Education

Aluko Explains Students’ Poor Performance In National Exams

Published

15 years ago

May 8, 2011

A renowned economist, Prof. Sam Aluko, has blamed students high rate of failure in national examinations on the privatisation of the education sector by the government.

Speaking at the ongoing education summit convoked by the Ekiti State Government in Ado-Ekiti, he said government at all levels erred in hearkening to the advice of the international agencies over the outright privatisation of the education sector.

Aluko, who chaired the occasion, also considered the incessant industrial strike being witnessed in Nigerian schools as one of the debilitating factors affecting the sector.

He posited that it was wrong for the government to have committed a pivotal sector like education in the hands of the private bodies.

Aluko said the privatisation policy had constituted a serious menace to the struggle for academic excellence by students, which he said, was partly responsible for the failure being recorded in the examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) as well as other national and international examination bodies in the country.

He decried the poor performance of students from Ekiti State in the various examinations being undertaken by them, noting that the state had produced the best brains in all fields of endeavour in the country.

Aluko declared: “From primary education to tertiary education level, indiscipline, immorality and strike have crippled the education sector. Govenment says it is privatising the education sector, but where are the committed private investors in the sector today in the country?

“If you train an engineer and he has no job to do, you are indirectly training an armed robber; because he knows how to use the tools to open your doors in the night.

“To me, it is better not to train the students at all than to train them and allow them to remain jobless.”

In his keynote address, Prof. Akin Oyebode, a professor of law and former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD), noted with regret that no Nigerian University was ranked among the best 200 across the world due to poor performances.

He commended the state government for the initiative, saying the summit would help the relevant stakeholders in the education sector to resuscitate the dwindling fortunes of the sector in the state.

He explained that education takes pre-eminence in the scheme of things in any nation, saying that it was highly regrettable that even in Africa, the best Nigerian university was ranked 34th.

Education

Rivers NYSC Cordinator task corps members on peace building

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

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.

Education

RSU Best Graduating Student Makes Case for Absorption of Graduates

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

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

Education

Students Free to Choose Any WAEC Subjects of Their Choices – FG

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

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