Education
Noun Vows To Strengthen Educaiton System
The National Open Uni
versity of Nigeria (NOUN) has restated its commitment in ensuring that the nation’s educational sector is repositioned for greater impact and growth.
Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Vincent Ado Tenebe in a statement said the National Open University of Nigeria had renewed its focus to make education available to many people.
According to him “education is core to whatever we want to do as a nation. Nigeria cannot make much progress towards the attainment of its vision 20-20-20 unless we strengthen our education system. We will therefore do our best in the next four years to reposition our educational sector in a way that he entire nation will appreciate.
Tenebe explained that Nigeria, since independence has continued to demonstrate unwavering commitment to education as a tool for national and personal development and inalienable right of her citizens stating that the socio-economic dimensions of providing education for all were huge but the NOUN has been committed to standing in the gap.
He said the establishment of the NOUN was the realization of the need to widen access to education especially to those desirous of it as well as providing for a leftlong learning for people of diverse social status who otherwise are encumbered by many social factors such as hinted space and inadequate access in conventional universities, work situation, family life, religious tenets among others.
Tenebe revealed that in addition to the fee eight schools of different disciplines in the institution there an international training and research centre known as Regional Centre for Training and Development in Open and Distance Learning (RETRIDAL) which he said was established by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to cater for open and distance learning within the West African Sub-region.
On the institutions learning quality, Tenebe said “quality is the watch-world at the NOUN and it underpins every aspect of the experience prepared for a students who has decided to be instructed at the university.
The NOUN Vice Chancellor further maintained that the NOUN has an exciting platform where learning was not only made easy but also accessible.
“The university is an exemplar of higher education made easy, a do-it-yourself, at your own pace and place of instiution. You are invited to visit our website or any of our study centres to enlist yourself spouse, children, wards or friends” he said.
Lady Godknows Ogbulu
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.