Education
UNESCO Alerts On Problems Of Sub-Saharan School Children
The UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report (EAGMR) on Thursday said sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 44 per cent of children battling to go to school.
The figure is contained in a statement issued by Kate Redman, the Communications Specialist, Education For All Global Monitoring Report (EFAGMR) of UNESCO in Abuja.
The statement noted that the 44 per cent was from the 28.5 million children affected in sub-Saharan Africa, while 19 per cent of the children were affected in South and West Asia and 14 per cent in Arab states.
The UNESCO report indicated that the vast majority of the 95 per cent of out-of-school children live in low and lower-middle income countries.
It added that girls who constituted 55 per cent of the total, were the worst affected, as they were often the victims of rape and sexual violence that accompanied armed conflicts.
It stated that in almost a third of the world’s out-of-school adolescents, 20 million live in conflict affected countries, adding that 54 per cent of them were women.
According to the statement, the number of out-of-school children has fallen globally from 60 million in 2008 to 57 million in 2011.
It, however, noted that the decrease was yet to reach children in conflict-affected countries “as they make up 50 per cent of children who are denied education”.
The statement also revealed that the share of humanitarian aid for education had declined from two per cent in 2009 to 1.4 per cent in 2011.
“Not only does education receive a small share overall, but it also receives the smallest proportion of the amount requested from humanitarian aid of any sector,’’ it added.
Cavaco Silva’s move prompted sharp criticism in a country that has descended into its worst economic slump since the 1970s under the weight of austerity imposed by the bailout.
Portuguese assets fell in response. Stocks declined 1.4 per cent and 10-year bond yields climbed six basis points to 6.95 per cent.
“The president of the republic decided to overcome the political stalemate between the parties in the ruling coalition by adding another problem to the one that already existed,’’ wrote daily Publico in an editorial. “He decided to take power.’’
Such accusations are not made lightly in a country that had Western Europe’s longest dictatorship under Antonio Salazar.
Under Portugal’s constitution, the president has the power to dissolve parliament and call elections.
Cavaco Silva said the coalition government would remain in office but he rejected a proposed cabinet reshuffle by the ruling Social Democrats and their junior coalition partner, the rightist CDS-PP party.
The crisis was sparked by the resignation of Foreign Minister Paulo Portas last week, threatening the continuation of the government as Portas leads the rightist junior coalition party, the CDS-PP.
Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho held emergency talks last week with Portas and announced on Saturday that he would promote Portas to become deputy prime minister and put him in charge of economic policy coordination to fix the rift.
A senior cabinet minister in the former Socialist government, Pedro Silva Pereira, said the president’s intervention had thrown the future into doubt.
The plan would have avoided the necessity of elections in the short-term, which could have interrupted reforms under the bailout and negotiations with creditors.
“After the turmoil of last week when it seemed a solution had been found, the announcement of the president comes as a surprise,’’ said analysts at Espirito Santo Research in a note.
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
-
Education5 days agoCovenant University Retains Nigeria’s Best Varsity Ranking
-
Sports4 days agoHFN Sets Deadline For League Registration
-
News4 days agoHURIWA Tells Tinubu To Discontinue Plans On New National ID
-
Sports1 day agoBarca Blame Referee, Panic For Loss To PSG
-
News1 day agoTinubu Lauds Dangote’s Diesel Price Cut, Foresees Economic Relief
-
Nation4 days agoCall For PDP National Chairman’s Resignation Ill-timed, Inappropriate – Senator Abba Moro
-
Politics4 days agoRivers PDP Chieftain Hails Fubara’s Leadership Qualities
-
News4 days agoCommunities, Volunteers Ready To Face Upcoming Floods – Red Cross