Education
Compel Leaders To Send Children To Public Schools–Educationist
For Nigeria to get functional education system, deliberate policy must be made to compel political leaders and stakeholders in the sector to send their children and wards to public schools in the country.
An educationist in the country, Mr. Peter Ogudoro who advocated this, said that such policy is the only road map to ensure active participation of the leaders towards the development and delivery of the system.
Speaking in Silverbird Television interview programme monitored by The Tide in Port Harcourt, Mr. Ogudoro lamented that Nigeria is a country where people who run education system do not have their children and wards in public schools pointing out that they loose nothing if the system does not deliver.
Mr. Ogudoro who was reacting to the Federal government’s plan to revert back to the 6:5:4 system of education instead of the current 6:3:3:4 system, argued that the problem of education sector is not on the operational system.
According to him, the problem is traceable to inadequate funding, lack of technology to make it function and unavailability of quality manpower to sustain the system and make it achieve the purpose for which it was created.
He reasoned that for government to acknowledged that the system has failed was not a bad idea but said that the thinking that throwing away the system would solve the problem of the sector would amount to chasing of shadow.
The educationist insisted that the country cannot even go back to 6:5:4 system because it has a system that had already jettisoned the 6:3:3:4 system.
“What we have now operational and internationally acceptable is the 9:3:4 system which requires students to go through nine years of basic education because every body needs to be empowered and literate for you to be able to participate as a useful citizen in the society that you find yourself”, he maintained.
According to him, the nine years are compulsory to enable the average person who came out as a graduate of such system to basic literacy skill to be able to function in the society and recognise his roles responsibilities, stressing that for Nigeria to revert back to 6:5:4 system means destroying the entire project called Universal Basic Education which has a commission.
Isaac Nwankwo
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.