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Salary Arrears: Bayelsa Sues For Dialogue

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The Bayelsa State Government, last Thursday, urged teachers in public schools, protesting 10-month salary arrears to seek dialogue rather than protesting on the streets.
The state Commissioner for Local Government Administration, Dr Agatha Goma, gave the advice while reacting to the protest by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) last Thursday, in Yenagoa.
Members of the state chapter of NUT took to the streets of Yenagoa, demanding that the state government takeover funding of primary schools from the local government among other demands.
Goma said the teachers acted within their rights to demand for better condition of service, adding that the state government empathised with them in their struggle for improved funding.
The commissioner, however, said such an important issue was better resolved through creative engagement with stakeholders rather than on the streets.
She assured the teachers that the state government would continue to work with the local governments to ensure the setting up of a robust revenue generation mechanism for increased funds for the councils.
According to the commissioner, the state government will continue to pursue policies that will guarantee regular payment of salary to all categories of workers in the state.
“Yes, it is the statutory responsibility of the council to pay the primary school teachers. I am sure the councils are also conscious of this responsibility.
“There is, however, too much gap between the councils’ revenue and their financial obligations.
“Despite various interventions from the state government, it is difficult for the councils to meet up their obligation.
“This situation is not peculiar to Bayelsa. One assurance I will give, however, is that government is considering all viable options to solving this problem,’’ she said.
The chapter has given the state government and local government areas 30-day ultimatum to clear the salary arrears owed primary and secondary schools or face withdrawal of service.

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Education

Parents Groan As Ebonyi Federal Varsity, Jacks School Fees To N1.5m

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Parents and guardians of students studying various disciplines at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State have cried out over the jacking of tuition fees by management of the university and urged Minister of Education to urgently intervene on the matter.
A statement released by the Bursary Department of the institution indicates that Medicine and Surgery has increased of 42.86% from N1, 30, 000 in the 2023/2024 academic session to N1.5 Million in the new 2025/2026 session while Pharmacy and Nursing Sciences were both jacked up from N730, 000 in the 2023/2024 academic session to N1, 50, 000 in the new 2025/2026 academic session which represents approximately 43.84% increment.
Reacting to the new development, a business man who Chief Ozor Festus who claimed that his two children both gained admission to study Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacy, lamented that despite the brilliance of his children that made them gain admission on merit, it is now seeming like a curse as he cannot afford to cough out nearly N3M to process the entrance of his children for a Federal University he felt was funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“A lot of parents are grumbling over the school fees for new students because it is a Federal University and not a private university. Even in private universities, the fees are not this outrageous.”, he said
He said although the fees covered their accommodations, it was yet on a very high side. “We are begging the Minister for Education to come and help us bring this high fees down to where other parents like us can afford.

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Education

‘Grant-Funded Success Stories In Girls’ Education Inspiring’

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Sources have not only provided essential support for educational initiatives but have also catalysed a movement towards gender equality in education. The stories of success that emerge from these grant-funded programmes are not just statistics; they are narratives of resilience, ambition, and the profound impact that education can have on young girls and their communities.
By examining these success stories, we can better understand the multifaceted benefits of investing in girls’ education and the critical role that grants play in this endeavor. The importance of girls’ education cannot be overstated. Educated girls are more likely to become empowered women who contribute positively to their families and societies.
They tend to marry later, have fewer children, and invest more in their children’s education. However, despite these benefits, millions of girls around the world still face significant barriers to accessing quality education. Grant-funded programmes have emerged as a vital tool in addressing these challenges, providing resources that enable innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of girls.
This article will explore various aspects of grant-funded success stories in girls’ education, highlighting how these initiatives are transforming lives and communities.
Organizations like the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) have implemented programs that directly target impoverished communities, ensuring that girls receive the support they need to attend school.
By removing financial obstacles, these grants empower families to invest in their daughters’ futures, fostering a culture where girls’ education is valued and prioritized. However, cultural norms and societal expectations often hinder girls from pursuing education.
Organizations like the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) have implemented programmes that directly target impoverished communities, ensuring that girls receive the support they need to attend school.
By removing financial obstacles, these grants empower families to invest in their daughters’ futures, fostering a culture where girls’ education is valued and prioritised. However, cultural norms and societal expectations often hinder girls from pursuing education.
Education grants can help challenge these stereotypes by funding awareness campaigns and community engagement initiatives that promote the importance of girls’ education. For example, the Malala Fund has supported grassroots organisations that work to change perceptions about girls’ roles in society.

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Implement Agreements Or Risk Industrial Crisis, ASUU Tells FG

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked the Federal Government to finalise all agreements entered with university teachers or risk an industrial crisis.
The lecturers decried what they described as the flip-flop disposition of successive governments towards collective bargaining, which has created an atmosphere of distrust and has taken extra efforts and energy on the part of the current Federal Government to dispel.
In a statement entitled ‘Act Now To Avert The Looming Crisis’ and signed by ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, the union said, “Nothing illustrates this antipathy better than the frustrated attempts to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, despite submission of a draft agreement by the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed committee to government since December 2024, eight clear months ago.
“Every major dispute ASUU has had with governments since 2012, when the 2009 Agreement was due for renegotiation, emanated from failure to respect the provisions of the signed document on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy and academic freedom, and
other matters, including the review of the laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
“Yet elite Nigerians are quick to blame the universities for ‘producing unemployable graduates’ and failure to initiate innovative research for addressing the country’s problems, our members feel forgotten, shamed and demoralised by past and present governments.
“ASUU has ceaselessly warned owners (government and visitors) of public universities – the Federal and State Governments – of the
Consequences of breeding a disempowered, dissatisfied, and disorientated intellectual workforce.
For the umpteenth time, ASUU invites all genuine patriots to prevail on Nigeria’s Federal and State Governments to address all lingering labour issues in the Nigerian University System to avert another looming industrial crisis.”

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