Education

Rivers Launches BEC, Abolishes First School Leaving Certificate

Published

4 years ago

February 28, 2022

The Rivers State Ministry of Education has unveiled the Rivers State Basic Education Certificate (BEC) to replace the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC).
Commissioner for Education, Prof Kaniye Ebeku, who made this known at the official unveiling of BEC said students henceforth would study from primary one to Junior Secondary School three, (JSS 3), before they can obtain the BEC which enables them enter Senior Secondary.
Ebeku explained that the unveiling of BEC was in line with the federal government’s extant policy on education, adding that employers should no longer ask for First School Leaving Certificate but BEC and called on all principals of junior secondary school, parents and guardians to be on the know of the new policy.
The commissioner, who disclosed that the state Government has not issued BEC to students since 2006, said however that it was leading the way for other states to follow.
“So, today, we are sending message to the world that we will no longer issue the First School Leaving Certificate. Students must write the Basic Education Certificate Examinations to obtain BEC.
“The first certificate that will be issued to a child will now be BEC, after the student must have sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations at Basic Nine.
“There is no more first school leaving certificate. Students cannot proceed to senior secondary schools without the BEC.
“Since 2006, BEC has not been issued in Rivers State but it can be issued now on demand. Anyone claiming to have BEC from 2006 upwards is fake. The ministry is available to verify all certificates from 1960 till date.
“BEC cannot be forged, the certificate has some emborsement that will make it difficult for fraudsters to replicate. Besides, the masters list is with the ministry. Any fraudster caught will be dealt with in accordance with the Nigerian laws.”
The Chairman of Rivers State Senior Secondary School Board, Dr Ade Wisdom, said the development was a major milestone in the state’s education sector.
Describing the commissioner as a silent achiever, Wisdom said, ”this is another milestone in the education sector of Rivers State. Other administrations abandoned it but Prof. Ebeku took the bull by the horn.”
On his part, the President of All Nigerian Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools(ANCOPSS), Mr Ewoh Ellah Gordon, said the unveiling of BEC will put an end to certificate racketeering, while calling for wide publicity.
“The ministry should make a wide publicity that there is no longer First School Leaving Certificate, that what we have now is Basic Education Certificate under the 9-3-4 education system, so that the issue of certificate racketeering will end’, Gordon stated.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana

Education

Elga boss tasks law students on academics strides

Published

5 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The Chairman of Etche Local Government Area ,Hon Chima Boniface Njoku has called on students from Etche LGA to remain diligent in their academic pursuits and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the area upon completion of their studies.

Njoku emphasized that governance is a collective responsibility and encouraged the students to part of societal transformational agents to promote the development of the area for betterment of all.

He made the call when he received the audience

Law School Students Forum of the LGA extraction who paid him a courtesy visit in his office ilat Okehi, the headquarters of the Council over the weekend.

The Council boss thanked the students for the visit and their kind words, stating that his administration remains focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to every part of Etche.

Hon. Njoku thanked the students for the visit and their kind words, stating that his administration remains focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to every part of Etche.

In his address of welcome,the leader of the delegation , Mr. Goodday Chidi Nwaonuala, said the visit was to congratulate the chairman on what they described as remarkable developmental strides recorded across Etche within a short period of his administration.

Nwaonuala commended the chairman for the ongoing road projects in various communities, the renovation and construction works within the Council Secretariat, as well as improvements in electricity supply and other infrastructural interventions across the local government area.

He noted that the visible transformation in road infrastructure has enhanced accessibility, boosted economic activities, and improved the overall living conditions of residents as well as the facelift given to the Council Secretariat, describing it as a step toward creating a more conducive working environment for staff and better service delivery to the people.

According to him, the students, as future legal practitioners from Etche, are proud of the progress being made and felt it necessary to personally appreciate the chairman for his commitment to grassroots development.

By: Akujobi Amadi

Education

Association harps on importance of mother tongue in society

Published

6 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The President of Rivers State Indigenous Language Teachers Association and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ,Rivers Language Centre, Port Harcourt.Dr Ovuchi J. Agwnu has described

Language as life that promote culture and identity of the people.

Ovuchi made in a press statement to commemorate the mother tongue day in port Harcourt over the weekend.

The statement call on parents to think about the future in a world where their kids would not sustain the language as handed over to them from antiquity.

” The Government should shift focus on the Youths as the hope of the Linguistic future. Every school should have an employed indigenous language teacher who will handle the mother tongue inculcation of the language of the immediate environment of each school.”

“Irrespective of the recent views on language teachings, we remain committed to sustaining our diversity as a people via language promotion.”

By: Akujobi Amadi

Education

UNIPORT Hails Odusote’s Historic Appointment as First Female Director-General of Nigerian Law School

Published

6 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has expressed profound pride over the appointment of Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote as the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, describing the milestone as historic and richly deserved.

In a congratulatory message issued on behalf of the University’s management, staff, students, and stakeholders, the Vice-Chancellor, Owunari Abraham Georgewill, hailed the appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a landmark achievement for legal education and women’s leadership in Nigeria.

The University noted that Dr. Odusote’s emergence as the first female Director-General of the Nigerian Law School in over six decades reflects the confidence reposed in her exceptional leadership capacity, professional depth, and administrative acumen.

UNIPORT further commended her outstanding tenure as Deputy Director-General and Head of the Lagos Campus of the Nigerian Law School, where she was credited with visionary leadership, institutional strengthening, and strategic advancement of legal training.

According to the University, her proven record of excellence, integrity, and commitment to institutional development unmistakably positioned her for the nation’s highest legal education office.

Describing the appointment as a source of pride and inspiration, UNIPORT expressed confidence that Dr. Odusote’s leadership would usher in a new era of growth, innovation, and consolidation in legal education in Nigeria.

The University concluded by wishing her a successful tenure and assuring her of its goodwill, solidarity, and unwavering support as she assumes leadership of Nigeria’s foremost legal training institution.

By: Akujobi Amadi