Education
RSUBEB Boss Dedicates CSACEFA National Merit Award To RSG
The Executive Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, Ven. Fyneface Akah, has received a National Merit Award presented by the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All CSACEFA.
Akah received the award when the group paid an advocacy / Award State visit to the board in Port Harcourt recently.
In a statement issued by Chairman, PDP Ward 14, Obio/Akpor LGA, Chizin Ogbonna, and made available to The Tide, the State Secretary of CSACEFA, Amb Arinze Akupue, said the award was given to the chairman for his outstanding contributions to the educational sector in Nigeria.
Represented by Mr Bright Tamunoala, Arinze described the RSUBEB chairman as the best performing chairman of UBE board in Nigeria and the South-South region, saying that Rivers people were happy with his overwhelming performance since he came on board, and wished him well in all his endeavours.
Responding, Akah thanked God for the award, attributed every achievement the board has recorded to the unwavering support of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, noting that the steady access of the counterpart funds by the governor was responsible for development of basic education in the state.
He, therefore, called for prayers for the governor as well as the board, maintaining that the government has no doubt taken basic education in the state to an enviable height.
He promised that the board would continue to deliver on its mandate of developing basic education in both the rural and the urban areas.
Also, last Friday, the UBE boss received the Council of Chiefs and Elders of Ogbogoro Town in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and the Okan’ama, Unyengala, in Andoni Local Government Area, King Moses Dic-Isotu, and his subjects, who paid him a ‘thank you’ visit.
The Ogbogoro Council of Chiefs and Elders led by Mr Tennyson Amadi, told the chairman that they were in the board to thank him for his approval and completion of nine-classroom blocks and renovation of principal’s office in Ogbogoro Community, saying that this singular structure has given Ogbogoro a sense of belonging in the present administration of Chief Nyesom Wike.
On his part, the Okan’ama Unyengala, King Moses Dic-Isotu, said they would remain eternally grateful to the chairman for his gracious approval and consideration accorded their request for the establishment of Doni Comprehensive Secondary School, Unyengala in Andoni Local Government Area in 2018, adding that the school, from inception, has been having unprecedented influx of students into various classes of the Junior arm.
The king also thanked the chairman for desks sent to the school, and said they were overwhelmed by the encouraging gesture within the short period of the existence of the school.
As a token of appreciation, the king said they have donated 20 plots of the community land for development of permanent site of the school, and requested for teachers to be posted to the school and employment of security men.
In his response, Akah thanked the two communities for the visit, promising that the board would continue to do its best in ensuring that the mandate given to it by the governor was delivered.
While urging them to take ownership of government properties in their communities, Akah assured them of the board’s determination to meet some of their demands come next project year, enjoining them to remain supportive of the Wike-led government, which he described as people-oriented.
By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
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Corps Members have been urged to use the rich cultural heritage of Nigerians to promote peace in the state and country at large.
The Rivers State Coordinator of NYSC Mr. Moses Oleghe gave the charge during the inter-platoon cultural carnival competition for 2025 Batch C Corps Members deployed to the State orientation camp, Nonwa-Gbam Tai held over the weekend.
Oleghe while addressing the Corps Members, further charged them to be a “source of light in their host communities,” noting that the “symbolic lighting of the cultural carnival torch means that every Corps Member must be the light that dispels darkness.”
He urged them to integrate and internalize the culture of the people of their area where they serve, strengthen cultural practices that promote human dignity, rights, and respect.”
The radiant and colorful event witnessed the regeneration and rebirth of various ethnic cultures by the Corps Members.
At the end of the competition, 4 platoon was adjudged the overall best, 9 platoon 2nd and 6 platoon 3rd.
Miss Chukwuka Christabel Chidnma, one of the best overall graduating students of Rivers State University (RSU), Nkpolu/Oroworukwu, Port Harcourt, has advocated for the retention of the best graduating students of the institution to fill the gap in teaching staff in the institution.
Chidnma, who was adjudged the overall best graduating student of the class of 2023/2024 academic session in the just-concluded 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony of the university, had a CGPA of 4.88 from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies in the Faculty of Humanities.
She made the call while delivering her valedictory speech at the awards of the first degree on Saturday, saying the call becomes imperative to ensure that the department and the university at large continue to thrive and maintain academic standards.
She opined that she and her colleagues would be eager to contribute to the workforce of the development and the school in general, in whatever capacity the institution may deem appropriate, to bring their skills, training, and passion to support its continued growth and excellence.
The overall best graduating student decried the enormous challenges lecturers of the department and the university as a whole are facing due to limited manpower and appealed to the university management to also employ professional producers and technical personnel.
She recounted the experiences and challenges she faced during her years of academic studies, noting that resilience, hard work, determination, and being focused were the bedrock of her success.
She dedicated the award to her parents for their untiring efforts in ensuring that her academic fortunes were not cut short.
By: Akujobi Amadi
The Federal Government has reaffirmed that senior secondary school students whether in arts, commercial or science classes are free to register any approved subject of their choice for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), as confusion over the revised curriculum continues to generate debate across the country.
The clarification came in a press statement issued on Saturday and signed by Boriowo Folashade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, following widespread misinformation circulating on social media and within some schools.
According to the ministry, contrary to claims that students must strictly remain within their designated subject tracks, “there is no restriction or exclusion attached to the selection of any approved subject under the Senior Secondary School Curriculum.”
Officials said the curriculum was intentionally designed to be flexible, student-centred and supportive of diverse academic and career interests.
Under the guidance, science students may select subjects traditionally grouped under the arts or social sciences, just as arts and commercial students may choose science-designated subjects provided such choices are supervised by school authorities, parents or certified counsellors.
The ministry also clarified public concerns surrounding the subject formerly known as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), confirming it has been renamed Digital Technology.
The statement emphasised that the change is purely in nomenclature and does not alter the curriculum content or disadvantage students who previously took ICT in school.
Regarding Trade Subjects, the ministry noted that six trades have been approved under the curriculum.
Students may register any of these trades only if the subjects are offered by their schools and they have been taught them. However, the government stressed that students who have never been exposed to any of the six trade subjects are under no obligation to register one as a third subject.
This clarification comes as WAEC registration for the 2026 examination cycle continues nationwide. WAEC recently urged schools to ensure accurate subject entries before the January deadline, warning that mistakes in registration especially in subject combinations have increasingly led to withheld or invalid results in previous years.
The announcement also aligns with ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s education sector. Earlier this year, the ministry began rolling out teacher retraining and digital learning initiatives aimed at boosting performance in core WAEC subjects, following several exam cycles that showed inconsistent pass rates in mathematics and English.
Nigerian universities often require specific subject combinations for competitive courses such as medicine, engineering, law, accounting and mass communication.
The ministry urged the public to rely solely on verified information, noting that misinformation remains a major challenge during examination cycles. It said further updates will be issued as reforms continue across the senior secondary school system
