Education
Lockdown: VC Advocates Online Teaching For Varsity Students
The Vice Chancellor of Alhikmah University, Ilorin, Prof. Taofeek Ibrahim, has called for online lecturing of university students, saying it is the only way to go forward with the current lockdown.
Ibrahim stated this in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin last Friday.
Ibrahim said that the lockdown would no doubt have tremendous effect on the education sector.
According to him, the lockdown is going to have a lot of spiral consequences and the academic session is going to be extended.
“Extending the academic session has its effect at the moment on the people and students staying at home.
“What are they doing and the school fee is going to be affected, especially private universities like ours.
“Because year-in-year out, we struggle to meet the bills and for every particular session when the students have paid their school fees, we use it to run the session.
“So, if we now have elongation of session, the additional months, how do we cope with that, so it’s an issue in that perspective.
“There is suppose to be new admission, which we should have been preparing for right now, but we can not predict what is going to happen.
“JAMB has conducted the exam, then we are going to over- cramp the education system.
“There are specific number of students that are supposed to be in the lecture room; It is either we are not going to admit for another year, for those who don’t have capacity or we are going to cramp them up at available space,” said the VC.
Ibrahim noted that he had already envisage what was going to happen when he saw the trend of the global pandemic early this year.
According to the don, the situation gives the University the advantage to start online lecturing of students through whatsapp, internet and zoom application.
“As it is now our university are in session, we are teaching the students online and also utilise zoom application to have interactive session on the zoom platform.
“And we have started thinking of how to conduct examination on the platform,” VC added.
He advised other university to key into online lecturing of students.
Ibrahim said that he has been communicating with other universities to do same, saying it is the only way to go for now.
He added that those kicking against it don’t have sufficient exposure to digital learning.
The VC said further that online learning is even stricter and some people think that certain things cannot be done online but experiment can be done online.
The don called on the government to support the University community in funding their research projects in order to impact on the country.
“Government need to have more input in Nigerian education, particularly in funding research, by the time they do that it will have greater impact in the country.
“ Not more than 20 per cent of university lecturers have access to fund their projects, how can they impact on the country with inadequate funding of research and education”, the don said.
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.