye, standing close to the podium saved her the trouble of going back and forth when her name was repeatedly called for awards.

    It was at the graduation and prize-giving day of Mindbuilders Schools Alausa, Lagos. She bagged 19 awards, the highest on the occasion.

    Atobiloye bagged awards in others in academics and endowment. She could not contain her excitement. She was all smiles.

    “I am so happy I can’t even express it. God is always first so I pray and work hard. If you pray and don’t work hard, nothing will come out of it and vice versa. So, prayer and diligence helped,” she told The Nation.

    Atobiloye, who was the former head girl and has the ambition of being a pediatrician, while delivering the valedictory speech,  told her juniors to buckle up and work hard because “there is no time to waste”.

    She urged them not to be deterred by life’s challenges, adding that despite the challenges that came with her father’s death two years ago, she could not be hindered from achieving her dream.

    The principal, Mr Francis Fasuyi, said the graduating pupils were creative and intelligent.

    “Education is not only about academics, I can see that they have mixed abilities. Some are creative, some athletic, social and they all blend in all areas. We always give our students word of encouragement. To look at the perfection, do things in perfection. Although no one is perfect, but you work towards it,” he said.

    The school’s Director, Mrs Bola Falore, advised the graduands to push themselves harder and aim high to achieve their desired success.

    “As you pass out of High School today, the odyssey into the real world begins; the world is not picture-perfect. Your parents and teachers have shielded you from many threats, but growing up means letting go of their nurturing. You are the representative of MindBuilders, hence you must work hard and push yourself to bring pride and glory to your alma mater,” she advised.

    The guest speaker at the ceremony, Pastor Ngozi Nwadialo, who is the School Administrator of S. T. and T. Regency College, Ikeja, spoke about the dividends of discipline, integrity and accountability as one advances to the next phase in life.

    Speaking with The Nation on the sideline, she said: “The fundamental thing they must have is discipline because it is the birthroot of anybody in this life. Whether you are old or young, we are particular about the youth being disciplined because we have a lot of distractions, especially in the present Information and Communications Technology (ICT) age.

    “And now they are going to the next stage of their life, their parents are not going to reach them well except through telephone or a visit. They are accountable for everything they do, so the whole responsibility is on them.”

    Outgone head boy, Victor Enike, was nostalgic about leaving his alma mater.

    Although excited about moving on, he said: “My experience in Mind Builders has been wonderful right from the day I stepped into the school compound. So, I would miss the school a lot. I had a few problems with controlling the students, they were sometimes uncooperative, but it all worked out in the end,” he said.

  • Pupil attacks teacher with matchete

    A pupil of Community Secondary School, Alor Uno, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State attacked a classroom teacher with a machete, giving him cuts on the head.

    The boy, identified as Ebuka, attacked the teacher identified as Ike, for punishing his girlfriend.

    Ebuka, said to have acted under the influence of alcohol, hid the machete under his cloth and beckoned on Ike.

    Ike, on sensing danger, took to his heels but Ebuka chased him into a classroom and cut him with the machete.

    Ike was rushed to a private hospital for treatment.

    Ebuka was over-powered and handed to the police. He said his girlfriend reported Ike to him and he decided to retaliate.

    Ebuka’s family members are trying to settle out of court.

    The police confirmed the incident, insisting that Ebuka would be prosecuted.

  • Pupil killed, others injured in crash

    A pupil of Covenant Secondary School, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, died on Sunday and others sustained injuries in an accident in the metropolis.

    The deceased, Jalekaiye Dominion, reportedly died from head injuries. His body has been deposited in the mortuary. The injured are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja.

    It was learnt that 50 boarding pupils were on their way to school after a Sunday service at the Living Faith Church at Phase II when the crash occurred.

    According to an eyewitness account, a truck trying to avoid a pothole on the Murtala Muhammed Way, hit the state mass transit bus conveying the pupils to school, from the back.

    Three persons were said to have died and many sustained injuries in another accident at Felele, Lokoja.

    It was said to have involved a cement company truck, which lost control and veered into a market, ramming into commercial motorcyclists conveying passengers from the market.

    The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps

    (FRSC) could not be reached for confirmation on the phone, as his line was unreachable.

     

  • SS3 pupil killed in clash

    A final year pupil of Birninkudu Government Day Secondary School in Birninkudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State has been allegedly killed by suspected Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) thugs in Birninkudu.

    A source said the 17-year-boy went to a barbing salon to cut his hair about 7pm and a fight ensued between suspected PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters. He was killed during the fight.

    Police spokesman Abdu Jinjiri confirmed the incident.

    He said the command had arrested three people.

     

  • Pupil stabbed in Ibadan

    A Senior Secondary School (SS) II pupil of Muslim Grammar School, Ibadan, Toib Wahab, has been stabbed to death by his friend.

    It was gathered that Wahab(18) and Folarin Sadiq (19) were arguing when the latter brought out a knife from his bag and stabbed Toib in the stomach.

    The incident caused chaos in the school, which is located in Odinjo on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    A teacher, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “We tried all we could to save Toib’s life.”

    Police spokesman Kayode Ajisebutu said the suspect has been arrested and the murder weapon recovered.

    He said the encounter occurred outside the school.

  • Pupil puts Africa on ICT map

    Pupil puts Africa on ICT map

    Managing Director of Readmanna Ventures, Mrs Edna Agusto, had reasons to be excited at the national awards programme for last year’s Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist National Championship held at Queen’s College, Lagos.

    One reason was that the firm secured a significant sponsor for this year’s edition of the competition.  The other was that her daughter, Olubunmi, became the first African to win on the global stage of the 13-year old competition last year.

    Olubunmi, a pupil of Day Waterman College, Abeokuta, won second place in the Microsoft Word 2007 category of the Certiport Microsoft Office World Championship after earning the highest score of 967 in the national edition of the competition last year.  She won $2,500 for her effort in the competition held at Disneyland, Carlifornia, United States.  Mrs Agusto described the success as a victory for Africa. She was particularly happy that Nigeria got recognition on the world stage after so many years of the national winners being denied visas to compete.

    “When Agusto’s name was called, all Africans in the hall became Nigerians and they started shouting ‘Africa, Africa’.  Thank you Bunmi for making us proud,” she said.

    Following Nigeria’s performance, Delta Airlines has offered eight return tickets to the 2015 edition of the competition holding in Dallas, Texas.

    An excited Mrs Agusto said this would allow the organisers fly all the six winners of the three categories (Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint) that would emerge from the national contest in Nigeria, as well as two teachers for the competition. Representatives of the airline were at the awards programme to assure that the promise was real.

    Seasoned Banker and Chairman of Main One Cable, Mr Fola Adeola, who chaired the occasion, added $500 more to Olubunmi’s prize money, bringing it to $3,000.  He challenged other pupils at the event to enter for this year’s edition of the competition and excel on the global stage so they could also win extra money like Olubunmi.

    “I will increase the $2,500 to $3,000.  That amount is to encourage the next African champion,” he said.

    At the event, Olubunmi got a laptop and printer for winning in Word 2007 category and a laptop for coming third in the Powerpoint 2007 category.  The 17 other winners and runners up in the Microsoft Word 2007/2010; Excel 2007/2010 and the Powerpoint 2007/2010 categories were also presented with laptops and printers.

    For the next edition, Mrs Agusto said candidates would only contest in the 2010 and 2013 versions of the Microsoft Office software applications as the 2007 versions have been phased out globally.

    She admonished secondary schools to register their pupils, as well as university undergraduates to participate in the competition, which is open to 13-22 year olds, so they can win Xbox One video games next year.

    The event also featured a talk by Mr Olalekan Olude Co-founder of Jobberman, an online search engine for jobs, and an ICT quiz competition in which the secondary school participants won the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

    Olude urged the pupils to think out of the box and be the best – like he did as an undergraduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University and was selected for an internship to work with Goldman Sachs. He said he earned up to N1million working at the firm during his holidays.

    He said the MOS competition would equip the pupils with skills that would separate them from the crowd.

    “What they are doing now will definitely stand them now.  One of the major problems that we see is that people lack soft skills and these are some of the soft skills required – ability to use presentation software, ability to be able use Excel and Microsoft Word.  And this would be a plus for them,” he said

  • Pupil manufactures remote control car

    A senior secondary two pupil of Lizben Group of Schools Alagbado, Olamiyiwa Maleek, has manufactured a remote control car.

    The car was showcased during the school’s exhibition at the school’s premises.

    Maleek, who intends to become an aeronautic engineer, claimed he got the inspiration to construct a car from his playmates four years ago. He expressed his appreciation for his mother’s words of encouragement, and urged other parents to emulate her.

    The proprietor of the school, Pastor Reuben Ajayi, stressed the importance of science education in the development of the nation.

    He noted that a better education in science for children could mean better things for society by helping them develop into more responsible citizens who help to build on strong economy, contribute to healthier environment and bring about a brighter future for everyone.

    One of the conveners of the event, Mr. Innocent Madu while explaining the rationale behind the programme, described science as facilitators to free and open access to information to provide facts and evidences that can guide and shape policy to the betterment of society through technological improvements.