The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pupils

  • Total counsels secondary school pupils on careers

    About a hundred pupils from some public and private secondary schools on Lagos Island left the 3rd Deep Water Open Day Forum organised by Total E&P Nigeria Limited (TEPNG), Deep Water District last Saturday better educated about oil and gas operations, career opportunities, and success tips.

    The programme, which held at Total Tower Staff Canteen, Victoria Island, Lagos, featured various presentations by workers of the company and officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Education and an interactive session that gave the participants an opportunity to ask questions.

    In his speech, the Deputy Managing Director, Lagos District, Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria (TUCN), Mr Musa Ahmadu-Kida, said the programmes was designed to provide the young ones with useful information that can guide their career choices.

    “As part of our company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy to our society and its citizens, the Open Day is designed to be an annual youth development programme organised by the company both in Deep Water and Joint Venture Districts. The objective is to afford students opportunity to plan their future careers by exposing them to industry activities and professionals, said Ahmadu-Kida, who was represented by Mr Olalere Babalola. Executive General Manager, Authorities and Regulatory Agencies.

    On her part, the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adegbule, represented by the Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs Ronke Soyombo, praised the company for organising the programme, which she described as laudable.

    She counseled the pupils to be attentive and learn from the programme.

    The motivational talk by Mr Louis Ogbeifun, The Manager Tax, was the icing on the cake of a fulfiling day learning about Total’s operations.

    Speaking on the topic, “The Dreams of today are the Realities of Tomorrow”, Ogbeifun encouraged the pupils not to give up on their dreams because they lack the capacity, qualifications or funds but make efforts to address whatever is deficient in their lives.

    He also counseled them to nurture their talents so they could stand out in the crowd.

    “Identify your X-factor – the extra factor you have that gives you an edge.  You must create something in yourself that sets you apart. When I got to military school, I was so slim compared to others. But I decided to find my x-factor. I found I could do well in marathons because I was slim. I was the best marathon runner. I would run and look back and for the last 2km nobody would cross. There was no rival. Find your X-Factor; it will make you in life,” he said.

    Other presentations included: human resources (by Patrick Ucho; CSR (by Mrs Igazuema Okoroba); Field Operations (Mrs Oghenero Ozobeme); Health! Safety and Environment (John Oyelakin) and overview of TEPNG by Mr Babalola.

    Speaking on the benefits of attending the programme, Popoola Basit, an SS1 pupil of Ebute Elefun Senior High School, Sura, Lagos Island, said his experience at the programme would make him more courageous to follow his own goals.

  • ‘Local excursions build pupil’s patriotism’

    Elite schools may boast about organizing foreign trips for their pupils, however, Head of School at City of Knowledge Academy (CKA), Ijebu-Ode, Ms Abiola Lamikanra, said it is important for Nigerian children to know and be proud of their country.

    To this end, she said her school, which is in its second year of existence, ensures pupils travel within Nigeria.

    Ms Lamikanra, who spoke during the school’s Open Day, said it is an important part of learning and culture that contributes to all-round education that the school provides.

    “Our ethical pillars are Culture, Character and Confidence.  They must be proud to be Nigerians. They go for excursions.  We have been to Osun State to visit the Osun/Oshogo Shrine; they have visited the Ikogosi warm and cold springs in Ekiti State.  It is children that live in Lagos and school in Lagos and get on the plane to go elsewhere that have a distorted view of Nigeria.   But here, they go to places in Nigeria and they learn that their country is so beautiful,” she said.

    However, Ms Lamikanra said being culturally-grounded does not mean that pupils of the school cannot compete with their peers on the international stage.  She said the school invests in training that leverages on the Information Communicaiton Technology (ICT).

    She said: “At the beginning of this session we instructed our teachers that with the trends in education today, a lot of teaching and learning is done through technology. Our goal is to produce global citizens who can fit in anywhere in the world.

    “The emphasis is on technology, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), where students and staff can interact.  We are cautious of the fact that we are running a blended curriculum.  We have enlarged our classes because we now have the whole of the World Wide Web as part of our environment.

    “In the classroom with the children on their net book they can access whatever they are told to do by their teachers.  The teachers also go on net to find relevant information for the children or to use in class. In all this we make sure that our students are problem solvers, critical thinkers, and inquirers.”

    Three pupils of the school, Sanaa Akindele (Year Eight), Zainab Lawal (Year 9), and Michael Momoh (Year 7) conducted visitors on a tour the school’s expansive facilities.

    Sanaa, 12, said she was enjoying the school because of the way the teachers help pupils to understand whatever they are taught.

    “It has changed me for the better in my studies, especially Mathematics.  When I came to this school, I did not like Maths but now it is very easy,” she said.

    Her Mathematics Teacher, Mr Joseph Osisanya, said he teaches in such a way that encourages the pupils to learn on their own.

    “I have evolved methods of teaching my students how to work maths instead of teaching maths.  During class, I give individual attention.  The highflyers, I give tasks; for those lagging behind, I move close to them so they can catch up.  We have won two awards in two years of existence,” she said.

    A parent, Mrs Nkechi Ezeibube, said she came all the way from Onitsha to enroll her twins, Santos and Nmesoma because she and her husband sought a school that could deliver superior education, which they believed was more readily available in the Southwest than in the Southeast.

    “We wanted our children to come to the west because I hear so much about the west and how they study.  I want them to come here and challenge their brains,” she said.

  • Skilled pupils steal show at fair

    Skilled pupils steal show at fair

    Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, does not take the implementation of the Trade Subjects component of the Senior Secondary School Curriculum lightly.

    Saturdays are used to learn practical skills in the six trade subjects (Fashion Design; Photography; Aluminium fabrication; Grooming; bead making; and event and decoration) that the school has chosen to focus on.

    The results of the practical sessions were displayed during the school’s first ever Young Entrepreneur Fair (YEF) penultimate week.

    The pupils showcased what they had learnt with an array of products that impressed parents including beads, jewelries, garments sewn by them; aluminum windows which they fabricated and photographs, among others.  The programme also featured a competition in the six trade areas in which the top three winners were rewarded with tools for each of the trade.

    Success Oke, who sewed the best dress, got a sewing machine; Samuel Abba got a camera for coming first in Photography; Blessing Akakpo got decoration tools for winning the Event and Decoration category; Azeem Arowosaye was given a set of barbing tools for coming first in Grooming; Ibukun Olanipekun won bead making tools for the category; while Group One, made up of four pupils got welding tools for winning Aluminum Fabrication category.

    Expressing her delight on the initiative, Rita Obiele, Success Oke’s cousin, said the programme has helped to enhance the teenager’s creativity.

    “I noticed creativity in her.  She can draw and she is always staying with one of my nieces who is a fashion designer.  This initiative is very good.  In our country today there is no white collar job.  It only takes the creativity in you to succeed,” she said.

    The programme also featured talks from two alumni of the school, who are now successful entrepreneurs.

    One of them, Gbenga Ayo-Dada praised the initiative and the school for preparing the pupils well for the future.  The graduate of Philosophy, who runs a business designing beaded jewelry, counseled parents to allow their wards express themselves in whatever careers they are comfortable with and not box them to a corner.

    “Most of my siblings came to Doregos.  They were all award winners.  I was not; but the teachers did not discriminate.  Parents, not all your children will excel in academics; we are all different.  When you discover something in your child, cultivate it.  I can stand here today because my parents and teachers cultivated me.  If they treated me like I was useless, I won’t be here today.  My late father was the best thing that happened to me.  When he heard I was doing beads, he didn’t talk down on me.  He showed me different styles in magazines,” he said.

    Like Gbenga, chairman of the occasion, Mrs Josephine Onwuegbuzie, also counseled parents to encourage their wards to follow their dreams and embrace entrepreneurship.

    On his part, Executive Director of the school, Mr Bernardino Doregos, praised the trainers engaged by the school to teach the Trade Subjects for doing their jobs well.  He also praised the pupils for the talents they displayed.

    In an interview, the school’s founder, Mrs Clementina Doregos, said it was difficult getting parents’ cooperation in getting their wards to school on Saturdays for the training.

    “We have had problems with parents.  Some refused to pay the token fee we charged for the training; others say they don’t have time to drop the children in school on Saturdays.  We have had to house some Day students in the boarding house to enable them participate if their parents complain.  After they leave this school, we expect them to continue with these skills,” she said.

  • NGO feeds, distributes school materials to pupils

    NGO feeds, distributes school materials to pupils

    The 55th Independent President’s Inter – State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Debate Championship hosted by the Ogun State government ended last Saturday at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, with Anambra State team going home with the prized championship trophy and a cash gift of N150, 000.

    The Kaduna State team, which emerged second in the keenly contested trophy, went home with N100, 000, while Niger State had N75, 000 for making it to the third position, all donated by the host government.

    No fewer than 16 states apart from the Nigeria Police Schools, participated in this year’s edition of the debate, with teams from  Anambra and Kaduna making the final stage, where they engaged in a fierce intellectual battle on the topic: ‘Presidential handshake or monetary reward. Which is better?’

    The winner argued on the side of Presidential handshake.

    The Independent President’s Inter – SUBEB Debate Championship was initiated by the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo to inculcate reading culture and core national values in pupils.

    The Chief Adjudicator of the debate, Mrs Ayodele Adigun, urged the young ones to be good ambassadors and advised parents and teachers to impart positively on their wards for a better Nigeria.

    The Chairman, President’s School Debate National (PSDN) Advisory Board, Prof Jerry Agada, described the competition as epochal, saying it was put in place to discover intellectual talent inherent in the nation’s  younger generation.

    Agada said the championship has demonstrated that education could be strengthened through determination and resourcefulness.

    Deputy Governor, Yetunde Onanuga, who represented  Senator Ibikunle Amosun at the event,  reiterated the government’s  commitment to the development of education sector as a key factor in the socio-economic development of the state.

    Onanuga noted that the debate, apart from  fostering national unity among the young ones, also engendered the spirit of healthy competition, reading culture, using dialogue to resolve issues as well as public speaking in them.

    Meanwhile, Senator Amosun was honoured with the award of the Pillar of Education Development of Ogun State at the occasion.

  • School’s new look lifts pupils, teachers

    School’s new look lifts pupils, teachers

    Dedeke Memorial Nursery and Primary School stands proudly on the busy Akerele Road in the heart of Surulere Local Government of Lagos State.

    The two classroom blocks as well as a small building that houses two toilets in its small compound glisten with new paint.

    Radiant faces of happy pupils learn from contented teachers within its walls.  The teachers and pupils are happy to come to school every day.  They have the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Foundation to thank for the new look the school wears.

    This was not the case at the end of the 2014/2015 academic session in July.  The school was run down. Its Head Teacher, Mrs Josephine Mayungbo, said the most parts of the buildings were not usable.

    “It was an eyesore.  In fact when I came here, I was not happy at all.  The roof was leaking; the ceiling had gone down in the class.  We had only one classroom that was good out of about six classrooms and a library.  The office was leaking; the toilet was nothing to write home about,” said Mrs Mayungbo.

    Corroborating her claim, a teacher (names withheld), said the poor state of facilities made it tedious to hold classes during the rainy season.

    “When it rains, we had to move the children from one place to the other – looking for dry places to learn.  Some children did not show up during the rains.  It affected my morale coming to school,” she said.

    Deputy Director, Social Mobilization, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), Mrs Adenike Folami, said the school’s former state was disgraceful.

    So concerned was she about the state of the school that she urged her superiors at the SUBEB Headquarters to embark on urgent palliative measures pending when funds would be allocated for rehabilitation.

    Recounting her experience when the Nigerian Breweries (NB) PLC inaugurated the new school buildings, Mrs Folami said: “Last year, I was here and I saw the dilapidated buildings and I told the chairman that this school is by the road – in the heart of the centre of excellence; that they should do something about it.  Now, we thank God the Nigerian Breweries came along.  We thank you for what you have done,” she said.

    The teacher and pupils are also grateful and were in high spirits during the inauguration.

    A Primary Six pupil, Fatima Binta, described the before state of the school as “not fine” and its present state as “very fine” as she waited impatiently to return to dancing to the music playing in the background.

    To show appreciation to NB PLC for the gesture, Executive Secretary, Surulere Local Government Area, Mrs Bamidele Hussain, presented two large wall clocks to the company’s representatives.  She also presented school bags and writing materials to the pupils, and marker pens in anticipation of the white boards that the firm promised to install in all the classrooms.

    In his speech, Mr Nicholaas Vervelde, Managing Director, NB PLC, said the gesture demonstrated the firm’s high regard for education.

    “As we commission and handover the reconstructed Dedeke Memorial Nursery and Primary School, today’s event is a confirmation that our company’s investment in education is not mere charity.  It is indeed a pragmatic action aimed at creating a rich pool of human capital from which we and others can harness,” he said.

  • Club organises training for pupils

    No fewer than 100 pupils benefited from a vocational training organised by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter of Junior Chamber International (JCI).

    The event, tagged: Impact 100 pupils, was part of the activities marking the JCI centenary celebration. Ten secondary schools, including International School Lagos, Regan Memorial Baptist Girls Secondary School (RGBSS), Federal Science and Technical College in Yaba, Eletu Odibo Senior High School, Methodist Girls High School and Yaba College of Technology Secondary School took part in the events.

    The participants were taught various vocational skills, including make-up, soap making, fashion designing, bead making, event decoration and planning, and web and graphics design Training.

    The Project Coordinator, Itunu Feyintola, said the student-group was using the programme to impact on young people.

    “We initially came up with a campaign tagged ‘With N500 we can equip a child with a skill’. UNILAG students sponsored the project and we trained some selected children with lucrative skills. We organise similar event to mark the club’s 100th anniversary,” she said.

    The JCI chapter President, Taiwo Oladele, said: “We are happy to be impacting lives with our sustained intervention in community development projects. We wish to do more, as we are set to visit Ilaje community in Yaba area to donate uniforms and writing materials to Hope Vision Nursery and Primary School in the community.”

    Participants expressed gratitude to students, describing the gesture as humanitarian. Oluwaseyifunmi Alobiloye, a pupil Methodist Girls High School, who learnt bead making, said: “I was taught how to make different types of beaded necklaces, bangles, bracelets and I found the class very interesting.”

    Blessing Okolo, a SSS 3 pupil of Eletu Odibo Senior High School, said she would venture into bead business after her graduation.

    Esther Christopher, an SSS 3 pupil of Federal Science and Technical College in Yaba, said she learnt about the event from her counsellor. “I was happy to enrol for the make-up and make-over class, because of my passion for fashion and beauty,” she said.

     

     

  • Firm shortlists 60 pupils for painting contest

    RanoNa Ltd, makers of Yojus fruit drink, has 60 shortlisted pupils for the final of the Yojus Painting Contest holding October 24, 2015.

    The theme of the annual contest organised for pupils in both public and private primary schools aged between six and 12 is “Our Beautiful World”.

    At a press briefing to announce the competition on Tuesday in Lagos, brand manager, Yojus Fruit drink, Mrs Foluke Makinde, said the 60 pupils were selected from about 5,000 entries received from 250 schools in Lagos and Port Harcourt.

    Their work would be judged on originality, use of space, and creativity.

    Mrs Makinde said only Lagos pupils participated in the inaugural edition of the contest last year. She said Port Harcourt was added because of the success recorded in the last contest.

    She said the company chose the platform of painting because it is one of the ways children love to express themselves and hopes it would inspire them to be creative.

    “This medium provides children who love to express themselves through painting the platform to showcase their talent, get noticed, appreciated and rewarded,” Makinde said.

    She also disclosed that the contest attracted more pupils this year from both private and public schools.  However, she noted that the public schools were few because of what she described as a lack of cooperation from them.

    Winner of the contest will go home with a plaque, computer and one year’s supply of Yojus fruit drink.

    The first and second runners up will get six and three months’ supply of Yojus fruit drink – in addition to plaques and computers.

     

  • UBA executives inspire pupils

    Senior secondary school pupils across the country have until November 13, 2015 to put their best 750 words together on the topic “What matters most to you in life and why” for the 2015 edition of the UBA Foundation National Essay competition.

    Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, Ms Ijeoma Aso, said last Tuesday that only the best 12 of all the entries received by the deadline would be shortlisted for a second stage essay writing exercise to take place at the UBA headquarters in Marina, Lagos.

    The top three winners would receive educational grants of N1,000,000 (winner), N750,000 (first runner up) and N500,000 (second runner up) towards their education in any African university.

    All 12 finalists would also get laptops. Pupils that attended the launch held at the Amphitheatre of the UBA House, gained more than just learning about the contest as they were counseled by top executives of the bank.

    Mr. Emeke Iweriebor, Deputy CEO, UBA Africa, underscored the importance of reading when he told them of a research by Time Magazine into the habits of some successful people (including Microsoft and Apple Founders, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs) when they were teenagers.  He said reading and spending time with themselves were two of the eight things the successful people had in common.  He said the competition was the bank’s way of investing in raising future leaders.

    He urged the pupils to take the essay competition seriously, dare to dream and read widely.

    “We want you to be true leaders of tomorrow.  That is what UBA is all about.  We want to impact the society, and we want to produce leaders.  Just like I say you should dare to dream; I also say you should read and write,” he said.

    Consolidating on Iweriebor’s advice, Mrs Bola Atta, Director- UBA Africa, Marketing and Corporate Communications, shared with the pupils how reading for pleasure, and writing a journal helped develop her creative skills.  Though she studied Economics and Finance at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, she was able to edit a magazine for eight years because she was creative.  She urged the pupils to dream big, because she did so while growing up and all her dreams came to pass.

    “This is the time to dream big.  There is nothing better than being informed by reading.  When you read, you get ideas; you feel as if you can achieve.  I was a science student but I was very creative.  I used to write a journal; and many of the things I wanted to happen came to pass,” she said.

     

  • 500,000 pupils sit on floor in Kaduna, says commissioner

    Kaduna State government has offered explanation on the declaration of state of emergency in the education sector.

    It said it was necessitated by 16 years of neglect.

    The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Shehu Usman Adamu, said the government adopted six-week emergency measures to rescue the sector from collapse in the interest of stakeholders and the future of the state.

    He lamented in a statement issued in Kaduna and made available to reporters that about 80 per cent of the 4,200 public primary schools were in a dilapidated condition.

    “More than half of the 1.106 million pupils sit on bare floor and the teaching force, which is understaffed, consist of over 40 per cent non-qualified teachers. The 349 public secondary schools are not in a better condition,” Adamu said.

    He said the Malam Nasir El-Rufai administration waded in with reforms capable of standing the test of time by recruiting about 2,226 teachers in English language and the sciences.

     

  • Health screening for pupils

    As the 2015/2016 academic session gets underway, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Modele Osunkiyesi, has urged teachers to monitor their pupils against illnesses.

    In a statement by the ministry, she counseled the teachers to refer those with symptoms of any illnesses to the sickbay or contact their parents to take them to the nearest medical facility for management.

    With poor hygiene being a major cause of illnesses, Dr Osunkiyesi said teachers should inculcate into the pupils the habit of regular hand-washing, while school administrators should provide waste bins and ensure that the school premises are kept clean.

    The Permanent Secretary said the ministry would continue its school health programmes this session when the pupils would be screened for any medical/dental conditions.  She disclosed that over 4,700 pupils have been screened.