Education
Atiku Tasks Nigeria On Quality Learning
Former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar has said that majority of Nigeria educational institutions are not providing quality learning.
He said this could be what caused mass failure in the just released result of the May/June 2014 West Africa Examination Council.
As was the case last year, mass failure was recorded by Nigerian students where only 31.28 percent of the students who sat for the exam obtained credits in five subjects and above, including Mathematics and English Language.
But Atiku said in a statement he personally signed last Thursday in Abuja, that the result should not be a surprise to Nigerians. He said, “No one who has been observing the ongoing attitude towards education in Nigeria will be surprised by this.
“In the past year alone, industrial action by teachers have dominated the news headlines. Primary school teachers in Benue State, for example, embarked on an eight-month strike to demand better conditions and allowances.
“Teachers all over Nigeria remain poorly paid, with several jokes being peddled about how parents are reluctant to allow their daughters marry teachers.”
In addition to poor welfare, he said teachers in the North-East face what he said was a peculiar challenge not common to their colleagues in other parts of the country: security.
He recalled that the National Union of Teachers had claimed that the union had lost about 173 of their members to Boko Haram terrorist attacks.
He added that with the Nigerian government not yet able to adequately protect citizens from these random attacks, that number could easily increase.
He also wondered why teachers in the country have refused to be trained and take examinations.
He said, “There is also the issue of competence of Nigerian teachers. Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State recently lost his seat in a re-election bid with poll results that sent shock waves across the nation, notwithstanding his well-publicised record of high performance.
“One of the reasons political analysts have given for why the people of Ekiti rejected Fayemi is his attempt to improve the quality of teachers in the state by putting each of them through competency tests.
“Teachers in Kwara and Edo States also resisted similar tests. Any employer in Nigeria today knows how challenging it can be to hire staff from the current pool of Nigerian graduates, and trust them to perform excellently without first giving them additional basic training. “Our country’s educational institutions are clearly not providing quality learning. Teachers, like other professionals, need training and re-training.”
Candidates writing entrance examination into Special Senior Science Secondary Schools in Abuja last Saturday.
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.