The Nation Newspaper

Tag: pupils

  • Cowbellpedia champions woo pupils

    Cowbellpedia champions woo pupils

    • 2018 Competition opens

    Winners of the 2017 edition of the Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz show, Munachi Ernest Eze and Jesse Uche-Nwichi have challenged secondary school pupils to put in their best to win the 2018 edition which opened for registration last week.

    The duo was at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos with the top management of Promasidor Nigeria Limited to announce the opening of the contest.

    They shared their experience winning the competition and how it had helped them.

    Jesse, a pupil of Graceland Secondary School, Port Harcourt, who won the junior category, said the trip to Kenya with his teacher, which was part of his reward, helped him to make up his mind about his future career.

    “I was thinking of software Engineering. That visit to a technology organisation in Kenya encouraged me in it,” he said.

    Munachi, on his part, who won the senior category and also set the record as the first pupil to win both the junior and senior categories of the competition, said the floor was open for any other pupil to achieve what he achieved last year.

    “In 2015, I was a proud national champion of Cowbellpedia and in 2017 I became the champion of champions. Anybody can achieve what I achieved with determination and with the help of God,” said Munachi, a pupil of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja.

    Promasidor Nigeria Limited Managing Director, Mr. Anders Einarsson, said this year’s edition is special because it is 20th anniversary.

    To this end, the company increased the prize money by 100 per cent.  So, the winners of each category will get N2million instead of N1 million.

    The winners will still get their all-expense paid trip to a country in Africa with the new prize money.

    First runners up will now get N1.5million as against N750,000 they won in the past, while the second runners up will get N1million.

    The prize money for the teachers of the top three winners has also changed.  The first will get N500,000; while the second and third will get N400,000 and N300,000.

    Apart from the TV Quiz Show, Einarsson said the competition has also spurned Cowbellpedia Radio (a Mathematics class on radio), Cowbellpedia Mobile App (Mathematics Q&A mobile application) and the Cowbellpedia Compendium – solved questions from past competitions for each category.

    “These platforms have been able to arouse and re-awaken the interest of students in Mathematics at the secondary school level and further reinforced the importance of the subject,” he said.

    Einarsson also said each co-educational school is expected to include two girls as part of their contigent for the competition.

    “This is our own little way of encouraging the girl child to take interest in education especially the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses,” he said.

    Abiodun Ayodeji, Promasidor’s Marketing Manager, said Registration for the stage one of the mathematics competition, which will be a written examination, is ongoing online until February 11, 2018.  The first stage will be written all over the country on February 17, 2018.

    In his remarks, Dr Ikechukwu Anyanwu, Director of Quality Assurance, represented the Registrar of National Examinations Council (NECO), praised Promasidor for the initiative, which he said has been of tremendous benefits to Mathematics education in Nigeria.

     

  • 100 pupils receive SNEPCo’s scholarships

    More than 100 pupils from the six geo-political zones have been awarded full-board six-year secondary school scholarships by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) in the third edition of the NNPC/SNEPCo National Cradle-to-Career (NC2C) programme, designed to give top quality education to bright, but indigent youths.

    The latest awards bring to 267 the total sponsorship since the  NNPC/SNEPCo NC2C was introduced three years ago. The beneficiaries have joined the other recipients, who are enrolled in six leading private schools – Lead Forte Gate College, Lagos; Premiere Academy, Abuja; Nigerian Tulip International College, Kaduna; St. Francis Catholic Secondary School, Lagos; Top Faith International Secondary School, Akwa Ibom State; and Grundtvig International Secondary School, Anambra State.

    During the award at Lead Fort Gate College, Lekki in Lagos, Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Adebule, commended SNEPCo for the success of the NC2C which she said had achieved its purpose by helping to bridge educational inequalities resulting from socio-economic differences.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, the deputy governor added, “SNEPCo has kept faith with the commitment of supporting indigent Nigerian youths to attend some of the best secondary schools in the country and helping to reduce the number of school dropout before completion of basic education.”

    SNEPCo’s Managing Director, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, who was represented at the award ceremony by the General Manager Exploration, Mr. Dayo Adewuyi, said the educational initiative contributes towards the actualisation of the UNESCO ‘Education for All’ goal.

    He said: “We also do this because, to us in SNEPCo, education is key to national development. In the three years of the programme, we are already seeing signs of success. Last year, for instance, one of the scholars was awarded a scholarship by the implementing school because of her exceptional academic performance. So, I expect that this set will settle for no less.”

    The award recipients emerged through a competitive process starting with an aptitude test which was open to graduating pupils in public primary schools in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They then underwent a two-week orientation programme with introductory courses in academics, character and psychology to prepare them for a seamless integration into their new learning environment.

    The NC2C scholarships are just one of the many programmes in SNEPCo’s social investment portfolio in Nigeria. Other programmes include the equipping and donation of information technology and communication centres in many primary, secondary and tertiary institutions and hosting of health outreaches in different parts of the country. SNEPCo had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a multi-million naira eLibrary for the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, and the company signed another MoU last week for the construction of a centre of excellence in Geoscience at the University of Lagos.

  • Kaduna condemns use of pupils for protests

    Kaduna condemns use of pupils for protests

    The Kaduna State government has condemned the use of primary school pupils for protests by teachers who failed the competency test. It vowed not to tolerate the reckless endangerment of minors by adults.

    A statement by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, lamented that the children, who are victims of bad teachers, are now being used as cannon-fodder by the same teachers. It vowed to take legal measures to punish the wrongdoers.

    The statement described as callous and despicable, the act of involving children in illegal, politically-inspired demonstration.

    The statement read: “The Kaduna State government has received reports of primary school pupils being pushed to the streets, by their unqualified teachers, for illegal protests.

    “The government condemns this wanton disregard for the life and safety of pupils put in care of these unqualified teachers. It is grievous enough that bad teachers have been allowed to imperil the educational future of these children. But for these same teachers to endanger the children by using them to block and lie on highways, illustrates a high level of irresponsibility that no law-governed society can accept.

    “These children are not union members; our pupils are the victims of bad teachers who evidently do not mind making these children cannon-fodder for their desperation. Exposing minors to hazards, and endangering their life and limbs shows that some teachers want to jeopardise the present and future of these children.

    “These irresponsible actions, by these unqualified teachers, at the behest of their union, affront both morality and the law, including the Penal Code and the Young Persons’ Law. Those involved will bear the consequences.

    “The government, hereby, warns everyone to desist from illegal and irresponsible acts. Sound education is not a matter of sentiment. Parents who send their children to public schools have a right to expect decent tuition for their wards. Being poor should not mean that the prospects of their children should be truncated.

    “Nobody will be allowed to play politics with the future of our children, their education and their safety.

    “Government urges parents to be vigilant, report to the relevant authorities any attempt to use their children to threaten law and order.”

     

  • First Bank empowers 100 pupils

    The First Bank of Nigeria has embarked on career counselling with 100 secondary school pupils in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Justifying the need for the empowerment, the Executive Director, Retail Banking North, Abdullahi Ibrahim said the programme will help to provide the students in making the right career choice. Career counselling is very important for the students especially at this stage of their lives.

    He said, “These are secondary school students who are trying to find their ways through life. The essence of career counselling is to help them identify their strength, weaknesses and passion.

    “We are empowering the youths with knowledge base that is required for them to take the right career decision so they come out as a productive member of the society while also achieving their dreams.’’

    The essence of career counselling, he stressed, is to empower them with knowledge base that is required for them to pursue what they want to be in life, so it’s all encompassing and could lead some having passion for entrepreneurship, engineering, medicine or the legal profession.

    “First bank has been involve in CSR for as long as the bank has been in existence, we have been around for over 120years and we believe in impacting society in many ways than one, one of which is CSR, career and capacity building. So the theme of this year’s event is career counseling and that is what we are doing all over the country as we speak.”

    The programme officer, Junior Achievement, Nigeria, Northern Region, Saratu Bijimi said the programme is for 100 students, the whole idea is to enlighten students on what career they should pick as they graduate from secondary school.

    It is expected that they start preparing for their career at that early age, not at the university level. The programme is completely educational. Junior Achievement of Nigeria still partners with other banks apart from First Bank of Nigeria.

  • Ecotourism: Pupils to champion conservation ideals

    Ecotourism: Pupils to champion conservation ideals

    To uphold environment sustenance, Lagos State Government has focused attention on secondary school pupils to champion the ideals of conserving the state wetlands and its biodiversity through ecotourism.

    Its Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, who disclosed this last week in Alausa, during an event to mark the commencement of the second edition of the Conservation Ecotourism for pupils in state Secondary Schools, said ecotourism had the primary intention of changing the perception of the public about conventional tourism, especially as it relates to the environment.

    “The goal of this programme is to encourage sustainable travel practices that promote the conservation of protected natural areas in the state and expose students to the natural environment,”he said.

    According to him, the Youth Wetlands Education and Eco-tourism programme will provide science-based, hands-on activities for pupils to gain proper understanding of the functions and values of wetlands, and explore strategies for sustaining the unique ecosystems.

    He said the government was not comfortable with the alarming rate of wetlands and biodiversity loss in the state as exemplified by the National Theatre and Iju wetlands, which were as a result of indiscriminate destruction of natural habitats, reclamation for housing estate development and population explosion.

    Adejare disclosed that in realisation of the need for people to have a change of heart, the state was educating the young ones, who are leaders of tomorrow, to embrace the correct use of God-given environmental resources and spread the message to others.

    His words: “The Lagos State Government, being mindful of the capacity of the young ones to communicate and bring about change, has adopted the strategy to educate every young pupil to embrace sustainable use of environmental resources and discourage unhealthy abuse of the wetlands in the state.”

    Adejare pointed out that the 10 participating pupils, who were selected through a rigorous process, would have the opportunity to visit some pristine and fragile ecosystems, zoological gardens and conservation centres across the five divisions of the state to acquaint them with the abundant wetlands resources and biodiversity.

    He said the recommendations from the first edition of the programme last year, led to the protection of some wetlands in the state, especially in Iyafin, Badagry and Itoikin-Orugbo in Epe.

    He enjoined Lagosians to commit themselves to a lifestyle which encourages environmentally friendly options and embrace the attitude of visiting eco-tourism sites for relaxation and knowledge of the environment.

  • 5.5 million pupils to enjoy Buhari’s meal

    5.5 million pupils to enjoy Buhari’s meal

    With the commencement of a new academic session, the Presidency said yesterday that more schools are expected to benefit from the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s National Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said the Federal Government aims to have 5.5 million school children benefiting frim the one meal a day programme by the end of 2017.

    According to him, over 19,000 schools have so far been covered under the school feeding programme.

    Akande said: “In total, 2,918,842 school children from 19,881 schools in the 14 pilot states of the federation have so far benefitted from the school feeding programme, which is part of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s N500 billion Social Investment Programmes (SIPs).

    “A total of N6,643,432,789 billion have been disbursed by the Federal Government since the school feeding programme kicked off late last year.

    “With 3,325 schools, Kaduna State has the highest number of schools so far covered under the programme, as well as the highest number of schoolchildren (835,508) who have been fed.

    “It is closely followed by Benue State, where 2,220 schools have been covered and 240,827 schoolchildren have been fed.”

    Zamfara State, according to him,  also recorded a high number, with 1,952 schools covered and 198,788 pupils fed under the programme.

  • Ojokoro LCDA distributes free books to pupils

    Ojokoro LCDA distributes free books to pupils

    The Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) has distributed thousands of free books and other writing materials to pupils in public primary schools in the area.

    Its Chairman, Idowu Tijani, who spoke during the exercise, said the books would complement the state government’s effort and also assist parents in giving their children qualitaty education.

    “Our educational empowerment is not just donation of books and writing materials, we have already and are still meeting with several agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for partnership so as to do more for our wards and we are already getting positive feelers,” he said.

    Tijani noted that the provision of quality and affordable education is one of the programmes promised by his administration, as contained in the manifesto during the electioneering.

    “Therefore, today’s programme is just a fulfilment of one of our promises, as we have vowed to implement all the programmes in our manifesto in order to justify the confidence reposed in us by the good people of Ojokoro.

    “Thus, this administration deems it fit to encourage and assist pupils of Ojokoro Local Council to attain greater heights and break even towards a successful future and that is why we are doling out free exercise books and other writing materials to facilitate fast learning process and assimilation.

    “Other areas of our social contract to the constituents will also be implemented, ranging from environment, health, road rehabilitations, youth empowerment to mention but few,” Tijani added.

    He praised Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for his significant strides in educational development of children and youths in the state.

     

     

     

     

  • Presidency: three million pupils enjoying free meal

    •14 states participating    •Over 33,000 cooks hired

    The Presidency said yesterday that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is close to its target of feeding three million primary school pupils under the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, which is one of the four on-going Social Investment Programmes (SIP).

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, N6,204,912,889 has been paid to 14 states during the school year ending August 2017.

    He listed the 14 states covered under the school feeding programme as Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba and Kaduna.

    He said: “So far, a total of 2,827,501 school children are currently benefiting from the school feeding programme, which is well on course to achieve the Federal Government’s projection to feed over three million pupils this year.

    “In total, 33,895 cooks have been engaged in the communities where the schools are located across the 14 states.

    “Anambra State received N693,013,300, while a total of 103,742 children have been fed thus far, with 1,009 cooks paid.

    “Enugu State got N 571,877, 400 and 108,898 children have been fed so far, with 1,276 cooks paid.

    “In Oyo State, N490,296,800  was released by the Federal Government for the feeding of 107,983 children, with 1,372 cooks engaged.

    “Osun State received N1,000,394,888 for the feeding of 151,438 children. A total of 2,863 cooks were engaged in the state.

    “Similarly, Ogun State received N1,042,217,400 for the feeding of 231,660 school children, while a total of 2,205 cooks were paid.

    “For Ebonyi State, N344, 633,100 has been released for the feeding of 163,137 pupils so far, with 1,453 cooks paid.”

    Akande said: “In the same vein, Zamfara State received N402,295,600 for the feeding of 107,347 schoolchildren and 1,127 cooks were engaged.

    “Delta State received N225,896,300 for the feeding of 141,663 pupils. A total of 1,364 cooks were engaged.”

    He added: “Abia and Benue states received N128,763,600 and N337,157,800 respectively to feed 61,316 and 240,827 pupils respectively. In Abia State, 750 cooks were engaged, while 3,344 cooks were paid in Benue State.

    “Similarly, Plateau and Bauchi states received N133,187,600 and N214,909, 101 for the feeding of 95,134 and 307,013 pupils respectively in the states. Also, 1,418 cooks have so far been engaged in Plateau State, with 3,261 in Bauchi State.

    “For Taraba State, N120,284, 500 was paid and 171,835 pupils have thus far been fed, with a total of 2,596 cooks paid.

    “Kaduna State received N499,985,500 while 835,508 pupils have been fed so far. Also, 9,857 cooks were paid under the programme in the state.”

    According to him, more states and primary school pupils are expected to benefit from the programme when schools reopen next month.

  • FRSC inaugurates 85 pupils into safety club

    FRSC inaugurates 85 pupils into safety club

    THE Ogun Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Clement Oladele, has inaugurated over 85 pupils from various schools into road safety club.

    The event with the theme: “My child, my tomorrow” was organised by Agbado/Ifo Unit Command of the Corps, held at Ebenezer Comprehensive High School, Agbado, a suburb of the state.

    He said it was high time teachers and parents engaged in proclaiming safety among the children at the tender age, saying it would not depart from them when they start driving on the road.

    Commander Oladele said road traffic breakers do not only cause problems for themselves but also to other road users. He noted that crashes, most especially involving children, would have reduced to the barest level, if drivers consider their safety in all aspects.

    He, however, implored children to join in proclaiming the road safety among their parents and correct them whenever they are going contrary to traffic rules and regulation.

    The sector commander said the road safety club would offer the children the opportunity to make better use of the highways in the future, saying “It is important we teach the children safety rules so that they would respect rules guarding the highways in the future. This could only guarantee the safety of live and property on the road.  Highways do respect anybody irrespective of status, it only respects the rules and regulation guided the using of it.”, he added.

    The Unit Commander, Asst. Corps Commander (ACC), Chinwendu Iwuoha, said the inauguration was organised to enable children fully involved in road safety activities, educate and teach them safety issues, for them to remain in it when they start driving on the highways.

    She said the initiative was part of the FRSC’s 2017 corporate strategic goals to catch the children young, to reduce road crashes.

    She said the Corps would continue to organise safety rallies for the children to inculcate safety tips into their heart, adding that it would enable them to become road safety ambassadors in the future.

    Commander Chinwendu said children would be able to tutor others on safety tips, as well as educate their parents on the use of highways.

  • Pupils get career tips

    Primary Six pupils of Mushin Local Government Area were given some career tips by experts from various fields at their sendoff.

    The maiden event tagged ‘Professional Leadership Summit’ held at the Local Government Education  Authority’s (LGEA’s) secretariat.

    Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), The Nation‘s chapter Chairman, Comrade Musa Odoshimokhe,  who spoke on Journalism, advised the pupils to be fearless and  purpose-driven.  As far as journalism is concerned, information dissemination is key, Odoshimokhe added.

    He explained that journalism sets agenda for the government, and holds governments and institutions accountable to the public.

    Odoshimokhe, who advised the pupils to have a flair for journalism,  warned them on information management, adding that any piece of information released to the media could either bring delight or trigger tensions.

    He urged them to read wide to gain  knowledge of every aspect of the human life.

    Another speaker Dr Adedayo Faduyile of Lagos State Teaching Hospital urged the pupils to have passion for lives as that is the thrust of the profession.

    Science subjects are also key as they serve as the bedrock of the profession, Faduyile advised.

    Other professions in which pupils were mentored included: teaching, military, engineering, business, fashion designing, and Law, among others.

    The LGEA Education Secretary, Mrs Olufemi Akinlude, said it was necessary for participants to have a foretaste of their career so that they could achieve aspirations.

    She noted that the summit, the first of its kind in the state, was borne out of the need to mentor the pupils to enable them imprint in them the zeal to succeed and not be deterred by their backgrounds.

    “I was looking for a way to inculcate in them career tips because as future leaders, there is hope for them. Since they will soon pass out I decided to have a gathering like this to enlighten them on their various career paths and to celebrate their passing out soon.

    “If we do not start to encourage them that tomorrow is better, we might be producing miscreants in the society. I brought up my children in Mushin. It bothers me when I hear, see and feel the stigmatisation of Mushin people, both young and old, concerning unruly behaviour. My resilience in total abrogation or reduction of this menace to the barest minimum was the genesis of what we paraphrased ‘Professional Leadership Summit, ” she said.

    She urged the parents to assist in guiding their wards’ paths to exhibit good conduct and values in the society.

    She asked parents to keep photographs of uniforms of their various career choices in which they were dressed in at the event, and have them hung at a conspicuous places to serve as a reminder and to redirect their mindset when their wards derail.