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Tag: Sununu

  • NELFUND MD hails Sununu on new title

    NELFUND MD hails Sununu on new title

    Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has commended the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Tanko Sununu, on his conferment as the Dan Madamin Yauri by the Emir of Yauri, Dr. Muhammed Zayyanu Abdullahi.

    In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, Sawyerr said Sununu, who was former Minister of State for Education dedication to expanding access to quality education and fostering innovative policies laid a foundation that continues to impact countless lives.

    The statement said: “It is with great joy and pride that I, on behalf of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Tanko Yusuf Sununu, former Minister of State, Education and current Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, on his well-deserved conferment as the Dan Madamin Yauri by the Emir of Yauri, Dr. Muhammed Zayyanu Abdullahi.

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    “Dr. Sununu’s tenure as Minister of State, Education was a period of remarkable strides in the sector. His dedication to expanding access to quality education and fostering innovative policies laid a foundation that continues to impact countless lives. As someone deeply committed to empowering students through financial support, I recognise and celebrate Dr. Sununu’s transformative contributions to education in Nigeria.

    “Now serving as the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Sununu has carried his passion for service into addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in our society. This new recognition as Dan Madamin Yauri is a fitting acknowledgment of his selfless dedication and tireless efforts to uplift our nation.

    “I join his family, colleagues, and the entire Yauri Emirate in celebrating this honor. May this recognition inspire him to continue his invaluable service to our country.”

  • We didn’t stop under 18-year-old students from writing WASSCE, NECO – Minister

    We didn’t stop under 18-year-old students from writing WASSCE, NECO – Minister

    The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that the ministry has not stopped students who are not up to 18 years old from writing the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.

    The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, made the clarification in Abuja on Friday while fielding questions from journalists at an event to mark the 2024 International Literacy Day (ILD).

    Sununu said that the public misconception and misinterpretation of what was said by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, was highly disappointing.

    He said that the minister was actually speaking on the 18 years entry age into the tertiary institutions as was practiced in the 6:3:3:4 system of education.

    “We have agreed that we are going to consider it as a work-in-progress. The National Assembly is working and we are also working.

    “It was shocking to say that a university in this country gave admission to children at ages 10, 11 and 12 years. This is totally wrong.

    “We are not saying that there are no exceptions, we know we can have talented students that have the IQ of an adult even at age 6 and 7, but these are very few.

    “There must be a rule, and the ministry is looking at developing a guideline on how to identify a talented child, so that parents don’t say we are blocking their children’s chances.

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    “Nobody said no child will write WAEC, NECO or any other examination unless at age 18. This is a misconception and misrepresentation of what we have said,” he said.

    Speaking on the International Literacy Day, Sununu underscored the critical role of literacy in fostering mutual understanding, peace and socio-economic development.

    He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing literacy challenges through the Education for Renewed Hope roadmap (2024-2027).

    He highlighted youth and adult literacy as key components, while emphasising the importance of using learners’ mother tongues as a medium of instruction.

    “We must focus on the role of a learner’s first language in becoming literate, which will foster mutual understanding and peace,” he added.

    He also emphasised the need for well-trained educators who should be equipped to teach in local languages, as well as the development of follow-up reading materials in these languages.

    On his part, the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC), Prof. Simon Akpama, reaffirmed the Commission’s dedication to integrating multilingual education into schools’ literacy programmes.

    “In an increasingly interconnected world, multilingual education is not just a necessity, it is a tool for fostering peace and cultural respect,” he said.

    Meanwhile, UNESCO’s Country Representative, Mr Diallo Abdourahamane, re-echoed that literacy remained a fundamental human right, hence the need to create a just, peaceful and sustainable society.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ILD which is celebrated annually on Sept. 8, is aimed at highlighting the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.

    The theme for this year’s celebration is “Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace.”

    (NAN)

  • Don’t disrupt academic calendar over tuition hike, FG begs varsity students

    Don’t disrupt academic calendar over tuition hike, FG begs varsity students

    The federal government has appealed to students, parents, and lecturers to shun acts capable of disrupting the academic session as universities resume.

    The Minister of State for Education, Tanko Sununu, made the appeal during a meeting with the Congress of University Academics (CONUA).

    In a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Ben Goong on Friday, September 22, in Abuja, Sununu said the show of restraint was in the interest of all stakeholders, and system stability.

    The minister noted that the ministry was having constructive dialogue and consultation with stakeholders over the welfare of students, and staff as well as the provision of infrastructure in tertiary institutions.

    Acknowledging that strikes and non-use of facilities could lead to rapid infrastructural decay, the minister promised that President Bola Tinubu would do everything “humanly possible to avoid any situation that could lead to strikes.”

    The president of CONUA, Niyi Sunmonu said there was the likelihood of student unrest occasioned by the new increase in school fees.

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    This, he said, has the potential of disrupting academic activities and the school calendar. 

    He also appealed to the government to look into ways of improving the condition of service of academic and non-academic staff of universities, which he said had deteriorated due to the fuel subsidy removal.

    Sunmonu noted that there was a need to revisit the issue of the eight-month salary arrears that arose from the last strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), arguing that members of CONUA did not go on strike.

    The statement added: “It must be noted, however, that all academic activities in universities were grounded throughout the period of the strike.”