Education
RSG Wants Customised States’ Education Programmes
The Rivers State Ministry of Education, has called on
education planners and policy makers in the country to design education
programmes and curricula according to the needs and educational development
levels of the states and communities.
The Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence – Nemi,
made the call at the opening ceremony of a 3-day sensitisation workshop titled:
“Strengthening Rivers State Education Sector for Strategic Investment Case”,
organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with United Nations
Children Fund (UNICEF) in Port Harcourt.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Richard Ofuru,
Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi, emphasised that
education planners should consider the disparity in educational
development levels of the states while packaging the programmes for their
children, urging them to consider the socio-cultural, political, economic and
geographic backgrounds of the children during their educational decision-making
processes.
The Commissioner commended UNICEF, for its effort at
ensuring that the nation’s education planners and decision-makers got the
technical expertise and tools for designing the children’s education
development programmes in the country, urging the participants to take the
workshop serious in order to achieve set objectives.
Also speaking, the UNICEF resource person, Dr. Agatha
Nzeribe, disclosed that the organisation’s business is to provide the education
planners and policy makers with the expertise and tools to make decisions on
the educational development of the children, adding that the states which had
worked with UNICEF had always expressed gratitude for the inputs the body makes
in their children’s educational development.
“Whichever state that ever worked with us had always come
back to tell us that they value our input”, she expressed.
Dr. Nzeribe assured that the resource persons at the
workshop would look at some critical issues on children’s educational
development, noting that all the school children of Rivers State needed to “be
prepared for the emerging world”.
She urged education planners to do “bottleneck analysis” to
discover the reason for disparity in the educational development levels of the
children in the states and communities.
The UNICEF resource person emphasised the need for ensuring
that all children of the state gained access to the model schools and their
modern facilities which should be maintained at minimal cost, stating that one
of the benefits the participants would gain from the organisation was how to
arrive at the minimal maintenance cost of the facilities.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
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.