Education
NECO Boss Harps On Students’ Confidence
The Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Promise Okpala, has urged parents and teachers to build up students’ confidence before examinations.
Okpala made the call during an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday. “People seek help in tasks they cannot perform. If you know the task, you won’t seek or accept help.
“So, the bottom line is our students don’t know enough to carry them through simple examinations and so they cheat.
“After spending six years in school, they are still not prepared for their final examinations. This is due to the lack of confidence.”
The NECO boss said parents were only concerned about what positions their children took and paid less attention to their performance.
“All they care about is that their children are in school; they are paying school fees and child is coming first.
“When many people gather for a contest, someone must come first. It does not matter if the scores are low.
“I think parents should concern themselves with the average performance instead of position.”
On teachers, he said: “it is one thing to cover a syllabus and another to cover it very well and not many schools cover all the topics effectively.”
Okpala said teachers were only concerned with covering the syllabus and in the process, rush students through it, not minding whether or not they understood what they were taught.
According to him, teachers set internal examinations based on the few topics they teach
“When external examinations are set covering the whole scheme of work, they find such questions strange and difficult.
“So, fundamentally, not much learning and teaching are going on in schools. It takes both parents and teachers to achieve this.
“Parents have a duty to ensure effective learning through supervision and discipline.
“Their contribution should go beyond material provision. Since a child knows that his parents would ask questions, they would sit up and not be jittery when exams are coming,” the registrar said.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, emphasised the need for students to go beyond academic achievements during the university’s 43rd Convocation ceremony.
The theme, “The University Culture In Practice, The IAUE Experience,” highlights the importance of embracing cherished traditions and intellectual values that define great universities.
Prof. Onuchuku encouraged the new graduates to work hard and persevere, noting that their convocation marks a new beginning in their careers and personal lives. He emphasised that they must prove themselves worthy of the certificates and prizes they have received.
According to him, out of 2,887 first-degree graduands, four made First Class, 403 secured Second Class Upper, 2,030 got Second Class Lower, and 450 graduated with Third Class. Additionally, 1,492 postgraduate students graduated, including 306 PhD holders.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), praised the university’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional maturity. He commended the Acting Vice Chancellor for achieving full accreditation for 47 academic programmes and implementing the NUC’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards.
The administrator urged the new graduates to uphold the positive values instilled in them by the university and strive for continuous knowledge and improvement.
By: King Onunwor
The Niger Delta Students Union Government, Rivers State Chapter (NIDSUG), has suspended its planned protest against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) state office in Port Harcourt. The suspension followed an intervention by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The students had planned to protest on Thursday, citing alleged neglect by the NDDC, particularly in welfare and capacity-building programmes for students from the state. However, after the police intervention, the students agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion with the commission to address their concerns.
NIDSUG leader, Comrade Loveday Njoku, expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s alleged exclusion of students from benefiting from its programmes. He presented a seven-point demand, including the reintroduction of scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Njoku emphasised that education is crucial for community development and urged the commission to invest in the future leaders of the state.
The students warned that if their demands are not met, they will resume the protest and occupy the state commission office until their demands are addressed. Despite previous attempts to reach out to the commission’s management team, the students claimed their efforts were unsuccessful.
By: Akujobi Amadi
As part of efforts to improve the welfare and overall quality of education for students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Sole Administrator, Sir (Dr.) Clifford Ndu Walter DSSRS, FCAI, JP, paid an unscheduled visit to Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi.
During the visit, Sir Walter expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of the school and its surrounding environment. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the development of the education sector, stressing its critical role in nation-building.
“I have visited the primary school in Ogbogoro, and now I’m here at the Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi. I am not satisfied with what I’ve seen,” he stated, indicating that more surprise visits to schools would follow.
To address the issues, the Sole Administrator directed the Council Engineer to commence process for rehabilitation of the school.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at conducting on-the-spot assessments of educational facilities to determine the level of intervention required by the local government council.
Dr. Walter also assured the teachers of his unwavering commitment to revamp the school and improve the learning environment for both staff and students.