Reps oppose school resumption, propose 3-month postponement

The House of Representatives has kicked against resumption of schools amid the the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country.

 

The lower chamber of the national assembly which proposed a postponement of resumption for three months, said government officials did not consult the relevant committees of the National Assembly, contrary to their claim that all relevant stakeholders were consulted before arriving at the January 18, 2021, resumption date.

 

Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere who spoke to The Punch on Saturday January 16, said; 

 

“They did not consult us; at least in my committee, nobody from the ministry spoke to me. I have been in Abuja. And I am not sure that they spoke to any of my members. They just don’t see us as part of the critical stakeholders."

 

In a statement titled “School resumption: Are we truly prepared?” which he also issued on behalf of his colleagues, Ihonvbere wondered why government officials are rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure children. 

 

It read;

 

“The Committee on Basic Education and Services, House of Representatives, has received with concern the decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools on January 18, 2021.

“We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed; but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?”

NECO releases 2020 October/November Results

The National Examination Council ( NECO) on Wednesday released the results of its 2020 Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) examination it conducted throughout the country between October and November.

NECO Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NECO , Prof . Godswill Obioma announced the results on Wednesday in Abuja.

Obioma said that 1, 102, 041 candidates passed at credit and above level.

The result, according to Obioma , showed that 894 , 101 candidates out of the 1 , 209, 992 that sat for the examination scored credit and above in English and Mathematics.

Obioma said 33 , 470 cases of malpractices were recorded during the examination, adding that 12 schools were also involved including 24 supervisors.

He disclosed that schools involved in the malpractices have been derecognized for two years, while 24 supervisors were blacklisted “ for various offences ranging from poor supervision, aiding and abetting , connivance with non candidates to write answer on chalkboard and so on ” .

“The Council has a long-standing tradition for zero tolerance for malpractices . Thus , it can be noticed that the malpractices’ incidence in 2020 dropped compared to the figure of 2019 , ” Obioma said .

He stated that special arrangements have been made for candidates who missed some of the examinations due to unrest during # EndSARS protest . Such candidates will have the opportunity to write the tests on February 1,2021 during the SSCE external examination.

Obioma named some states affected as Oyo , Osun , Ekiti , Lagos , Edo, Ondo and some centres in Rivers, Abia , Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A total of 1 , 221 , 447 candidates registered for the examination out of which 665 , 830 were male and 555 , 617 female .

Breaking: ASUU suspends its 10-month-old strike

The Academic Staff Union of University ASUU, this morning Wednesday, December 23, suspended its ten-month-old strike that started in March 2020.

 

ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja.

 

Ogunyemi warned that the union would return to another round of strike action if the government fails in meeting its part of the agreement reached with the university lecturers for the strike to be called off. He noted that the reopening of the schools, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, lies with the Federal Government and Senate.

 

 

ASUU explains why it hasn't called off its eight months old strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU has said it will not be calling off its eight months old strike until the Federal government pays all withheld salaries and fulfills all of the offers made to the union thus far.

 

The Federal government, in its latest offers to ASUU leadership, pledged to pay N40 billion as Earned Allowance and N30 billion for the revitalization of the university system, bringing the total payment to N70 billion. The government also agreed to settle the arrears of salaries of the lecturers before December 2020, but after due consultation with the government side.

 

The Federal government also accepted the demand by ASUU that they be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) pending the approval of their proposed payment system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

 

In a chat with The Nation, ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, said none of the promises have been fulfilled and until they are, the union will not call off the strike that started in March this year.

 

“We are still consulting but certainly before the end of this week we will report to the minister the findings and feedback from our members. The offers people are talking about are proposals that have timeless and some of these things are expected to have been happening. If those things they promised with the timeline can happen before we conclude our consultation I think the process will go smoother.

A concrete example is the payment of our members’ salaries which have not been paid. If people are not paid I don’t think anybody will be willing to go back to work and other things that have timeline that we expect government to implement.

“You don’t expect people, after eight months, to go back to the classrooms on empty stomach. That is where we are.

“Before the end of this new week we will get back to government but we keep on telling them each time they contact us that they (government) should fulfill their own part of the bargain, things that have timelines.”

WAEC to finally release 2020 SSCE result on Monday

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the release of the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) today, November 2nd.

The result of the exam that commenced on Monday, August 17, 2020, and ended on Saturday, September 12, 2020, will be out today by 10:30 according to the board.

Taking to Twitter Sunday to give an update on the situation, WAEC tweeted, “This is to inform candidates that sat West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2020 that the results of that exam will be released by @waecnigeria tomorrow, Monday, November 2, 2020, by 10:30 am.”

Owing to the ravages of the Coronavirus pandemic, the result of the 2020 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination is coming out 45 days after.

FG and ASUU disagree on payment platform for N30bn allowances

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities have again disagreed on the payment platform which will be used in disbursing the salary arrears and the N30 billion earned allowance of university lecturers.

 

While the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige offered to pay the salary arrears and the N30 billion Earned Allowances of the university lecturers through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System platform at the meeting which ended in a deadlock on Wednesday October 22, ASUU delegation led by its National President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi reportedly insisted that lecturers would not enrol on the government salary platform.

 

It is expected that both parties will reconvene on Monday October 26, to decide on the platform for the disbursement of the funds pledged by the FG.

 

Recall that the federal government had agreed to pay N40 billion, being the pending Earned Academic Allowance of the university teachers overdue since November 2019. N30 billion would be paid on or before November 6, while the remaining N10 billion would be spread equally over two tranches to be paid in May 2021 and February 2022.

Ministry of Education disowns school resumption calendar

The school resumption timetable making rounds on social media has been disowned by the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Education. 

 

While Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had said that the resumption date he announced was tentative, the supposed 2020/2021 academic calendar states that the first term of the session will start on September 21 and end on December 18. January 11, 2021 and May 3 were also given as the start dates for second and third terms.

 

However OEQA spokesman Emmanuel Olaniran in a statement released on Monday August 31, said the calendar did not emanate from his office.

FG releases guidelines for schools resumption

The Federal Government has issued guidelines ahead of the planned resumption of schools in the country.

 

The guidelines, which failed to disclose the date of school resumption, was signed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and Minister of State (Education), Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba. It was developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Health and health safety experts in the country

 

The guidelines outlined actions, measures and requirements needed for the safe reopening of schools after the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The guidelines released today, July 13, requires that students should be aided to maintain social distancing and stay at least 2 meters apart.

 

The guidelines dealt extensively on plans for school reopening and operations, including attendance, social distancing, hygiene, cleaning, and non-pharmaceutical interventions for safe and healthy school activities and programmes.

 

Mallam Adamu explained that the need to develop the guidelines became imperative, "given that COVID – 19 may be with us for a while."

 

On social distancing in shools, the document reads, "However, there are exceptions where the two-meter rule cannot be reasonably applied and other risk mitigation strategies may be adopted. Examples include early years, younger primary school children, and those with additional needs.

 

"In these circumstances, risk assessments must be undertaken with the best interests of the learners, teachers, and other education personnel in mind. The scenarios require organizing learners and children into small groups with consistent membership and compliance with the risk mitigation strategies. The membership of these groups should not change unless the NCDC public health guideline suggests otherwise."

 

With the release of the guidelines, the government would conduct a rapid assessment and determine funding requirement for upgrading infrastructure and facilities such as classrooms, furniture, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene-WASH and ICT facilities to meet and sustain prescribed safe school reopening requirements.

 

Notable among the items in the guidelines are recommendations for the review of existing policies, practices, and risk mitigation strategies in the use of schools for other purposes, such as distance learning centres, temporary shelters, isolation, quarantine and treatment centres, markets, voting centres, among others.

 

The document adds: "COVID – 19 pandemic poses an enormous risk to the health and safety of learners, teachers, parents, school administrators, education practitioners, and the wider community…More than 1.5 billion children and young people globally have been affected by school and university closures.

 

"As a responsible government, it is also our duty to provide comprehensive guidelines for a safe and hitch-free reopening of schools and learning facilities. We do so knowing that the health, safety, and security of learners, teachers, education personnel, and families are priorities."

 

Adamu said the guidelines also highlight the urgent need to maintain and improve upon distance-learning programmes.

 

Adamu said: "Our aim is to identify and strengthen programmes that will guarantee the recovery of learning gaps resulting from the pandemic.

 

"The guidelines were drafted in close coordination with health, environmental, education, and school safety experts who were tasked with the responsibility of charting a pathway for safely reopening our schools and learning facilities for quality teaching and learning."

Nigerian students won’t write 2020 WAEC – FG

The Nigerian government has announced that Nigerian students will not be participating in the forthcoming West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations.

 

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu made the announcement after the virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday July 8. 

 

The Minister who also disclosed that there is no date yet for school resumption, added that he will prefer Nigerian students lose an academic year than expose them to danger. 

Oyo state govt modifies resumption of schools in the state; Teachers to resume on June 29 while students on July 6

Barring any last-minute change, the Oyo State Government has modified the resumption of schools in the state that was earlier scheduled for June 29.

 

The Government had earlier directed all terminal classes including Primary Six (Pry 6), Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3) and Senior Secondary School Three (SSS3) to resume on June 29 ahead of preparations for their various exams.

 

However, a statement released today by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr Taiwo Adisa, said Teachers will be the only ones to resume on Monday, June 29 while students in terminal classes will resume on July 6.

 

Adisa said the state government will on July 15 review the compliance level in the different schools to determine whether the remaining classes would resume or wait till September.

 

“By the new arrangement, Teachers are to resume to the schools on Monday June 29, 2020, while students in critical classes including Primary 6, JSS3 and SS3 will resume a week later on July 6, 2020.

As of Monday, June 22, no fewer than 372 Heads of Schools have been trained by the EOC on the management of the COVID-19 containment procedures, while each of the schools is to appoint an Incident Manager, who will ensure compliance with the approved COVID-19 protocol.

Each student is expected to wear face masks, while the schools are to prepare well laid out hand washing spots to guarantee regular washing of hands by the students and teachers.

The Task Force also resolved that by July 15, the state government would have reviewed the situation with the schools and come to a conclusion whether the remaining classes would be able to resume or whether the students would have to wait to resume the new session in September 2020.” the statement read

The schools were closed down as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID19 in the state. With 988 confirmed cases, Oyo state is the fourth state with the highest number of the novel virus.

JAMB releases list of top 10 candidates in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released a list of the best candidates in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination ( UTME).
 

Top on the list were two candidates from Anambra state with 365 and 363 scores respectively.

 

“They are 10 in number and if you notice, some of the candidates scored the same mark and they are (tied) on the same position,” the spokesperson of the board Fabian Benjamin said

See the names of the candidates and their scores as released by JAMB below:

1) Maduafokwa Egoagwuagwu Agnes -365

2) Nwobi Okwuchukwu David – 363

3) Ojuba Mezisashe Shalom – 359

3) Elikwu, Victor Chukwuemeka – 359

5) Adebola Oluwatobi Paul – 358

6) Gboyega Oluwatobiloba Enoch – 356

7) Ojo Samuel Oluwatobi – 355

7) Utulu, Jebose George – 355

9) Osom Akan Awesome – 353

10) Akakabota Fejiro Simeon – 352

10) Ogundele Favour Jesupemi – 352

10) Alatise Monsurah Bisola. – 352

10) Adelaja Oluwasemilore Daniel – 352

 

2020 Admission: JAMB sets 160 as cut-off mark for universities

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set 160 as the minimum cut-off mark for universities across the country in the 2020 admission session. 

 

JAMB's registrar Ishaq Oloyede made the announcement on Tuesday June 16, after the 20th policy meeting on admissions to tertiary institutions. The cut-off mark for polytechnics was pegged at 120, while that of Colleges of Education remains at 100 and above.

 

Commenting on the admission statistics for 2019, Oloyede said that 612,557 candidates were offered admission but 510,957 admission spaces remained unused by the institutions. He added that only 1,157,977 candidates who had the required five credits with English and Mathematics, sat for its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) last year.

 

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu on his own part said he has directed JAMB and tertiary institutions to proceed with the conduct of their 2020/2021 admissions which will commence in August. 

 

Adamu said; 

 

“As major stakeholders, we must jointly come up with reactions that would realign our programmes to these new realities. 

“JAMB and tertiary institutions could take advantage of the current situation, consider candidates with previous years SSCE and other qualifying results, to proceed on with the admission process.

“Whatever arrangement that the country comes up with in the long run will surely accommodate those who will be taking the examination when the opportunity to do so is worked out.”

Lockdown: Governor Sanwo-Olu approves online lectures for LASU, LASPOTECH, other state owned tertiary institutions

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved special e-portals that will allow Lagos State tertiary institutions commence online lectures as part of measures to reduce the impact of Coronavirus on education.

A statement by Tokunbo Wahab, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, says the seven schools that will benefit from the initiative are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Lagos College of Health Technology and Lagos State College of Nursing and Midwifery.

''Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the virtual classes to ensure physical distancing among students and their lecturers. The move will also help in the maintenance of the State’s tertiary academic calendar despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

All students should maximise the unique opportunity to keep themselves engaged while the lockdown arising from the pandemic lasts.'' the statement reads

Government postpones 2020 WAEC and NECO exams indefinitely

The Nigerian Government has announced that this year's Senior School Certificate Examination organised by the West African Examinations Council and National Examinations Council will be postponed due to Coronavirus outbreak. 

According to Emeka Nwajubu, Minister of State for Education, government has made provisions for students to learn online.

He said, “WAEC and NECO for the year have been postponed indefinitely.

“The students can learn online, we have made a lot of provision for that. The director of FCT has also opened a portal for the process.

“We are working with the Ministry of Information to escalate education content to provide for everyone at home.

“Our biggest challenge is to reach children who do not have devices but we are working with radio corporations to instil some of that for primary and secondary students.”

WAEC postpones West African Senior School Certificate Examination over Coronavirus

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria has postponed the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, 2020, until further notice. It was earlier scheduled to commence on April 6, 2020.

A statement released by the council’s Head of National Office in Nigeria, Patrick Areghan, on Friday March 20th, said the decision was as a result of the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the “serious implications” it has for the conduct of the WASSCE for school candidates.

“This decision is a demonstration of the organisation’s concern and support for the various protocols being put in place by the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria and the governments of the other member countries ti check the spread of the disease,” the statement in part read

BREAKING: JAMB Suspends NIN For 2020 UTME, Direct Entry Registrations

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has suspended the use of National Identification Number, NIN, as a requirement for registration in the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

The suspension also affected the JAMB’s Direct Entry Registration for the year.

But the board which announced the suspension of NIN at an ongoing press conference,at its head office, at Bwari,Abuja,said NIN would be a necessary requirement in the 2021 UTME and Direct Entry registrations.

JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. ishaq Oloyede,who broke the news at the press conference, attributed the action to what he called “technical reasons.”

The press conference was attended by top management staff of the National Identification Management Commission, NIMC,led by its Director General, Aziz Aliyu.

Oloyode,citing ongoing difficulties being faced by candidates in the NIN registration,insisted the NIN requirement as a precondition for the UTME and Direct Entry registrations have been set aside.

Mass Communication will no longer be a single course - NUC

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has unbundled Mass Communication into seven separate degree programs.
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Apart from the fact that Mass Communication, as a stand-alone degree programme, it is too wide, the move is also to meet present demands and it takes effect from 2020 admissions into Nigerian universities.
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NUC’s executive secretary, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, noted that the course had been unbundled into Journalism and Media Studies, Public Relations, Advertising, Broadcasting, Film and Multi-Media Studies, Development Communication Studies and Information and Media Studies.

UNIABUJA expels 100 students for malpractices

The management of the University of Abuja has expelled 100 students of the institution whose link to examination malpractice have been established. 

The affected students include 72 undergraduate and 28 postgraduate students. Spokesperson of the institution, Habib Yakoob, said the decision was reached after report and recommendations of the Central Examination Misconduct Committee was considered by the university senate at its 174th regular meeting held on November 6. 

He further revealed that five other undergraduate students were rusticated for one academic session, three were rusticated for one semester, while three were cleared for having no case. Three postgraduate students were also rusticated for one academic session.

Buhari gives new order to education ministry

The Federal Government has directed the Ministry of Education to organise a national summit on research and development within the second quarter of 2020.

President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive on Tuesday during the convocation ceremony of the Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI).

Buhari, represented by Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, said that the summit would enhance research and development in the country.

He said the summit should draw participants from the academia, industry and top government functionaries, NAN reports.

“The summit will help in drawing up a draft agenda for the country’s research priorities as our development as a nation can only be concretised if we succeed in getting our research and development priorities right.

“Development brings about peace and harmony and I call on all universities in the country to support through curriculum re-engineering and academic discourse, government efforts of creating a more peaceful, united and cohesive nation.

“Our diverse nation is confronted with the challenges of a high population growth rate and the academia must guide the thinking and actions that convert these challenges to opportunities.

“Let us through our thinking, teaching and actions, turn our large, diverse population into a reservoir of human resource capital that will leverage this government’s economic recovery and growth plan,” the President said.

LASU students to pay additional N150,000 tuition

Students of the Lagos State University will start paying a sum of N150,000 tuition fee for a second stream undergraduate programme.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said the second stream degree programme was introduced to help deepen the entrepreneurship skills of students of the institution.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Vice-Chancellor as saying, “Our regular Stream 1 programme tuition fee is still N25,000, while medical students pay N37,000.
“But for Stream 2 entrepreneurship programme, the tuition fee is N150,000, aside from acceptance and medical fees,”
However, Fagbohun was said to have refuted speculation that LASU had increased tuition fees for its undergraduate programmes.

It is not clear whether or not the second stream degree programme would be optional or mandatory for students of the university.
According to NAN, Fagbohun said the entrepreneurship programme, which would run along with normal undergraduate degrees, would prepare students to be self-employed and employers of labour.
The Vice-Chancellor added that “Research indicates that small-medium enterprises employ more than 80 per cent of the workforce in Nigeria.

“That is why we have a very close working relationship with SMEs, so they can impact on the university and impart right entrepreneurship skills to the students.
“Before starting, the Stream 2 entrepreneurship programme will go through all the approval processes of the university.
“Critical thing for LASU is quality assurance which means the two-stream programmes will be standard and run successfully together without any programme failing.
“We have a directorate of quality assurance that monitors every programme of the university in order to achieve best practices,” the vice-chancellor said.
He said that entrepreneurship courses would be taught only during the first year of the regular Stream 1 programme, while it would be taught throughout the duration of the Stream 2 programme.
Also speaking, Prof. Martins Anetekhan, Director, LASU Centre for Entrepreneur, said the university was concerned about widespread unemployment among graduates of Nigerian universities.
“After the investigation, we realised that most graduates are not getting jobs because the available job vacancies can not accommodate them.
“It means they have to be skillful and adjust their mindset to become entrepreneurs who can also employ others and contribute to national development.
“Apart from giving them knowledge on normal degree programme, LASU introduced Stream 2 programme so they can also acquire some skills, knowledge through entrepreneurship programmes,” he said.
Anetekhan said that there were 79 different areas of entrepreneurship for the Stream 2 programme and teaching had been arranged such that it would not clash with the normal degree programmes.
“We should all know that entrepreneurship programme is the delivery of handsome skills and LASU partnered with many small scale industries to teach the students,” he said.