Education
Kindergarten Education, Key To National Dev –Experts
It has been made clear that early childhood education is the bedrock of our national development.
We have also heard that once we get education right in Nigeria, all other sectors would be put right.
Experts have said that for us to move education forward in Nigeria, we must start from the beginning to give the children the initial knowledge so that they can fit into the society as better citizens.
UN representative asked: “What kind of quality manpower do you want to raise without quality kindergarten education?”
She wondered that even when oil was discovered from the Niger Delta, we still employed foreigners to man the oil companies. “Why are there not enough indigenous engineers to work in the oil industries?” she queried and advised that we need to invest in our children and wards by giving them quality education.
These and many more were the views of various speakers as they brainstormed on the topic: “Kingdergarten Education: The Foundation for Human Development”, at the 2nd National Conference on Kindergarten Education in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
Presenting a paper on the kindergarten perspective, a lecturer, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof Julie Ibiam, who stated that kindergarten is a kind of stepping stone or transition class for primary school, noted that in recent times, it has been said and understood that it is a terminal stage for pre-primary education; and preparatory ground for the primary.
Prof Ibiam said in early childhood education, the child is smart and active and is ready to get what is imparted to him.
She emphasised that there is no uniform curriculum for this level of education and stressed that since Federal Government had directed that all state governments should establish early childhood education side-by-side the model schools, relevant authorities should prepare one and make the copies available, so that teachers would be trained in that area.
According to her, “Teachers should make learning meaningful in relation to what the children already know and involve them on hands- on activities.
Concerning the language to be used at this level, Prof Ibiam said although Nigeria has diverse languages but that the National Policy on Education stated that the language of the immediate environment should be used.
In her views, Dr Valerie Samuel, opined that if we are teaching the children to compete at the international community level, the official language should be English hence the local languages are secondary.
Dr Samuel, who stated that kindergarten education is unique, argued that you cannot compare a child who attended it with the child who did not because the kindergarten child is more equipped with so much skills than the latter.
She emphasised that Kindergarten is compulsory for nations preparing world-class leaders and therefore recommended one teacher to 10 pupils in a class.
She encouraged childhood care givers to organise parents’ forums for interaction, reminding that parental attention is very crucial since they are the first teachers.
In kindergarten all animals must be equal, unlike in ‘Animal Farm’ where all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. In her paper presentation, a guest lecturer, Delta State University, Abraka, Dr Gladys Idogho, recalled that before independence, education in Nigeria used to be a community affair, hence we lean less on government and do it privately. Dr Idogho said parents have to be economically fit to ensure good nutrition and health and stressed that early identification to ascertain whether the child is normal or not is important. “Early childhood education lies in the hands of the parents. A child under three years must be attached to the mother.
“Kindergarten is the responsibility of the parents and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should assist at the local levels. NGOs should expand in every ward and every woman should be a member,” she remarked. Meanwhile, a stakeholder and participant, who teachers at St Thomas Church Nursery and Primary School, in Port Harcourt, Mrs Gold Prince-Adah, told The Tide that it is a welcome development for educationists and policy planners and it serves as an eye-opener. According to her, “I have learnt a lot about early childhood care and as a way forward, I have to sustain it. We can go back to our various homes and impart this knowledge to other teachers who would in turn impart it proper to the children.”
Also speaking to our correspondent, a Fine and Applied Arts teacher at the Government Secondary School Elekahia, Mrs Aku Uche Olekanma, said that she has learnt about improvised materials for teaching the children in school and acknowledged that what she learnt will assist in her assignments.
Mr Samuel Omo, lamented that the fees charged by private schools operators are high and appealed to the government to establish nursery centres in the urban areas since they can afford it.
Eunice Choko Kayode
The Covenant University (CU) has, for the second time, been rated as the best university in Nigeria.
According to Times Higher Education‘s 2024 rating, Covenant Unirersity, as a growing, dynamic vision-driven university, founded on a Christian mission ethos and committed to pioneering excellence at the cutting edge of learning, is among the top 1,000 universities in the world.
The 2024 ranking includes 1,906 universities across 108 countries and regions. The Ranking Website indicates that the grading was compiled based on their new World University Ranking (WUR) 3.0 methodology which includes 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.
Analysis of the latest ranking on Thursday showed that the university based in Ota, Ogun State, is following on the ranking by the University of Ibadan (UI) as the second-best in the country, with the Federal University of Technology, Akure clinching the third position.
Currently ranked 801st university in the world, CU first gained prominence in 2018 after it emerged as the best university in Nigeria and the sixth-best university overall.
The ranking webpage explained that the site is trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments, and industry experts, adding that the 2024 league table reveals how the global higher education landscape is shifting.
It stated thus; “This year’s ranking analysed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally. Overall, we collected 411,789 data points from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data”.
Meanwhile, also captured on the list of universities with the top rating in Nigeria are the University of Ilorin, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Afe Babalola University, and the University of Benin.
Others include the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Port Harcourt.
Available statistics showed that of the 15 top universities in the country, nine are located in the South West region, two in the South-South region, two in the South East region, one in the North Central zone, and one in the North West zone. Interestingly, the North-East zone was conspicuously missing from the list.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have raised an alarm over fake sites for the ongoing printing of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) Notification Slip which contains vital information such as the date, venue, and time of candidates’ examinations.
In a joint briefing by the NPF and JAMB recently in Abuja, candidates are enjoined to patronise only the approved sites by the JAMB, so as not be defrauded.
The Force Spokesman, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who signed a press release on behalf of the two Government agencies said: “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) hereby bring to the attention of the public the ongoing printing of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) Notification Slip which contains vital information such as the date, venue, and time of candidates’ examinations.
“Unfortunately, the emergence of several fake websites created by unscrupulous individuals with the intention of misleading candidates has been observed necessitating this joint press briefing.
“These fake sites are designed to deceive innocent candidates into providing personal details such as registration numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers. These details are then exploited for malicious purposes.
“Both JAMB and the Nigeria Police Force condemn these fraudulent activities and hereby reiterate the readiness to safeguard the interests of candidates and maintain the integrity of the examination process.
“We urge parents, guardians, and all stakeholders to ensure that candidates print their UTME Notification Slips only from the Board’s approved website: www.jamb.gov.ng. Candidates can print their slips from the comfort of their homes or visit any of the over 700 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
“It is important to note that we are familiar with the tactics employed by these fraudsters, especially during the annual assessment and admission exercises. We are actively sensitizing candidates and the public about these deceptive practices.
“Any candidate who visits these fake sites will definitely have unreliable information and thereby miss out in the forthcoming exams.’’
“Candidates are advised to print their UTME Notification Slips before Friday, 19th April, 2024, to access vital information about their examinations. Any website other than www.jamb.gov.ng offering UTME slip printing services is fake and designed to defraud candidates. Candidates should also beware of sites offering ‘live’ questions and answers, as they are false and deceptive, and accessing such materials is prohibited.
“The 2024 UTME is scheduled to commence on Friday, 19th April, and end on Monday, 29th April, 2024. We call on parents, guardians, and the general public to join hands in fostering a culture of integrity and compliance with established guidelines. Together, we can nurture a generation of upright and law-abiding leaders by discouraging fraudulent practices and desperation.
“Furthermore, JAMB is partnering with the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) to address online scam-related issues seamlessly. We assure candidates and the public of our firm dedication to ensuring a fair and transparent examination process.
“In addition, the Inspector General of Police has ordered the NPF-NCCC to go after scammers and fraudsters who engage in cyber related crimes and create phishing sites/portals, and cause them to face the full wrath of the law”.
The authorities of the Rivers State University (RSU),Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt says it will commence the First semester examinations.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Acting Registrar of the university, Mrs. I. B. S. Harry and made available to Dean’s and Heads of Departments, adding that the the examinations were earlier shifted to begin today from its initial date of last Monday to enable students who were yet to complete their registration and pay the necessary approved fees and give all students equal opportunity to participate in the examinations.
The statement reads “This is to inform all staff and students of the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, that the First Semester Examination for the 2023/2024 academic session earlier scheduled to commence on Monday, 8th April, 2024, has been shifted to Monday, 15th April, 2024.”
“The change in date of the Examination is to enable students who are yet to pay stipulated fees/ charges and complete their course registration for the First Semester, to do so.”
All students in this category are advised to utilise the period to make necessary fee payments as well as course registration.”
By: Akujobi Amadi
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