The Nation Newspaper

Tag: school

  • Kaduna school advocates cleaner environment

    Kaduna-based Jordan Science Academy, at the weekend, embarked on sanitation to raise awareness on the importance of preserving the environment by keeping it clean.

    The awareness campaign was carried out to inculcate the culture of cleanliness among the people of Unguwar Dosa in Kaduna North council.

    Teachers and pupils went round the community, sweeping streets and sensitising residents on the need to properly dispose dirt from their homes.

    The school’s Administrative Officer, Fadilah Ismail, said the exercise would inculcate the culture of community service in their kids, and complement the government’s effort at improving the integrity of the environment.

    “We are aware of the government’s effort at keeping the state clean. So, what we are doing today is to join hands in creating the awareness. If the environment is clean, it will eliminate diseases and prevent epidemic outbreaks.

    “Apart from that, it is important to also inculcate in the children, the habit of keeping their environment clean. As you can see, both the primary and secondary sections are involved in this campaign and we hope to make it an annual event,” she said.

  • DICON boosts Army Infantry School

    Nigerian Army School of Infantry Commandant Brig-Gen. J. Sarham has reiterated that the school would always explore possible areas of collaboration with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

    Brig-Gen. Sarham said the school was one of the stakeholders as well as benefactors of the corporation’s products.

    He stressed that NASI has benefited much from the premier defence industry.

    The commandant, who spoke when he visited DICON headquarters, Kaduna, noted that he was delighted with the success stories emanating from DICON, especially in the area of fabrication of new spare parts for the back-loaded weapons from the theatres of operation across the country, especially the Northeast, through reverse engineering.

    He said the Director General of DICON, Maj-Gen. Bamidele Ogunkale mentored him as a cadet in the Nigerian Defence Academy and he was quite abreast of his antecedent as a trail-blazer. He added that he could not assume new office in Jaji, without paying him homage.

    According to him, he would always capitalize on the proximity of Jaji to Kaduna to constantly solicit the support and tutelage of the DG, gleaning from his wealth of experience.

    “I was in the Northeast for a period and it is true that the Electronic Jammer and the Integrated Reinforced Obstacle Belt (IROB) patented by General Ogunkale, which were launched into the theatre of operation, dramatically changed the narratives of the fight against the insurgents for good,” he said.

    He noted that DICON was being looked upon as home of research and technology, hence the need for NASI to always come to the corporation for solution.

    According to Brig-Gen. Sarham, there could be no business in the School of Infantry without definite assistance from the premier industry.

    Maj-Gen.  Ogunkale gave a detailed brief of the current activities of DICON, noting that in the past, the perception of some members of the public was that the corporation produce only furniture.

    According to him, when the production of military products were at the low owing to break down of machines or low patronage, excess capacity from the wood factory established solely to produce rifle butts as well as ammunition boxes for packaging was used to produce furniture.

    He stressed that the corporation was able to offset bills through that, while at the same time, carrying out civil function in aid to civil authority.

    He added that DICON was taking some giant strides through reverse engineering, adding that many repairs have been carried out for the army and Airforce.

    He promised to send a team to NASI, who would assess their area of need before swinging into action.

  • I’ve performed better than all my predecessors, says Okorocha

    I’ve performed better than all my predecessors, says Okorocha

    Imo State Governor and the Chairman, All Progressive Peoples (APC) Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha has declared that his achievements in the last six years has surpassed those of his predecessors put together.

    The governor, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja, also said that his record will be difficult for his successor to beat.

    According to him, his administration has impacted positively on the lives of Imo citizens.

    “A good Governor that impacted positively on the lives of the people. I’m in this job not for the profit of it but for the honour and glory of the job. So I want to leave a legacy.

    “I want  Imo people to miss me and they will definitely. Believe you me they have not seen such developmental works before now and they will miss it. The only problem I have is that anybody that comes after me and does not perform will be stoned.

    “Because you cannot come to Imo State now and say you want to abolish free education from primary to university, they will not accept. I have spoilt Imo people believe me. You cannot come to Imo State and say you want to give them a single lane road when they are now used to eight lane road in the city, they won’t accept it.

    “You cannot come there and tell the children to go to schools that the floors are not tiled they will not accept because all the schools have been rebuilt. I have rebuilt 450 schools. You can no longer take them to those ramshackle hospitals, those shanties they called hospitals because I have built ultramodern 27 to 200 bed general hospitals. You can no longer tell them those stories. All the infrastructures are there.

    “You cannot tell them that there are criminal activities any more and that your hands are tied they will not accept it because we know where we brought Imo from, from unsafe place to a safe place right now. And you can no longer tell our workers to dress shabbily they will not, they will want to dress in their suits and tie and white shirts. So Imo has changed believe me.

    “I stand to be challenged and corrected by anybody that what we have done in Imo State in this six years can be comparable to what any governor in that state living or dead has done. And whether if we put all of them together can match what we have done. Have you seen me sounding boisterous? That is the truth. But the point is I don’t make media noise, I don’t make foundation laying stones Programme, I don’t bring women to dance because I want to lay foundation project.

    “I don’t commission projects because for me it doesn’t make sense. They say that is the only way to get the media to know what we are doing but to me it doesn’t make sense. What is the most important is that people are benefiting and people are happy.”

    He stressed that there is no area in human existence that his administration has not touched.

    “I can only give credit to God almighty. There is just no area we have not touched and Owerri is now the fastest growing city outside Lagos and Abuja and I stand proud to say so. Ease of doing business is at the highest level. So is not major is just passion and vision at play,” he stated.

  • 40 years after, old students give back to school

    Forty years after graduating from their alma mater, Class 73/77 of Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, popularly called Compro, will tomorrow kick off their four score anniversary  with the hand over of two renovated classrooms to the school.

    They will hold a special career talk to be delivered by accomplished members of the set from across varying backgrounds. The talks are meant to sensitise and motivate the current students in their career choice. Also, copies of high quality special branded exercise books will be donated to them in addition to other items.

    In a statement signed by Chairman, 40th Anniversary Publicity Committee, Adebayo Sowemimo, the grand finale holds in Abeokuta, with a special recognition awards to past teachers.

    Two posthumous awards will also be given to Pa Lamidi Sofenwa, former principal, and Dr Olumide Kuti, the school’s first Guidance Counsellor. A special recognition award will go to Olamide Balogun, an engineer, who is also the President of the National Association of Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro Old Students.

    Wale Ogunyomade, chairman of the set, said the awards were meant to  recongnise the awardees’  contributions to the school.

  • School relives Our husband has gone mad again on stage

    THE rendition by a 35-pupil choir set the stage for the plays by pupils of Halified Schools at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) recently.

    They rendered some sonorous songs to thrill their parents, guardians and guests. They were followed by pupils who danced the Fishermen dance of Epe, Lagos State, aimed at supporting the Federal Government’s agrarian policy to diversify from oil and make food abundant.

    They were all part of the schools’extra-curricular activity tagged Out-of-school session programme held bi-annually.

    Two major plays were featured. The first titled: Cinderella Rockfella was presented by the elementary section of the school. It attracted an ovation from the audience who praised the pupils’ dexterity despite their young age.

    But the play: Our husband has gone mad again written by the late dramatist, Prof Ola Rotimi, drew the loudest ovation. It was a satire of a society suffering from moral decadence.

    Many of the actors, including Efeoluwa Adeyegbe, an SS 1 pupil, whose stage name was Tkyrata, wife of Zeenat Wintope-Lejoka, gave a good account of themselves.

    She said they were trained for a year before the event held. Of her experience, she said: “Initially, it was scary but later I was able to cope.” Though she has eyes on studying architecture, she said she might ”do acting by the side”.

    The Proprietress of Halified Schools, Lagos, Mrs. Efe Oke Halima, said schools should go beyond pupils’ education and emphasise their participation in extra-curricular activities, such as plays and dramas.

    In an interview, Mrs Oke said: “The take-away from this event is that parents must recognise that their children have talents. Until these are brought out, they won’t know how good their children are. They should be developed and used for their good and that of the society. It is not all about education to pass exams, though this is good. But we believe in extra-curricular activities. We are involved in life-changing activities. We hold this programme once every two years.”

    She said the school’s vision is to train the pupils to de distinct. ”A child who is knowledgeable and can do other things can stand out in the crowd. The jobs are fewer these days than before. So, the pupils should be able to do something new to survive in this harsh economy.”

    She added that the school has a place where pupils are taught how to prepare food that are delicious but different, from the ones around. ”We assist them to produce something new, for example, adding flakes to porridge. Just something new,” she said.

    The school’s Head of Programmes, Mrs. Busola Olaogun, said the event was aimed at teaching the pupils to display their skills and be excellent in things outside what they were taught in the classrooms.

    ”The objective is to bring out the total child, not a straitjacket one,” she said. She advised parents to let their children be involved in extra-curricular activities – to exhibit their talents. ”Some of them are good in singing and dancing, while others in other areas,” she added.

     

  • School celebrates Lagos @50

    Ronik Comprehensive School Ejigbo, Lagos has hosted parents, guests, and neighbouring schools to celebrate Lagos at 50.

    To make the event lively, the host schools made music, dance and drama presentations that vividly depicted the culture and tradition of the people of Lagos. The event also featured speeches by scholars on the place of Lagos in Nigerian history.

    Invited schools also competed for prizes in cultural dance, poetry, art and painting exhibitions. For instance, Benissant Nursery and Primary Schools, Okota, came first in the cultural dance competition with a thrilling Atilogwu. The host emerged first runners up, while Word of Power School, Akowonjo, came third.

    The host school also led others in the poetry contest, followed by Pavic International School, Idimu.

     

  • School broadens pupils’ employment horizons

    Raising pupils’ career, aspirations and broadening their horizon by deploying a wide range of imaginative approaches, such as opportunities, work experience and mentoring, among others, are some of the best ways to assist them in career choice.

    This was disclosed by the Propriotor of De-Sen Group of School Mrs Foluke Adeyeye, during the schoool’s Career Day

    According to Adeyeye, the choice of career by individuals at such tender age could either make or mar their future, hence the need to channel them in the right direction.

    She noted that there are various ways to explore professions, adding that  parents, teachers and guardians are key components in helping children direct their path.

    She said: “Mentorship is not someone telling you what to do, rather it is someone  helping you find out where you really want to be, and exploring different ways to get you there. We are all ready to give you the support you need to do things yourself, rather than trying to do things for you,” she said

    The occasion was an opportunity for the pupils to network as they mingled with experts, who have excelled in various disciplines such as journalism, engineering, teaching, finance, farming, and catering, among others.

    According to Adeyeye, one of the major mistakes to avoid when choosing a career is listening to people, who want to dictate what career path to follow or not to follow. Rather, one should see a career as passion in order to make it a lifelong exercise, she advised.

    Other pitfalls to avoid, according to Mr Emeka Francis, who spoke to the pupils on Engineering as a profession, is developing passion and determination to break even. “Bringing home a pay check is important, but the size of it does not actually predict job satisfaction,”he said.

     

     

     

     

  • Why we shut down school, by PTI students

    Why we shut down school, by PTI students

    Students of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, Delta State, have explained why they shut the school last Thursday. They said management’s failure to release money for their week and the inability to address accommodation challenges led to the protest. GBENGA OJO reports.

    It was a protest the management of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, Delta State saw coming, but nothing was done to prevent it. Last Thursday, angry students shut down the school in demonstration against what they called “poor state of accommodation and welfare”.

    For several hours, the school gate was shut by protesters, who barricaded the entrance and prevented movement in and out of the campus.The students stormed the school entrance at 6am with musical instruments and turned the passageway to a dance floor. Revolutionary songs of the late Afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, such as Trouble sleep, yanga go wake am, blared from the ultrasonic speakers mounted at strategic locations at the gate.

    The protest followed a warning action the previous day, during which students shunned lectures to draw attention to their plight. When the management did not respond, the Students’ Union leaders mobilised students for the early morning demonstration, blocking all the access points into the institute.

    The school employees and other visitors on appointment were turned back by the protesters, who paralysed activities in the institute. Some workers, including High Court judges living in the school staff’s quarters, were not allowed to leave the campus. Also, JSS 3 pupils writing examination were prevented from entering the school.

    The students said the protest was informed by the poor condition of living in the halls of residence, non-fumigation of the hostels and management’s refusal to release money for their 2017 Students’ Week.

    “The management has failed to provide accommodation for female students after they were made to pay N10,000 compulsory accommodation fee,” a member of Students’ Union Government (SUG) said.

    A female student, who simply gave her name as Ese, said: “We have about 15 students occupying a small room that is meant for eight people. There is also a room with capacity for 20 people, but it is being occupied by 44 students. This can lead to spread of different kinds of diseases.”

    The last straw that broke the camel’s back, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, was the inability of the school to give out money for Students’ Week as it is usually done. It was gathered the management told students to go and source for money for the Week if it must hold. In response, students, it was learnt, urged the management to convert N2,000 they paid for sport for the Week’s activities. The management’s refusal led to the protest.

    “Why should we be asked to go source for money when we paid N2,000 for sports and it was itemised in our school fees? Since we didn’t participate in any sport, we told the school to convert the money for Students’ Week, but they refused,” a protester said.

    After several hours of demonstration, some management staffers, led by the Vice Principal, Mrs Emily Ahragba, were allowed into the school for a meeting with students’ leaders.

    At the meeting, CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Speaker, Prosper Omosikuwe, tabled the students’ grievances before the management team.

    Responding, Mrs Ahragba said the protest was caused by misinformation among the students. She denied management did not want to release money for Students’ Week, saying the approval of the money was delayed by the absence of the Principal of the institute, who was said to be out of town.

    On the complaint about accommodation, Mrs Arhagba said: “I personally went to the hostels and felt bad when I saw many students in a room meant for eight students. We are aware students live uncomfortably in the hostel. The school principal is not happy, so also the management. We are addressing the hostel challenges, but it appears the information is not well-circulated among students.”

    The Vice Principal directed the Director of Service, Dr C.I. Oghene, to brief the students on how the management had been addressing accommodation challenges.

    Dr Oghene explained that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) donated a hostel building to the school to solve accommodation problem, but said the building had not been completed because of paucity of funds.

    He said: “Management has sent a letter to the NDDC to handover the building to the school, so that we can complete the remaining works ourselves. But, up till now, handing over has not been done. We hope everything would be in order as fast as possible, including the fumigation of hostels.”

    Deputy Director for Academics (DDA) Mr O.C. Siakpere  explained that the N2,000 itemised for sport in the school fees was not meant for Students’ Week, but for the upgrade and maintenance of the institute’s sport facilities. He condemned students’ plea for the money to be converted to mark Students’ Week.

    The Librarian, Mr R.T. Obashe also frowned at the students’ claims on the sports money. “This is really strange; it’s not done anywhere,” he said, adding: “How can management convert a money paid for sport in the school fees and give it out to students to mark their Week?”

    The peace meeting, which lasted for hours, ended with the management approving N2 million for Students’ Week. The authorities said it would be the last time the school would give out money to support Students’ Week.

    The SUG president, Theophilus Ukuoma, said the protest could have been prevented had the management shared information with students.

    He said: “Since they have approved money for our Week and also promised to put accommodation in place as soon as possible, we will hold them by their words when the time comes.”

    He said the management need not wait for students to protest before coming out with information on action being taken to address students’ plights.

     

     

     

     

  • US high school Chibok girl graduate handed over to father

    US high school Chibok girl graduate handed over to father

    One of the two Chibok girl who recently graduated from a top United States High School, Debbie has been handed to her father by sponsors of her education, a Charity Organisation, Education Must Continue, ( EMC).
    At the handover during a graduation thanksgiving at a church in Washington, Debbie was received by the father ( name withheld for his safety as he still resides in northeast Nigeria) who was in the US for her graduation.
    According to a statement by EMC, after a symbolic presentation of her diploma to international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, who heads the organisation, Debbie answered questions on whether she purchased the diploma or worked hard to earn it. “I worked for it,” she declared.
    She thereafter presented the diploma to her dad who extolled her virtue in maintaining cultural norms of respect and fulfilling the Chibok rite of honoring her dad for helping to achieve this milestone. He commended her hard work and faithfulness which he said he could always count on.

    Ogebe declared that Debbie owed nothing having met her obligations to study hard and complete her high school education while she in turn affirmed that the charity – Education Must Continue – owed her nothing.

    Ogebe reaffirmed the fatherhood of her parent over her and acknowledged her mum in absentia both of whom he attested had properly raised Debbie making the job of educating her easier for the organization compared to others.

    He reiterated that the parents has a say over the future direction of their daughter and should let EMC know how they may further assist her.
    “The importance of this rite of passage is to ensure that the girls and their families understand that they have not lost their bonds, and they have input and process control. There is no assumption that she is gone for good or lost to America and therefore no more connected with her roots. Familial engagement is a critical component of our program ethos.

    “This is why we have invested heavily in family visits. Each year, the Chibok girls have a chance to visit their families in Nigeria and family members have visited them in the US. One girl just returned from her third family visit to Nigeria in two and a half years just this week which is more than can be said for the 106 girls in Nigerian government custody. Unlike them, EMC girls are able to visit home and stay in their natural home ecosystem which is highly therapeutic for them. During the parental visits to the US we evaluate and consult on next program steps. This is all the more needful now with the completion of this major phase of their lives.

    “Debbie and dad will over the next few days sign up afresh for future program services for her if they so wish as is our standard practice. This is critical because we found out last year that the government of Nigeria used fake signatories or impostors to falsely claim revocation of guardianship from us. Till this date most of the parents whose daughters were taken haven’t signed any such authorization. For limitation of liability, we have notified those families we are not responsible for what happens to their daughters under the auspices of the FGN,” Ogbe stated.

    Ogebe commended the girls for their good morals and strength of character in addition to their work ethic which led to their obtaining diplomas where their colleagues, seeking an easy shortcut, failed. He recounted the painful day when the girls were informed they would have to repeat 11th grade and have not graduated.

    On display at the reception were a series of awards obtained by Debbie over the course of her two years in an American high school. These included distinctions in Math, Geography, History, English and Bible as well as an Isaac Newton award in Physics (Redacted copies of the awards are provided for her security.) https://www.facebook.com/EducationMustContinue/posts/1357118151043921

    At the end of the ceremony, the three girls currently in EMC’s US college program engaged the two recent high school grads in a tug-of-war contest to symbolically “pull them” into college.

    “We are exceedingly grateful that these girls can be peer mentors and a support system for one another in addition to the wonderful host families comprised of lawyers, doctors and accountants,” says Ogebe. “Indeed it took a village to raise a child and we gratefully acknowledge all the professionals who supported them with medical and other needs.”

    ” We are thankful that we did not receive one dime of funding from the Nigerian government so they can’t claim credit for this. Ironically the girls from our program who the government took away and funded have no diploma today after one year. This is why God alone takes the glory especially when Nigeria’s Women Affairs minister claimed we didn’t put the girls in school. Most bizarre of all is the fact that out of the 106 Chibok girls in government custody, not a single girl is in school today,” Ogbe noted.

  • Govt urged to include road safety into school syllabus

    A member of governing council, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Mr Erogbogbo Lukman, has called on Federal Government to include road safety education into its syllabus.

    He said is the high time for the government to add road safety education into school curriculum, saying if children are taught from a young age about road traffic rules it will further minimise the number of fatalities on the road on daily basis.

    Mr Erogbogbo, an engineer, spoke at Children’s Day celebration held at Ikorodu and Ikeja Unit Commands of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Lagos State.

    He said the country’s roads would be safer if pupils were taught and allowed to have adequate knowledge of using roads from the elementary schools, adding that it would enable them correct their parents whenever they are going contrary to safety rules of using road.

    He said road safety has its own principles and values and we have to know how to impart the rules to our children and inculcate good habits at a very young age.

    He urged the children to imbibe good culture that would make their destiny fulfilled.

    Ikorodu Unit Commander Babatope Agbaje and Emma E. Fekoya of Ikeja Unit Command said the event, themed: ‘Improving safety of the Nigerian child through FRSC Youth Safety Education”, was to commemorate children’s Day and to educate children on the vital roles they can play in road safety from them homes.

    He noted that FRSC had introduced youth safety education when it identified that children are important in the campaign for safer roads, saying young people would find it easier to obey road rules and regulation.