Education
RSG Cautions Teachers Against Illegal Fees … Ekiti Threatens Irregular Calender Operators
The Rivers State Government has
again warned teachers against collection of any fee from the pupils as payment
of fees is prohibited in all government owned schools in Rivers State.
The Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi
gave the warning during the 2012 Christmas Carol of the Ministry of Education
which took place at State Primary School 11 Orogbum in Port Harcourt last
weekend.
Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi commended teachers in Rivers
State for their commitment to duty and declared that they had proven that they
were the best in the country.
The Commissioner charged the pupils and students to
utilize the facilities provided by the state government and advised them to
take their studies seriously so as to complement government’s investment in
education.
According to the Commissioner, the Ministry has lined up
many programmes like quiz, debate and essay competitions so as to expose them
to greater heights, and charged stakeholders in the education sector to brace
up for the challenges that lie ahead in 2013 stressing that with their support,
the Ministry would break more ground.
In his address, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State
Ministry of education, Dr. Richard Ofuru, thanked God for his mercies in 2012
while wishing for a better year in 2013.
Ofuru commended the Commissioner for Education for her
passion in driving the vision of Governor Chibuike Amaechi in Education noting
that the Ministry would not have achieved all they did without the commitment
of the Commissioner.
Also speaking, the head teacher of State Primary School
11 Orogbum Mrs Evelyn Wornu, on behalf of the teachers, thanked the Rivers
State Government for choosing the school for the programme.
Mrs Wornu said Governor Amaechi has given a new lease of
life to the education sector maintaining that teaching and learning have been
made easy because of the facilities provided by the government.
The first lesson at the Carol of nine
lessons was read by a primary one pupil, Brianyan Germany from the book of
Genesis 3:8-15, while the second lesson was read by the Commissioner for
Education, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi from the book of John 1:1-14. the third
lesson was taken from the book of Matthew 2:1-12 and was read by the Permanent
Secretary, Dr. Richard Ofuru.
In another development, the Ekiti State
Government has threatened to sanction any private school which contravenes the
stipulated guidelines for running the academic calendar in the state.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr
Eniola Ajayi, said this while inspecting
schools in Ado-Ekiti, recently.
She said the threat became imperative
following rumours that some private schools were planning to deviate from the
school calendar drawn by the state government.
Ajayi directed that private and public
schools operating in the state should vacate for Christmas and New Year
festivities on December 21 and resume on January 7, 2013.
She warned all schools to adhere
strictly to the calendar to enable private and public schools operate at the same
pace to engender radical development in the education sector.
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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