The Nation Newspaper

Tag: schools

  • Lagos opens enrolment into primary schools

    Lagos opens enrolment into primary schools

    Last Friday’s Children’s Day celebration marked the beginning of registration of pupils into the Early Child Care Development Education (ECCDE) and Primary One classes of public primary schools for the 2016/2017 academic session in Lagos State.

    The Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, registered the first few children after the Children’s Day parade at the Police College Parade Ground in Ikeja.

    The registration continued at the nearby Local Government Primary School behind Archbishop Vining Memorial Church, Ikeja.

    Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Ganiyu Sopeyin, said the registration, which took place simultaneously in various centres across the state, would last until July 31.

    He urged parents with children aged six and above to register their wards in any of the state’s 1,007 public schools and 31 inclusive units close to them.

    He said the registration required only for them to present the birth certificate of the child and provide details of the home address.

    “The Lagos State government led by Mr Akinwunmi Ambode pays premium on the right of children to have qualitative education in a conducive atmosphere. We are urging our parents whose children are already six years old to take advantage of the exercise to register their wards in any primary school of their choice. We also have 31 inclusive schools to take care of children who need special education,” he said.

    Last year, 97,000 pupils were registered for the 2015/2016 academic session.

  • Army officer takes drug abuse campaign to secondary Schools

    An officer of the United States Army, Captain Sunday Adebomi, has an essay competition to help secondary school pupils in Ekiti State fight drug abuse.

    Adebomi, who hails from Ise-Ekiti, headquarters of Ise/Orun Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was concerned that many youths are hooked on drugs.

    He bankrolled the initiative in conjunction with Youth Saving Lifestyle Creation Initiative (YSLCI), a non-governmental organisation, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to create awareness on the evils of drug abuse.

    Forty one pupils from various schools were short listed after undergoing series of tests in their schools to participate in the final competition.

    All 41 wrote an essay titled: “Drug Abuse, Cultism and Youth Violence in Secondary Schools in Nigeria” in the presence of the audience at the Sheikh Ibiyemi Hall of Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School, Ado -Ekiti.

    The essays were graded and results were announced immediately, producing three female winners. Deborah Ekunloluwa of Comprehensive High School, Ado-Ekiti, came first with 80.5 percent; Kolawole Kehinde of Ijaloke High School, Emure-Ekiti came second with 77.5 percent and Fabunmi from Okemesi High School, Okemesi-Ekiti came third with 77 percent.

    The three winners would represent Ekiti in the southwest zonal competition.

    Adebomi, while giving out prizes to the three winners, congratulated them for their outstanding performance.

    He gave the first 10 students in the essay competition certificates and notebooks for participation while the top three winners got laptops.

    He promised to pay the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fee of the overall winner.

    Ekiti State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Sulaiman Jadi, hailed Adebomi for the gesture which he said would go a long way in discouraging drug abuse among pupils.

    The programme was chaired by the Onikun of Ikun-Ekiti in Moba Local Government Area of the state, Oba David Olatunde.

  • Edo to spend N3b on schools

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State says the government will spend N3 billion to build more schools in the state, this year, insisting that every Edo child must go to quality schools.

    Speaking at the Children’s Day celebration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Governor Oshiomhole said government had in the past seven and half years devoted resources to rebuilding public schools in order to make them attractive and conducive for teaching and learning.

    He assured that government would “continue to build more schools” before the end of this year, adding that another N3 billion is being voted by government to build more primary schools.

    He said: “We will continue to make investments in constructing modern primary and secondary schools so that we would have an enabling environment to be taught by teachers who are well paid.

    “You are also aware that the Federal Government is working to introduce one meal a day feeding for our school children. We have a president that is totally committed to ensuring that the right of the Nigerian child is upheld.”

    Oshiomhole continued: “We in Edo State will sustain free bus ride we have already started. I am sure you are happy when you enter the Comrade Bus. For us, the Edo child deserves the very best. I ask you to continue to take your studies very seriously. As you already know, we are now in a knowledge-driven world. Anyone who is not educated has no future.

    “Today, we are proud to say that in Edo State, we have the lowest percentage of out-of-school children which is today about six per cent. We want to bring it down to zero. Every child has a right to go to school. Every parent must be encouraged to stop child labour. Children who should be in school should not be allowed to be involved in hawking.”

    The event featured march past by pupils from various primary and secondary schools as well as voluntary organisations. Prizes were also given to deserving participants.

  • Group seeks use of local languages in primary schools

    A group, the Civil Society and Government Partnership (CSGP), has urged the Kwara State House of Assembly to enact laws that will support use of local languages in primary schools in the state.

    The group addressed reporters in Ilorin, the state capital on the outcome of its research on “The Preferred Language of Instruction in Schools and Uneven Distribution/Redeployment of Teachers.”

    It also canvassed the employment of qualified teachers who are indigenes of rural communities where schools are located.

    Spokesperson for the group, Hajia Nimat Labaika, explained that many children across sampled schools were not learning much because of the language barrier between them and their teachers, hence the need to enact language policies that will take account of local language learning especially from primary 1 to 3.

    “It is a practice that leads to limited or non-existent-learning and acquisition of knowledge and skills, alienating experiences and high drop-out and repetition rates,” said Labaika, who is Kwara State and North-central Coordinator for the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA).

    Forty-two communities in 12 local government areas were covered by the study.  It included 382 community members who are not members of School Based Management Committee (SBMC), 232 SBMC members, 262 school children and 184 teachers.

    She said: “From the result gathered, 78 percent of interviewed children and 78 percent of teachers said that the use of local language would  boost children’s academic performance. Some of the teachers who preferred to stick to English Language as the language of instruction also acknowledged that the use of local language will improve performance.

    “This position supports the notion that teachers preference for English is largely due to personal reasons and not reflection of what they think is best for pupils. However, 81 percent of parents believe that the use of local language will not improve children academic performance. The parents’ opinion is anchored on the limited knowledge of the technicalities attached to the teaching and learning and thereby affecting their opinion on how the process can be best improved.

    “Surprisingly, finding s show that some Fulani communities also chose Yoruba because they were born there and the only language they understand is Yoruba. They do not understand their original language (Fulfude). Only 15 percent of the respondents chose Fulfulde and these are parents who live in nomadic Fulani communities.”

    The group asked the state government to ensure that one teacher who could speak the local language be posted to each nomadic school in the state, and that teachers employed by the SBMC or Parent Teachers Association (PTA) who possesses relevant qualification in rural schools be absorbed to fill the existing gaps in the system.

    The group also recommended an upward review of the rural allowance for teachers posted to rural schools from the current rate of N200 per month to at least N5, 000 per month and that the existing policy which makes it mandatory for newly recruited teachers to stay for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years in any school they are posted to should be strictly followed.

    Although she acknowledged great improvement in the state of schools in the state with the injection of about N390 million by SBMC and others over a four year period, Labiaka said more still needed to be done by the government in dealing with the deplorable condition of primary schools in rural areas.

  • Highway safety: FRSC targets secondary schools’ pupils

    Highway safety: FRSC targets secondary schools’ pupils

    To inculcate road safety in youths, the Federal Road Safety Corps in Lagos State has taken the campaign to secondary schools’ pupils.

    As part of the campaign, it organised a quiz competition for selected 20 schools to commemorate the 2016 children’s Day.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition was organised separately by the Lekki and Yaba Units of the corps to inculcate the Highway Code in the students.

    Mr Azuibike Onyemeh, Unit Commander of Lekki told NAN that the campaign was to prepare the children to start thinking of the challenges of being future leaders in various aspects of life.

    “The objective is to inculcate in them and put into practicel road safety education and the culture of road safety in children because they are the future leaders.

    “This is the reason for the road safety related quiz competition in which five schools are competing.

    “If their parents are driving on a high speed or making calls while driving, the children will be able to correct them since they have learnt the necessary precautions,” he said.

    In her remarks, Mrs Nimota Okoro, the officer of Yaba Unit of FRSC, observed that most parents or drivers pay little or no attention to the safety of children, especially while driving.

    “Evidence from patrol and enforcement activities show that several children are not protected with seatbelt while sitting in a vehicle and there are a lot of underage drivers.

    “This act of negligence exposes them to great danger especially in the event of road crashes.

    “Often you see mothers carrying their babies on their laps or children standing while on the wheels; or parents sending their underage children on errand with their cars.

    “This is wrong and it must stop,’’ he added.

    She, therefore, urged all stakeholders to take necessary steps to ensure the safety of children in their environment.

    Mrs Owoupele Diseph, a parent, commended the FRSC for the initiative and urged other parents to ensure that the safety of their children was accorded priority attention.

    Another parent and teacher, Mrs Tinuke Ogunleye, said the programme was educative, especially the rules and driving code..

    “Parents need to expose their children to such knowledge because it teaches the children the hazards of disobeying the road safety rules.”

    Miss Ijeoma Ubah, a student of Ayomi School in Lekki, said the event had enlightened her on road signs and driving code.

    “Before now I did not know much about the various road signs and code but preparing for the quiz competition made me to know more,’’ she told NAN.

     

  • Peak Milk takes ‘Art of Milk’ to schools in Ikeja

    Ahead of World Milk Day on June 1, Nigeria’s’ premium dairy brand, Peak Milk, has taken its “Art of Milk” initiative to some secondary schools in Ikeja and its environs.

    It was creativity galore when the brand team of Peak Milk visited Cayley College, Agidingbi and Wellsprings College, Omole Phase II. Pupils of both schools showed amazing talents, giving their presentations of prepared meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner by using milk as the main food item.

    Besides the brand team, also present at the event were star actress, Mrs. Sola Sobowale and head chef/ Managing Director, We Are Food Limited, Mr. Adeniyi Williams.

    They were members of the panel of judges.

    The organisers said the initiative was meant to showcase ingenuity by using milk in unconventional cooking practices.

    Sobowale said: “Over the years, we have been eating the same kind of food. Milk is one of the essential foods we need. It is not just for Quaker Oats, pap or cornflakes. We have a lot of things we can do with milk. That is why I love the fact that Peak is making us use milk wisely.”

    Williams said the “Art of Milk” initiative was close to his heart, adding that he believed everyone should get involved.

    He said: “There is so much fun in the kitchen. I believe if you let these kids start cooking at 10, 11 years; by the time they are 18 to 20, I do not see why they can’t be the best in Africa.”

    As a food enthusiast, Williams added that milk was important for all and sundry.

    “I still drink milk and I am 28. It is a good source of Vitamin D’ phosphorus, calcium and so on. Coming from the point of Western cooking, there are amazing things you can do with milk when cooking and baking – and that is what Peak is showing,” he said.

    The competition helped the pupils and their teachers to try out unbelievable recipes.

    Mrs. Deborah Oladimeji, the Food and Nutrition teacher of Wellsprings College, said it was an exciting challenge.

    She said: “We went through some recipes and tried to create our own taking into cognisance the period of the meals”, she explained.

    Their presentation was Sweet potato pancake (made with milk) and beef kebabs (for breakfast); chicken egusi soup with vegetable and milk semovita (lunch) and milk rice with crayfish and pepper for dinner.

    To enter the competition, schools in Lagos would enter in recipes using milk to peakmilkng@gmail.com. Ten finalists will be chosen from which the winning school would emerge on June 1st.

    The grand prize is a branded LED screen while the second and third prizes would be air-conditioning units for six and three classrooms.

    Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria produces Peak evaporated and powdered milk, which contains essential vitamins and minerals. The range now includes evaporated (liquid) milk in sachets and smaller pocket-friendly sachets.

     

  • Case for study of History in schools

    Let me bore us a little with a personal story. As a young secondary school student in the North, I questioned the wisdom of my teachers when told I had to choose between one of History and Government as a subject of study for my senior school examination. Not content with the answers provided, I defied their subtle pressure and wrote the two subjects in my final exams.

    Mr. James Ahua, one of the most inspiring teachers to have shaped my young mind, was our history teacher. The disdain for the subject from the school management and education authorities played a part in ensuring that only six of us, out of over 100 students, studied History in that school that year.

    But then, the passion for history was already molded. My exposure to our history at that early stage has no doubt shaped my world view today. But the question remains, will my children, and my children’s children, be lucky enough to meet a persistent teacher in the mold of Ahua who will insist on teaching them a living subject even when no one will encourage him to do so?

    So hearing the news that the Ministry of Education and the National Council on Education have agreed to restore the subject back into our curriculum is worthy of commendation.

    Every human endeavour is accompanied by events, which are recorded, stored and retrieved when needed. These advance preservation of knowledge through research, references and securing of information, lead to sustenance of cultures through generations. These, in turn, facilitate discovery of fresh facts, interpretation of old facts, reconstruction of events, resolution of conflicts through emergence of facts, advancing the process of negotiations between individuals, groups and nations. History helps us to preserve our culture and civilisation.

    The history of History as a subject of study in Nigeria is a checkered one. Historians tell us that at independence, History was a favorite subject on the school curriculum in Nigeria. The Department of History, first of the University College, Ibadan and later of the University of Ibadan, working with the West African Examinations Council, introduced Nigerian and African history to students and it proved to be a hit. Then, the status of history as a school subject was not called into question because it featured prominently at the Higher School Certificate (HSC) programme which sought to prepare students for admission to the universities.

    “By 1966, History was among the most favored subjects at the HSC examinations, and in which the candidates excelled. While the ‘Principal Passes’ in English was 244, Latin 3, Geography 269, Mathematics 88 and French 19, History recorded 414 Principal passes, next only to Chemistry which had 601 Principal Passes. But even then while Chemistry had 307 failures, History and only 22 Failures while Mathematics had 57 Failure. Curriculum review was also done at the University level as the University of Ibadan developed a unique curriculum with emphasis on Nigerian and African history,” revealed Professor Michael Omolewa.

    However the course of the teaching of history was adversely affected by the events which followed the convening of the 1969 National Curriculum Conference, followed by the adoption of  a National Policy of Education, and the subsequent arrival of the 6-3-3-4 Education system in the country.

    “The 1969 Conference, which was expected to bring hope to the Nigerian educational system turned out to be the beginning of the decline of history teaching in Nigerian schools. In the end the curriculum reform which grew from that conference led to the reduction of the status of history. Eventually, history was expunged first from the primary and the junior school curriculum, and later at the senior school level. The new curriculum saw the introduction of the social studies and gradual elimination of history at the primary schools and the junior secondary schools. It eventually led to what Adeyinka describes as the cramming into the second-tier Senior Secondary School of a history curriculum that ought to take six years to teach. Eventually the senior secondary schools were also affected,” he added.

    Since then, despite spirited efforts of respected historians like Professor JF Ade-Ajayi and Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman, we have allowed our children grow without a sense of their own history. Ade-Ajayi who once observed that society “looked up to history for knowledge of the accumulated wisdom of the ancestors, the sense of values, the morality and the norms upon which society was founded. Thus history occupied a unique position in traditional African society and that history was prominent as a subject in the preparation and training of the citizen”.

    The question keeps coming back at us, how does a country proceed without a knowledge of its heroes and heroines? History is not just a study of events and dates; it provides analytical insights into social formations, anthropological developments, inventions and innovations that shape humanity. The roles of history in governance, conflict resolutions, diplomacy and international relations, science and medical studies, technological developments, advancement of civilisations and human relations are vital.

    The failure to teach this important subject in our classrooms has led to the failure to apply historical understanding to national policy. The new policy announced by Adamu Adamu should end the anomaly. As someone who has written much on this very subject in the past, the Minister should bring his ideas to bear on policies. We cannot afford to continue as if we are a people who care little about our past. A people who do not know where they are coming from, how can they truly know where they are headed?

    • Imam, is a Sokoto-based journalist.
  • Firm adopts 18 public schools

    Firm adopts 18 public schools

    No fewer than 26,000 school children have benefited from FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc’s School Adoption Programme.

    The dairy firm, makers of Peak, Three Crowns and Friso brands of milk has endowed 18 public schools under the programme. It said the gesture was in response to the need to promote quality education and to enhance the nutritional well-being of the students.

    Speaking at the 43rd Annual Inter-house Sports Day of Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State, the Corporate Affairs Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Ore Famurewa, noted that improving the quality of education across the country requires an all-around approach that focuses not only on classrooms, books and equipment, but also ensures that the students are healthy and mentally alert to carry them into adulthood.

    Represented by the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Gbenga George, Famurewa added that during every School Adoption Programme, white marker boards are donated. A total of 340 have been given out so far. Also donated were sample cartoons of handy, pocket friendly Peak evaporated milk in sachets to students and a nutritional talk. The climax of the event is a choreography session by students who won various branded gifts.

  • 300 projects for Akwa Ibom schools

    Arrangements have been concluded by the Akwa Ibom government for the provision of 300 projects in public schools across the 31 local government areas of the state.

    The Commissioner for Education, Mr. Aniekan Akpan, who disclosed this while interacting with reporters in Uyo, listed some of the projects to include the construction and renovation of school buildings,  desks, parameter fencing and boreholes.

    He explained that the effort would address the problem of dilapidated infrastructure in schools which the state has been facing. He noted that priority would be accorded primary and junior secondary schools found in very poor condition during the selection process.

    Akpan said: “The government of Governor Udom Emmanuel has shown a lot of commitment towards the education sector in terms of teachers welfare, and provision of infrastructure. I just met with heads of primary schools and they admitted that they have received March salary.

    “The construction of a school sports complex in each federal constituency is ongoing. That at West Itam secondary school is at 95 per cent completion. The second one has started in Eket constituency because it is being done in phases.”

    He attributed the increasing school enrolment to the government’s free and compulsory education programme in the state.

    He said: “So we are implementing the free and compulsory education programme passionately in spite of the fact that funding is a challenge as the revenue accruing to the state has really gone down.’’

  • Court to hear nonagenarian’s suit on schools May 9

    The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that hearing notices in a suit by a 92-year-old widow, Mrs Roseling Ololo, be served on the government and Attorney-General of the Federation.

    The plaintiff is praying the court to order the return of the Metropolitan College and Isolo Secondary School to her as the founder.

    The Minister of Education, Lagos State Government, its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Education, who make up the defendants, will also get the hearing notice, Justice Hadiza Shagari said.

    The plaintiff’s lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, said the defendants had been served with the suit.

    But, none of them was represented in court when the case came up last Friday. They are expected to file their responses to the suit before the next date.

    Mrs Ololo was in court in a wheel-chair, accompanied by her daughter, son and grand-daughter.

    She told newsmen that she wished the case would be heard and determined quickly.

    The plaintiff said she and her husband, the late Mr Akaihieobi Ololo–Ogwu established Metropolitan College in 1952.

    The plaintiff said in 1966, they acquired over 8.17 hectares of land at Ire-Akari in Isolo area of Lagos, where the school was relocated to for expansion in 1974. In 1976, the military government took over 48 private secondary schools from their owners, including Metropolitan College.

    She said Isolo Secondary School was carved out of Metropolitan College on its expanse of land. However, in 2001, the administration of Chief Ahmed Bola Tinubu repealed the law and returned the said 48 private schools to their owners,” she averred.

    Ololo said Metropolitan College was not returned to its owners, thereby violating her right to acquire and own properties.

    She is praying for an order restraining the respondents from further infringing on her fundamental right, as well as an order returning her properties to her.

    Justice Shagari adjourned till May 9.