The Nation Newspaper

Tag: school

  • Pastor to build free school

    Pastor to build free school

    The Founder/General Overseer of a Port Harcourt-based church, Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, has acquired a property in Umuahia, Abia State capital, to build free school for children with special needs.
    A statement signed by his Special Assistant on Special Duties, Kenneth Nwachi, and made available to reporters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, said the school, when built, would be for children with Autism and Down syndrome.

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    The cleric, known for giving alms and awarding scholarship, said he had concluded on the property and site to build the proposed school.
    This will bring to two, the number of OPM free special schools in the state, and 28 free schools by the same the church across the country.
    Nwachi said: “This school will help children born with Autism and Down syndrome in Abia to acquire education free of charge.”

  • FG calls for adoption of safe school policy

    FG calls for adoption of safe school policy

    The federal government has called for the adoption of the safe school policy by all stakeholders.

    The government noted that the safety of schools was the collective responsibility of all learners, parents, teachers, relevant government agencies, and school host communities.

    The minister of state for education, Yusuf Sununu, stated these at a briefing ahead of the 2023 International Day to protect education from attack in Abuja on Friday, September 1.

    Sununu noted that in furtherance of upholding the right to education and its continuity in emergency situations, Nigeria ratified the Safe School Declaration in December 2019 and developed a School Safety Policy.

    Read Also: ‘How to enhance students’ performance in school’

    According to the minister, the policy highlighted the strategies for emergency preparedness in educational institutions, measures for harm reduction, stakeholders to contact for help in case of imminent attacks, deterrence of state and non-state armed groups from using education institutions and procedures to ensure that education continued if the attack was inevitable.

    He said: “Nigeria, as a country, in the recent past has had more than a fair share of attacks on our education system at all levels. These attacks are not only physical but non-physical, especially in deliberate attempts to water down our standards of education.

    “The federal ministry of education, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, has put in place various strategies to deal with these attacks.

    “All our efforts must be geared towards implementing the safe schools policy for all and that is why it is the theme for this year’s commemoration.

    “As we are all aware, safety in and around schools is guaranteed if early warning signs are noted and promptly reported.”

  • Return our school to church, old students tell govt

    By Ambrose Nnaji

     

    The United Christian Secondary School Old Students’ Association (UCOSA), Apapa, Lagos State, has intensified efforts to get their alma mater back to its original owners – the Anglican, Baptist and Methodist churches, saying the government’s take-over of the school had put it in an unacceptable state.

    Its President, Tony Iyare ,expressed confidence that after 16 years, their plea was getting the desired attention.

    He told reporters in Lagos at a briefing to mark the 60th anniversary of the school, that the application for the demand of the school would be delivered to the Lagos State Ministry of Education.

    Iyare said the school, then known as United Christian Secondary Commercial College, was founded in January 1959 by three missions – Anglican, Baptist and Methodist – to suit the needs of the Industrial Apapa Community. Hence the curriculum emphasised commercial subjects and secretarial studies at its inception.

    However, the president said the school’s fortunes changed for the worse when government took over in 1975.

    “Its lot has been on the downward slide since the change of ownership in 1975. The school, which was a high flier in both academics and sports further began to wane when it was relocated from its prime old site on Bombay Crescent to this less fancied site on Liverpool road,” he said.

    Nevertheless, while waiting for the ownership change, the association urged the government to immediately clear the brothels and alcoholic shops constituting a menace around the school environment.

    Iyare said they were constructed on drains, a violation of the environmental laws of the state.

    Read Also: Total donates to Lagos schools

    “Against the backdrop of some recent ugly developments in the state and around the country, it has become imperative to ensure that students learn in very secured and safe condition”, he said.

    The old students also urged government to extend the road leading to the School from Liverpool beyond the gate so the dumping of wrecked cars around the school’s entrance would stop.

    “We want to implore the government to construct its new prototype 18- classroom block to replace the entire decrepit prefab, otherwise called Jakande buildings, dotting the School which are posing imminent danger to our students. This call has become urgent against the increasing rate of collapsed buildings in the state.

    “We also want government support in our struggle to ensure that the School’s properties that have been lost to trespassers are urgently retrieved.”

  • School, a problem in Nigeria?

    SIR: In his book “Let’s Discuss Education”, James Elliot described school in Nigeria as where children go when their parents go to work. Over the years, I have also realised that many of those in the Master’s classes of Nigerian universities are people who did not get jobs after their first degree and would not want to stay at home. Ask them what they need a Master’s degree for, their response: “So I can boost my chances in the labour market”.

    Trust me, this is not a very reasonable reason. Let me detail you with the problem with school and schooling in Nigeria.

    Schooling in Nigeria has lost its evaluative potency. Any averagely rascally young person can dumbly yet successfully go through all stages of schooling in Nigeria. If not, how else do we explain the case of undergraduates of computer science who cannot tell the function of Ctrl V? What should we say of undergraduates of English who cannot construct simple and grammatical sentences?

    Now, are you a Nigerian? Do you think any Nigerian learning hairdressing can go through apprenticeship for one year without being able to, at least, make “washing and setting”? I am sure you know it’s a NO! The boss would have contacted the parents for a spiritual intervention. But school children can be in commercial department at SS2 and be unable to define partnership after four years in secondary school.

    Maybe we should ask, what then is the problem with schools and schooling in Nigeria?

    The problem is simply that schooling is made to look like a fundamental human right in Nigeria. It is not. Going to school is one of the several things a child can do in life. Schooling is one of the many routes to being useful in life; there are other ways. Quite unfortunately, school is one of the things children in Nigeria do without their consent. How dare you tell your Nigerian parents that you don’t want to go to school! You just must!

    Realistically however, compulsory schooling ends in JSS 3. This is why it is called BASIC 9. This basic education equips young ones with basic literacy and numeracy skills. Young people, after this compulsory schooling, should be helped to determine what they want to do in life based on their passion and ability.

    Those who can use their “head” (cognitive domain) should proceed to the senior secondary school. Those who can use their “hand” (psychomotor domain) should proceed to technical and vocational schools or to learn a trade or to do whatever their creativity can give birth to. Importantly, all kinds of children, both those who use their head and those who use their hand, should be nurtured to use their “heart” which is the affective domain. This is the realm of love, compassion and good manners which Yoruba call “omoluabi”.

    School, which is called formal education, is just one of the forms of education which should be compulsory up to the end of its basic stage which is JSS 3 or Basic 9 in Nigeria. Afterwards, attention should be given to the potentials of young people in their career path. Let those who want to dance, dance. Let those who want to act, act. Let those who want sing, sing. At the end, education is about being useful and this is not always tied to school and schooling. Let school be a choice. Let students be sure of what they want. Let it also be clear that we will not all graduate to use our knowledge directly by applying for jobs. The tertiary education for some people will/should help them garnish their chosen paths.

    I end with Myles Munroe’s quote, “When purpose is not understood, abuse is inevitable”. Find your purpose.

     

    • Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (GAB), Ibadan.

  • FG to prosecute parents who refuse to enroll children in school – Minister

    The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu says Nigeria will soon effect policy to prosecute parents who refused to enroll their children of school age in schools across the country.

    Adamu made this known in Abuja on Monday while addressing newsmen during the 9th edition of the Weekend Ministerial briefing.

    He said parents who sabotage the efforts of the government at reducing the number of out of school children would soon be criminalised and would be made to face the wrath of the law.

    “Unless the issue of parents who refused their children going to school is made a crime, and we start jailing parents, the menace of out of school children will not be resolved.

    “There are many who are still working behind culture, religion.

    “So the ministry is to effect this policy so that any parent whose child of school age refuses to take them to school will be jailed,’’ he said.

    Speaking on matching grant and other intervention funds for basic education in Nigeria, the minister said a total of N350 billion had been expended on the sub-sector as against N360 billion spent by the previous administration.

    “In the six years preceding the Buhari Administration, between 2009 and 2014, the Federal Government spent about N360 billion worth of intervention on Basic Education covering textbooks, teacher professional development, construction of classrooms and library resources among others.’’

    Adamu added that in 2015, matching and non-conditional grants disbursements to 15 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory amounted to N68.4 billion.

    He also said that in 2016, grants disbursements to 29 states and the FCT amounted to N77 billion.

    According to him, in 2017 the Federal Government provided a total of N95billion to 24 states and the FCT, and another N109 billion to 20 states and the FCT.

    “During the four year under review, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari provided a total grant to include, Matching grants, Educational imbalance fund, Special Educational fund and Good Performance fund.

    “Others are Instructional Materials funds, Teacher Professional Development fund, as well as Universal Basic Education  Commission (UBEC ) Implementation and Monitoring funds across geo-political zones as attached.’’

    Adamu emphasised that corruption and lack of political will from State governments were among other reasons responsible for collapse of basic education across the states.

    “Having come to this painful conclusion, the Federal Government decided to deduct from source, part of the last tranche of the Paris Club refund from all the states that have not been able to access their monies from (UBEC).

    “If this attitude of deliberate refusal on the part of states to provide counterpart funding for basic education continues, then the Federal Government will have no choice than to sustain its strategy of deducting counterpart funding of states percentage from source.’’

    Adamu added that stakeholders were awaiting the decision of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on reduction of matching grants for state governments.

    “We have already submitted proposal on the reduction of matching grants and we believe between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of the matching grant will be reduced as against the 50 per cent that states have been claiming is difficult to provide,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • School refutes rumour of stoning pupil to death

    Authorities of Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha, Anambra State, have described as unfortunate, but accidental, the death of Master Chukwuebuka Nnanna, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 pupil.

    The death of Chukwuebuka, rumoured to have been stoned to death by his classmate over alleged jealousy, which went viral on social media, was greeted with condemnations.

    The Head Teacher, Rev. Can. Anieto Chigozie, in a statement at the weekend, said the deceased would not have been killed out of envy as alleged, as he was just newly admitted to the school.

    He said the incident was purely an accident and not intentional, insisting that the deceased was neither stabbed, flogged to death nor fell from any height.

    Chigozie said: “How can a fellow pupil be envious of a JSS1 student, who has stayed just a term? Is it really possible?”

    He said the information the school authority got from pupils showed that the boy slumped after being hit by a stone and was taken to the sick bay.

    The head teacher said the deceased was taken to General Hospital where he was confirmed dead following inability of the staff nurse at the sick bay to handle the case.

    He added: “We called the father’s number several times, but his phone was switched off. We had to send a worker, who knows his shop, to him.

    “She succeeded in getting another number from the people there and the father was contacted. But before he came, we had already taken his child to Iyienu Hospital where he was certified dead.”

    Chigozie said the school had sent its report to the appropriate authorities in charge of education.

    Praying for the repose of the deceased’s soul, the cleric said the matter was being investigated.

    “We are in touch with the bereaved family. No pupil has owned up to the crime, but we are still investigating the matter with a view to finding out who threw the stone,” he said.

    Efforts to reach the deceased’s father were unsuccessful, as his line was unavailable several times it was called.

     

     

  • School holds Walimatul Quran

    The Al-Imtiyaz Arabic School has held Walimatul Quran in Isolo.

    The graduands wowed the gathering with display of the knowledge of the Qur’an. The audience where amazed when Quranic verses were picked at random and the graduatings read it fluently.

    The school’s proprietor, Imam Aderibigbe Is-haq, said the lessons taught in the school emphasises on Islamic creed and values, adding that the knowledge of Quran is simply the instruction manual for the human beings.

    Imam Is-haq said the school is one of the contemporary Arabic schools bridging the gap between the modern and traditional teachings.

    “We have put in place different logic to make our students assimilate faster. Within two months, the students would have master the act of reading Arabic letters,” he said.

    He enjoined Muslim parents to take their wards to madrasah (Arabic schools) to reduce the rate of immorality in the society.

    The guest speaker, Shaykh Abdulfattah Ibrahim Aderibigbe, hailed the school for combining Al-Quran and modern education.

    He commended the proprietor of the school, for introducing a standard system of teaching the Holy Quran by introducing courses that would enable the students get the appropriate knowledge of the Holy Quran.

    He said: “The solutions to economic, political, spiritual or marital challenges are enshrined in the Holy Quran.”

    The Chairman on the ocassion, Alhaji Ibrahim Oloko, praised the proprietor’s effort in ensuring the students stand out from the crowd.

    He advised parents not to relent in the effort to ensure their children continue to acquire the knowledge of Islam.

    “Parent should endeavour to do follow up on their children; the ummah is losing the younger generation due to negligence on the part of the parents.  Many of the Muslim children are deviating from the part of Islam,” he said.

     

  • School holds inter-house sports

    St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos, has held its 78th inter-house sports competition, with St. Peter (Red House) coming the overall winner.

    The event was sponsored by Chikki noodles as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    President of the St. Gregory’s Old Boys Association, Mr. Adebiyi, who chaired the event, encouraged the students to be open minded to gain the benefits of motivation, excellence and team spirit.

    He said: “There is a need to balance academic activities and sports. It is in the best interest of students’ to understand the importance of friendship and fair play in any competition.”

    St. Peter’s (Red house) by their victory, has come tops for the fifth consecutive year. They won 20 gold, eight silver and 16 bronze medals. St. Francis (Blue house) came second with 12 gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze medals while St. Augustine (Green house) was third with nine gold, 15 silver and nine bronze medals. St. Benedict (Yellow house) came fourth with six gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze.

    The school administrator, Fr. Emmanuel Ayeni, thanked Chikki noodles, parents, visiting schools and pupils for their time and participation. He encouraged pupils who did not win anything not to be discouraged as there was always room for improvement.

  • International Children’s Day: 10m Nigerian children out of school – UNICEF

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says over 10 million children in Nigeria are out of school.
    The fund also said about 60 million children are globally out of the school burden.

    Mr Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday in commemoration of the International Children’s Day scheduled for November 20 annually.

    Fall noted that the day was set aside increase the welfare of children globally and above all the realisation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child.

    The country representative emphasised that though Nigeria has made significant progress in fulfilment of the child rights with regard to access to health, reducing infants and under five mortality through the roll back Malaria.

    He further noted that through the improvement in sanitation and hygiene there was reduction in under five mortality and as well getting more children to school and ensuring their protection.

    He however noted that there are still tremendous challenges with regard to practical implementation of the ratified Convention of the Rights of the Child by the Nigerian government and partners through resources allocation and implementation on issues affecting the children.

    According to him, our focus on the protocol of the right of the child is that every single child in Nigeria is given the possibility to survive, possibility to thrive and possibility to have optimum development and as well develop their full potentials.

    Read Also: UNICEF counsels mothers on exclusive breast feeding

    “Nigeria today have over 10 million children that are out of school and that account for large proportion of the burden the world is carrying in terms of number of children that are out of school.

    “Nigeria is having under five mortality of one million, which is one of the third highest in the world, the country also have 11 million children stunted, a form of malnutrition that affect their growth and development.

    “Stunting also affects their development to fulfil their potential and as well affect their ability to learn at learning age which affects good labour force when they grow up.

    “Today the country is also experiencing many forms of violence affecting children as well as all sorts of abuses beside conflict in different context, early marriage and Mother-To-Child HIV transmission.’’

    He however noted that there was need for government at all levels, private sector, civil society, communities, traditional and religious leaders to mobilise in order to reduce these negative indices.

    Fall specifically called for private sector involvement in terms of utilising its leveraging power, influence and innovations, among others.

    He further described the media as key in terms of raising awareness, in terms of mobilising the society to move forward the agenda of children.

    “The government has to do more in terms of resources allocation, legislation, in terms of implementing programmes that was agreed upon.

    “The efforts of the government need to be complemented by the efforts of other segments of the society. The media has to contribute a lot in terms of awareness, making people know what the situations are,” Fall said.

    The country representative noted that the International Children’s Day was set aside in 1989 on the resolution of the UN Assembly by the international community where they adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

    He emphasised that the day was set aside to celebrate the progress, achievement and as well celebrate where each countries are today.

    “It help us to see the way we still have to go because despite the progress challenges are still there, issues are still affecting the possibility for children to survive, thrive and to live their lives and achieve their full potentials,” he said.

    NAN

  • School parleys parents on welfare, pornography

    The management of Trinity International College, Ofada in Ogun State, gathered parents of its pupils last weekend to discuss welfare issues, include the touchy issue of pornography among teenagers, during the school’s parents’ forum.

    Chairman, board of governors, Pastor Samuel Olatunji, said the school could not raise the pupils alone without the active participation of their parents.

    Olatunji advised the parents of both new and returning pupils in attendance to work with the school to boost their wards’ academic, moral and social wellbeing.

    “Experts’ findings reveal that the school, the teacher and the parents are the major factors that influence academic performance of students. Learning infrastructures are important, teachers are more important, but the home front is far more important. Parents have a lot of influence in educational attainment of their children. Their overarching influence cannot be measured.  And so, we urge you to be visible in your child’s total development. Monitor and challenge your children with incentives to do great.

    “This is a partnership and you have a role to play. It is a new academic session, and as our tradition, we always pause and reflect on our journey by demanding accountability from every stakeholder. Feel free to contact the school, make suggestions and meaningful criticisms. We have confidence in moral certainty, our values, as institution cannot be compromised. Our curriculum is robust and inclusive to ensure our children go out there balanced and prepared in life. We are reputable for combining academic excellence with spiritual and moral uprightness,” he said.

    In an interview, the Administrator of the college, Mrs Titilayo Akintemi, said that parental role goes beyond paying school fees.

    “We need to work together with parents. Parenting is not only about paying school fees. It is more than that. We live in a pervasive world; things have changed a great deal. While we do our part in school to ensure wellbeing of these youngsters, parents should partner with us and make their moral wellbeing a priority, especially when they are on holidays,” he said.

    The talk of pornography was handled by Mrs Gbemisola Agbato, founder of Solid Foundation Ministry.

    Mrs Agbato, presentation on “Pornography: The Impact on Adolescents and it’s Remedies,” was an eye opener for the parents in which she detailed how to detect if their wards had become addicted to pornography, effects and remedies.

    “If your child is easily irritated, agitated and preferred to be left alone with his or her laptops or cell phones, watch him/her closely. Pick up their cell phones, check their text messages, friends and conversations on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and other applications. Help guide your children or they will be lost. A lot is happening on social media, even under your roof if you don’t regularly monitor these kids,” she said.

    If they suspect their wards are hooked on pornography, Mrs Agbato advised the parents to first of all admit to the truth, pray, and seek professional help.

    “If you suspect, ask if they have visited pornographic sites; ask when they started; seek professional help; feed their minds with positive things; tell yourself the truth,” she said.