Nigeria made it to 2014 Hult Prize of $1,000,000

NIGERIA’S flag bearer in the sixth Annual Hult Prize, the American University of Nigeria has advanced to the regional finals of the competition, which winners will receive $1,000,000 in startup funding.

This year there were more than 4, 000
applications from among which the AUN team, which comprises of Hafsat Adamu, Blessing Douglas, and Lucy Okonkwo was offered a place to compete. AUN’s team is the only one from Nigeria to advance to the Dubai stage of the
competition.

“Part of what qualified us is our university’s development mission and commitment to fostering development in our region and the continent, together with the students’ strong, longstanding record of academic excellence and
community engagement,” said AUN’s President Margee Ensign, An instructor in Business & Entrepreneurship, Fardeen Dodo, who coached last year’s team, said the competition will enrich the students’
college experience.

“Besides the competition, students will benefit from several workshops, networking, and entrepreneurial learning events run by a number of professionals and trail-blazing global experts, including Stuart Fleming of Enviroserve, Garett
Awad of the Scholl Centre of Entrepreneurship, Ali Edrissi of JP Morgan (UK), and Khaled Gazawi, the CEO of Grameen-Jameel.”

Dodo who added that the step attained so far by the students was “…demonstration of how far our students are ready to go, to action up our vision of development and commitment to addressing the longstanding social challenges that confront Nigeria and Africa at large.”

In partnership with President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative, the innovative programme aims to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges.

Student teams compete in six cities around the world for a chance to secure the $1m prize money meant to launch a sustainable social venture.

The 2015 Hult Prize will focus on building
start-ups that provide sustainable, high quality, and early education solutions to 10 million children under the age of six in urban slums and beyond by 2020.

This year’s challenge was selected and set by former American president, Bill Clinton, who said, “The Hult Prize is about
more than the solution to the problem; it’s about how the world has to work in the 21st century.”

In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of the Hult Prize Foundation, Ahmad Ashkar said, “Servicing the world’s poorest through profitable and sustainable enterprise is not just good for the world; it’s great business.

Our pioneering platform builds
ecosystems by leveraging crowd and we
couldn’t be happier that the American University of Nigeria will be joining our mission with their participation in the 6th annual Hult Prize.”

The Hult Prize gives entrepreneurs from around the world a platform to innovate and revolutionize the way society thinks about servicing the poor.

Each team selected was
chosen from more than 20, 000 applications received from over 500 colleges and universities in over 150 countries. The Hult Prize regional final competitions will take place on March 13
and 14, 2015, in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai. The AUN Hult team will compete in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

Following the regional finals, one winning team from each host city will move into a summer business incubator, where participants will receive mentorship, advisory, and strategic planning training as they create prototypes and set-up to launch their new social business. 

A final round of competition will be hosted by the Clinton Global Initiative at its annual meeting in September this year, where CGI delegates will select a winning team, and the prize to be personally awarded by Clinton, who described, the Hult Prize as “a wonderful example of the creative cooperation needed to build a world with shared opportunity, shared responsibility, and shared prosperity, and each year I look forward to seeing the many outstanding ideas the competition produces.”

To learn more, visit www.hultprize.org

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Cool facts 5

Do you know that;

Oprah gave birth at 14yrs to a baby who died in the hospital weeks later

Robert De Niro was part of a New York Street gang

The founder of the Mother's Day later fought to have it abolished

A month after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, a typhoon hit the city killing another 2,000 people

A single strand of spaghetti is called spaghetto

Beards are your fastest growing hairs

"Breaking Bad," Jesse was originally set to die at the end of season 1

Natural selection favors shorter girls

The less you use yo brain’s frontal lobes, the "hotter" you think you are

How long you exercise is more vital than how hard you do it

Referees are unconsciously biased in favor of players wearing red

Squeezing testicles too tightly can release too much adrenaline & kill you

There is an officially recognized School of Wizardry in California

"Mortgage" comes from a French word that means "death contract"

In France, you can marry a dead person

Tupac never won a grammy & actually received more awards after his death

1 in 5 women buy Valentine's gifts for themselves

Looking at beautiful paintings can ease physical pain

68% experience "phantom vibration syndrome"
..mistakenly thinking your phone is buzzing in yo pocket

We tend to enjoy the suffering of people we envy

82% believe in an afterlife

In Ohio, it's illegal to run out of gas

The word "impossible" has dropped in use by 50% over the last 100yrs

Average woman in UK will own 111 handbags in her lifetime

Hitler was born on 4/20, "weed day"

"Ultracrepidarian"
..Somebody who gives opinions on subjects they know nothing about

Kim Kardashian had x-rays taken of her butt to prove its authenticity

Qn:
A normal stop sign has the shape of what geometrical figure?

Qn:
What's the only fruit that carries its seeds on the outside?

Qn:

If a rubber band weighs 40 milligrams, how many of them will weigh one kilogram?

See more facts here

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Cool Facts 4

Do you know that;

South Sudan is the newest country on Earth

Nearly 1 in 5 firearms on Earth is AK-47

Things written by pencil are technically written in stone

Modern people have ~ fewer friends than people did decades ago

The world's youngest grandmother was only 17 years old

Men spend nearly a yr of their life simply staring at women

The brain treats rejection like physical pain

Giving birth can cause an orgasm

“Beats" by Dre headphones, which can sell for as much as $450, only cost ~ $14 to produce

A man produces enough sperm in 2 weeks to impregnate every fertile woman on the planet

An Egyptian city was discovered underwater in 2013 after being lost for 1,200 years in the Mediterranean

In the USA, people from Ohio are the most likely to use curse words

Deipnophobia is the fear of dinner parties

Thai people will type "555" instead of "Hahaha" in texts b'se the # 5 is pronounced "Ha"

After the death of genius Albert Einstein, his brain was removed by a pathologist & put in a jar for future study

Justin Bieber has more Twitter followers than Spain has people

The medical term for "butt crack" is "intergluteal cleft"

There's a Titanic wiII being built
..Will set sail in 2017

Every year, 1,000 letters arrive in Jerusalem addressed to God

The only country to register zero births in 1983 was the Vatican City

Viruses can get viruses

9th of February 2015 Is Tuesday in Beijing

Adult females are generally called cows

Cleveland spelled backwards is
"DNA level C"

Mountain Dew was developed to be a whiskey mixer

When your stomach grumbles, it's called "borborygmus"

Sperm contains zinc & calcium which fight tooth decay

You blink ~25,000x a day

Until 1974, it was Illegal to appear in public in Chicago if you are ugly

"Nyotaimori," the act of eating sushi off of a naked woman

Islam, Christianity & Judaism worship the same God, but in different ways

Male rape doesn’t exist as a criminal offense under UK law

It is illegal to be fat in Japan
..max waistline for anyone 40yrs+ is 35.4 inches

The average car in Britain is parked for 96% of the time

As you get older, your lips get thinner

Qn:
Which country had the world's first flags?

Qn:
How many animals did Moses take onto the ark?

Qn:
What's Hypnagogia:

UNILAG wins debating championship tourney

The University of Lagos has emerged winners of the second All Nigerian Universities Debating Championship.

Messrs Nathan Odiase and Temitope Ojelade led the university to victory in the tournament.

The competition, which the university hosted, started on January 24, and ended on January 29, 2015.

The University of Calabar emerged second while the Imo State University came third in the competition, which featured 17 universities.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the UNILAG Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Rahamon Bello, thanked all the participants for their commitment to excellence..He said, “There are over 200 institutions and for us to have 17 universities shows that you people are the best and I want you to count yourselves lucky.”

Also, the Dean, Students’ Affairs Division, Prof. Tunde Babawale, who expressed joy that UNILAG hosted and won the championship, noted that it provided a platform for UNILAG students to sharpen their skills within the limited available resources.

Similarly, Mr. Victor Onuoha, who represented the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, underscored the importance of the championship.

He also applauded the adjudicators, participating universities and UNILAG for being a wonderful host.

Our Online Learning is qualitative says OAU

After matriculating students into the New Online Distance learning, Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University have assured their online distance-learning students of quality academic delivery.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bamitale Omole, gave the assurance during the matriculation of pioneer students of the Online Distance Learning Programme.

The university’s Centre for Distance Learning runs the programme, which at present offers degree courses in Accounting and Nursing. Omole, who urged the students to be committed to
their studies, noted that their certificates would not be inferior to those obtained via the conventional approach.

He said, “You have the singular honour of being the first set of students in our eLearning programme. I congratulate you on being pioneers of the eLearning revolution in the country. “I want to assure you that distant learning mode of
admission does not imply in any way inferiority in status, compared to our conventional students either in terms of lecture delivery or of the certificates you
receive at the end of your programmes.

“Our university guards jealously the integrity of its degrees and diplomas whether obtained in the conventional or distance learning mode. Hence, your
various curricula have gone through the usual high standards of excellence of the university Senate for which OAU is well known.”

The OAUCDL Director, Prof. Bode Asubiojo, also promised that the centre would continue to provide quality education in line with the university’s tradition. Asubiojo said, “Our primary charge at the centre is to provide quality education to the teeming number of Nigerian youths who possess the prerequisite qualifications for entry to universities but are denied admission owing to inadequate facilities on campus.

“It also targets the working class who are desirous of pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes while retaining their jobs. The Online Distance Learning programme allows us to deliver on this objective.” Asubiojo, who said the programme had already received the National Universities Commission’s accreditation, noted that its students use customised study tablets (Vigitabs) for learning.

He added, “This development is the first of its kind in Nigeria and we are pleased with it. We have replicated the classroom experience on a tablet device for
students. For the first time, students can receive lectures, submit assignments, participate in forums, take quizzes and even rewind their lecturers, all from the comfort of their homes, offices or wherever they may be in Nigeria or abroad.”

For more info kindly visit: www.oaucdl.edu.ng

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Nine more Universities on the way says FG

The Federal Government has concluded plans to approve nine more universities. This will bring to 18 the number of universities it had approved in last three years.

The Education Minister, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who announced this, also stated that the government had earmarked N1.3tn as intervention grant to its universities courtesy of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy Assessment Programme.

Shekarau stated this in Abuja while X-raying the Nigerian Basic Education Sector (2011-2015). The minister said, “If not for technical reason, another nine (9) would have been approved before now.

Soon, we shall sort out all the outstanding issues and they will receive government approval. This will bring to 113 the number of universities in the country and 18 private universities approved in the last three years.”

The minister said that the NEEDS Assessment intervention grant was sequel to several deliberations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

He explained, “We have persistent complaints from our universities about dilapidated laboratories and so on; then the government took the bull by the horn.

President Goodluck Jonathan set up a committee to go round the universities on the platform of NEEDS Assessment which was conducted two years ago.

“At the end of the assessment, the universities came up with a bill of N1.3tn required to address the necessary need in public universities and the government accepted it.

Since the government cannot dish out N1.3tn all at once, there is an agreement between the Federal Government and the leadership of the ASUU that the needs be addressed over a period of five  years with a provision of N220bn every year.”

According to the minister, the NEEDS intervention is in addition to normal budgetary allocations to universities and TETFund interventions, among others.

On the incessant strikes by unions in the tertiary institutions, Shekarau said the Federal Government was trying to address the challenges.

He said, “I think we are making some progress on incessant strikes in the sector. We have succeeded in ensuring we have strike-free sessions in our institutions. We are determined to achieve this and the issue of strike would soon be a forgotten issue.

“This doesn’t mean there won’t be problems. There is hardly any sector where there is no problem but frank and strong discussions can resolve them. It is our hope that exchange of views would help us to be strike-free in this country.”

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

Oritamefa Baptist school pupil emerges quiz winner

A pupil of the Oritamefa Baptist Model Secondary School, Oluwasayo Babalola, has emerged the winner of the second Joseph Ayo Babalola University National
Quiz for senior secondary school pupils.

The first and second runners-up went to Olayide Ibrahim of the Straitgate College Ishara Remo, Ogun State and Ifeoluwa Oyelami of the St. Anthony’s High School, Ilesa, Osun State respectively.

For coming tops, Babalola received a scholarship to study at the university and N50, 000. His school also received some library materials and a desktop computer.

Ibrahim also received 50 per cent discount on tuition in the university and N40, 000, while Oyelami got 25 per cent discount on fees and N30, 000.

Schools also got desktop computers among other items.

According to the organisers, no fewer than 80 secondary schools from across the country participated in the quiz.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Sola Fajana, said the competition was to promote healthy competition and academic excellence among pupils.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

"Girls Should pursue career in ICT" says FG

Federal Government has begun collaboration with Huawei, an information and communication technology solutions provider, to train 1,000 girls in ICT.

The measure is to empower female pupils with basic ICT skills with a view to improving their employment chances.

The initiative, tagged “Huawei 1,000 MCT/Girls ICT Training programme,” is the brainchild of the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology.

The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, represented by the Technical Assistant (Research), in the ministry, Olufunke Baruwa, made this known at the inauguration of the ICT Club of the Pyramid of Excellence Schools in Abuja.

Johnson said the programme would help to reduce the imbalance in ICT adoption between men and women in the country.

She added, “The ICT sector is emerging as the fastest growing sector in Nigeria, recording a 30 per cent year- on-year growth with the potential to significantly
contribute to increasing the social welfare of men and women in the future.

“Towards this end, the Federal Government is committed to changing the perception of young people to ICT and encouraging positive interest and engagement in their academics as well as to pursue future careers in ICT.”

The minister explained that the government, in its determination to encourage Nigerian pupils to develop an early interest in ICT, established the ICT club.

According to her, the initiative is an early intervention project to demystify ICTs and project technology as a viable career option that can empower and impact positively on the future of our youngsters.

She further stressed, “The aim of the club is to remove the barriers that discourage students from embracing ICTs through quizzes, ICT games, application
development, animation, website development, blogging, graphics design, computer programming, assembling and dissembling computers and creating short films.

Periodically mentors will be invited to give inspiring talks and participate in various ICT related activities that will interest the students.”

The minister said her ministry being a key partner in the Growing Women and Girls Initiative was empowering women and girls through specific technology initiatives.

Johnson said, “To help overcome digital divide in Nigeria, the Ministry of l Communication Technology has committed itself to setting up various projects such as The SmartWoman Nigeria Project, MCT/Huawei 1000
ICT Girls Training, and The Digital Girls Club.

“Among these projects, the Digital Girls Club which is an extra-curriculum activity has been designed for secondary schools girls across the country.

This curriculum enables the girls to focus on hands-on and practical learning thereby providing opportunities for
practical knowledge.

It also encourages girls to work in teams to build and create technology thus providing learning in a fun and engaging way.”

She explained that the SmartWoman Project of the government was a mobile service conceived to support the advancement, development and education of women via the ICT platforms.

She added, “This disparity in adoption of ICT by women and girls globally reveal a big gulf between women and men in the adoption of ICTs that needs to be bridged.

It is our hope that the effective implementation of these initiatives in schools across the country will go a long way in removing the barriers that discourage girls from embracing careers in ICTs.”

According to Johnson, her ministry will ensure that the Nigerian child has greater chances and opportunities in the ICT sector because of the immense contributions it can bring to their lives.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

Medical school, teaching hospital in FUTA soon

The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, has said that the institution will soon establish a medical school as well as a teaching hospital to complement its School of Basic Sciences.

Adebiyi said this on Monday following the National Universities Commission’s approval granted to the university to establish a School of Health and Health Technology.

According to Adebiyi, the new department will take off next academic session with courses, such as Physiology, Anatomy, Dental Technology and Optometry.

Daramola said, “We’ve received the nod to set up departments of Anatomy and Physiology having previously established a Department of Biochemistry.

So, we are starting with degrees in the basic medical sciences and ultimately to end up with a teaching hospital.

These two new departments are precursors of a medical school because we already have Biochemistry in the School of Sciences.

‘‘Besides, we cannot have health-related courses without having the core, which is medicine. You cannot have optometry and other ancillary courses without a Teaching Hospital, which is at the core.

Some of the courses we are starting with are basic medical sciences. If you are familiar with the training of medical doctors, they start with what is called basic medical sciences.

It is when they are well-grounded in these, that they go to the clinical,” Daramola said.

NDIC presents resource centre to GCI

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation on Thursday 12th of February 2015, inaugurated a N30m Education Resource Centre it built
for the Government College Ibadan.

This came as the corporation’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Umaru Ibrahim, promised that the organisation would not relent in supporting the growth of education in the country.

Ibrahim spoke through the firm’s Director, Asset Management Department, Mr. Bashir Umar. Ibrahim said, “The corporation will not relent in its efforts toward its educational support programme in line with its corporate social responsibility policy by granting financial assistance to education institutions for the growth of the sector in Nigeria.

The donation of the education resource centre to GCI is heart-warming and intended to sustain the academic pedigree of the foremost post primary education institution in the country.”

Also, the Chairman, Kakanfo Inn and Conference Centre, Dr. Lekan Are, who spoke on the occasion, commended the NDIC for donating the centre.

He also urged other individuals and corporate organisations to support the state government’s transformation agenda.

Are, a former president of the alumni association of the school, called on the state government to improve on its support for the school in order to restore its academic excellence.

He said, “The Old Boys Association and the Parent-Teacher-Association are trying their best for the institution, but we still require the support and commitment of the government.

Many facilities and property that used to be the pride of the school have vanished because of poor maintenance culture.

“People that should not be here in this school are here and it is no more the school for those that passed and are qualified through examinations and interviews but for those who are posted there by the ministry of education.

When they say the result of school certificate examination is bad, I tell you, it is the fault of the ministry because it just brings anybody here.”

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

Disabilities is not a disease

The Vice-Chairman, Lagos Cheshire Home, Lagos, Mr. Olugbenga Olabenjo, has called on Nigerians not to discriminate against people living with disabilities.

He also urged the government to provide support services, which would afford those with disabilities the opportunity to contribute to national development.

Olabenjo stated this at a recent party held at the home. According to him, the home is to help persons living with disabilities to a point where they can live independently.

The home, he said, was a transit place for them to acquire vocational skills that would enable them to lead better life.

Inmates of the home were treated to various games and fun activities, such as dancing and singing competition.
A resident, Miss Tope Akinyele, who spoke on the occasion, said there was the need for inclusive education for pupils with disabilities.

According to her, inclusive education gives people living with disabilities the opportunity to interact with others. Miss Dina Adetutu, a pupil from the Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, Lagos, advised the populace to tolerate and treat people living with
disabilities decency.

UNIOSUN crisis tears ASUU apart

The crisis between the management and the Governing Council of the Osun State University early February 2015 has caused a sharp division among members of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities in the institution.

The Secretary of ASUU in the university, Mr. Wende Olaosebikan, at a briefing on Monday dissociated the members of the local chapter of ASUU from an earlier press conference addressed by the Chairman of ASUU, Ibadan zone, Prof. Segun Ajiboye

Apart from Olaosebikan, Prof. Ayo Adebooye, and the Financial Secretary of ASUU at UNIOSUN, Mr. Alabi
Banwo, who attended the Monday briefing, expressed dissatisfaction with the zonal coordinator of ASUU.

But the Chairman of the UNIOSUN ASUU, Dr. Seye Abiona, who was absent at the Monday conference, our correspondent gathered, was present when the zonal
coordinator addressed journalists on the crisis.

The secretary of ASUU noted that at the congress of the union held last January 20, its members resolved to be neutral in the crisis rocking the institution.

Olaosebikan said, “We have read with utter disappointment in the newspapers the report of a press conference which was floated by the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Ibadan Zone, Prof Olusegun Ajiboye on the suspension of the Principal Officers (VC, Registrar and Bursar) of the Osun State University by the Governing
Council.

“Our branch of ASUU dissociates itself from the reported press conference because we had resolved at our meeting l of January 20, 2015 that we would not
take side in the issues concerning the council- administration and the government.

“We are also disappointed that the said press conference on the issues concerning our university was held without any input or clearance from our branch.

“We wish to state that this is not part of ASUU principle. Our branch reserves the right to know whenever the zonal or national body wishes to discuss our university on the pages of newspapers.

“In fact, since our branch congress had not yet reported any matter to the Zonal-ASUU, it has no right to take the matter to the press. Our union is known for thoroughness in dealing with issues and we wish to state that in holding the press conference, the zonal ASUU has violated our right as branch.

“We are dismayed that lecturers who should face the real academic duties are now aligning with political parties and have directly turned the university to a home of partisan politics.

In our opinion, while we lay claim to the fact that all of us are political animals, we must not forget that university is a home  for the production and propagation of knowledge.”

Check ASUU too in LASU this 2015.

Courtesy: www.punching.com

14 days ultimatum over unpaid salaries

The Academic Staff Union of the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu, Ogun State, has again given the state government a 14-day ultimatum over its failure to pay their 48-month salary arrears as at February 10, 2015

In a letter to Governor Ibikunle Amosun dated January 26, 2015, and signed by its Chairman, Dr. Dan Oludipe and the Secretary, Modupe Owolabi-Gabriel, respectively, the union listed among the contending issues the non- payment of their July-December 2010, and February-September 2011 salaries and salary
arrears from July 2009 – June, 2013, all totalling 48 months.

They sent the letter through the Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Mrs. Segun Odubela. The union also demanded that the government should regularise the payment of their salaries and return the
institution to its original permanent site at Ijagun.

According to them, if that is done, TASCE will have access to her Internally Generated Revenue and will be able to assist the government in meeting some of its financial obligations as obtained in other state-owned tertiary institutions.

The union had also demanded that the government should constitute a formidable governing council for the college and the release of the white paper on the existence of the Tai Solarin Institutions (TASCE and Tai
Solarin University of Education), as submitted by the visitation panel.

Besides, the union urged the state government to retrieve all the certificates of the affiliated programme (full-time and part-time) of TASCE, issued out by
TASUED, and return same to TASCE along with huge funds realised from the issuance.

The union leaders said the 14-day ultimatum became necessary following the expiration of a 21-day strike notice given the government last November.

Oludipe, who said the last time they received their salaries was in August 2014, pleaded with the government to come to their aid as the members were
finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations.

The governor in November last year during the strike by the union said his administration did not owe them 48
months salaries, but the immediate past
administration.

He, however, promised to pay as soon as the government was buoyant enough to do so.

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We will boost book industry

Stakeholders in the book industry have said there is a need to create a template where they form a coalition to ensure social, economic and financial stability.

President of the Booksellers Association of Nigeria and member of the Board of Directors, Nigerian Book Fair Trust, Mr. Olusoji Popoola, made this known at the
2015 Academy Press Plc Customers’ Forum in Lagos.

He said, “There is a need to encourage healthy competition among multiple winners, identifying common issues, enemies and interests and pull resources together to further the interest of the trade.”

He said that in bridging the gap there was also a need to discourage betrayal tendencies among stakeholders by rewarding loyalty appropriately and increasing advocacy and participation government activities.

The Chairman, Academy Press, Mr. Simeon Oguntimehin, also urged them to create an enabling environment to make the business thrive in the country.

Oguntimehin said, “A country should consistently strive to make its local establishment to be more efficient. It is only through such a process that organisations can rise to world-class standards,” he said.

The Managing Director, Academy Press Plc, Mr. Gbenga Ladipo, said the 50-year-old firm over the years had followed the trend of retooling and modernising its facilities to meet global best practices.

The company, he added, recently acquired and installed for operation, a new equipment worth over N1.5bn.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

No more ‘pass’ grade in Nigerian Universities

National Universities Commission’s decision to abolish ‘pass’ in the grading system of universities raises questions over the agency’s powers.

When the National Universities Commission gave the hint last academic session that the ‘pass’ degree would no longer be acceptable in the grading system in the nation’s universities, not many students and other stakeholders took the agency seriously.

Indeed, many felt that the universities’ ombudsman had other bigger responsibilities to cater to as a way of bringing sanity into the system.

Issues bordering on proper funding of universities, accommodating hundreds of students who annually fail to secure admissions and ensuring a better ranking of the nation’s universities, among others, were considered as paramount to occupy the time of the commission instead of just rolling out a fresh grading procedure.

But with the beginning of the 2014/2015 academic session and the accompanying matriculation ceremonies, fresh students are now inundated with advice from vice-chancellors that they need to work harder if truly they want to graduate in flying colours.

In fact, the remarks by the Vice Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof. AbdullahiZuru, during the 2014/2015 matriculation of 4,133 students of the institution, has brought the NUC’s decision to abolish the pass grade in the nation’s university system to the front burner again.

According to Zuru, there is no going back on the E- grading system in the university and so every student should work harder to earn a good grade.

Zuru added, “This has far-reaching implications on the grading system of l students in universities. This means
that the minimum pass mark for courses in the universities will now be 45 per cent, that is, D-grade, instead of the previous 40 per cent, which was E-grade.

It also means that the minimum class of degree to be earned by students will now be third class.”

Besides pass and third class, the other grades in the system are second class lower division, second class upper division and the first class – regarded as the apogee in the ranking.

But as Zuru and his colleagues are urging students to endeavour to live up to expectations, some concerned stakeholders are also faulting the fresh procedure.

The latter school of thought holds the view that upping the grading system is not an elixir to improving on the quality of education in the country. In their thinking,
there is more to be done than merely adjusting the grading system.

According to a Lagos-based education consultant, Mr. Victor Jegede, the NUC’s decision is akin to putting the cart before the horse.

For him, the commission should first consider the quality of teachers and calibre of infrastructure in schools, among many other factors, before “throwing the baby and the bath water away.”

Jegede says, “Abolishing a pass degree will not end the decay in universities. Many of the schools do not have the facilities that will enhance teaching and learning.

Rating of the universities by the international agencies has nothing to do with the grading system. It has more to do with availability of competent lecturers and modern facilities. I tell you, if these basic things are available, more and more students will excel.

“For our students to be competitive like their peers from across the globe, there is the need to expose them to creative researches and modern teaching facilities.

Above all, the government needs to fund the sector well.” Another consultant, Bola Kolawole, argues that grading is a mere graduation of scores, noting that the development will only further breed corruption in the system.

Examination malpractice, sorting (bribing of lecturers to gain some good grades), sales of handouts, cultism, prostitution among undergraduates as well as other
social vices, Kolawole says, are serious areas of concern that need the urgent attention of the commission.

The emphasis, he says, should not be on grading system but on imparting quality knowledge to the students.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Ibadan chapter Chairman, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, sees the matter from another perspective. The idea, Ajiboye
posits, limits the significance of the university autonomy and portrays once more the overbearing influence of the NUC.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

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Ondo State Education managers gets Training

The Ondo State Government has commenced the training for education managers as part of the process of enhancing capacity for the implementation of the revised nine-year Basic Education Curriculum in the state.

The review is in response to the current demand of the education system that focuses on the development of human capital to meet the present and future challenges of the society.

Commissioner for Education, Mr. Jide Adejuyigbe, while addressing the participants in Akure, said the need to transform the economy through  sustained educational empowerment of the people informed the decision.

Adejuyigbe said, “The focus of education system all over the world is the development of the human capital required to meet present and future challenges of the society.

“Hence, the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy recognised that Nigeria’s economy could only be transformed and sustained through education that empowers the people.”

He said the training was to position the state to launch education to the next level for quality education delivery and move the sector forward for sustainable development.

According to Adejuyigbe, BEC has the objective of realigning curriculum contents at the primary and junior secondary school levels for continuity.

The curriculum, he added, was to redefine the philosophy of basic education and curriculum contents with a view to addressing emerging issues of values environment, health and technology.

“Viable and credible education system must continuously respond to global and local challenges as well as the peculiarities of individual nations.

“It was on this basis that the National Council on Education directed the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council to revise and restructure the nine-year BEC into 10 teachable, functional and practical oriented subjects, to eliminate redundancy without compromising the quality of education received by learners in consonance with the nation’s transformational agenda,” he said.

COWLSO donates classrooms

First lady of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, has called on the private sector to endeavour to support the education sector handsomely.

Fashola made the appeal while inaugurating blocks of classrooms at the Hope Primary School, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The project is a joint effort sponsored by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials and the MTN Foundation.
Fashola, also the COWLSO Chairperson, commended the foundation for its contribution towards education in the country.

She said, “We embarked on this mission two years ago, when we decided to provide good amenities in our primary schools. While the construction was going on, MTN Foundation accepted to furnish two schools by providing the appropriate furnishings.

“We want to thank the management of MTN Nigeria for partnering with us to support the commitment of Lagos State in providing a conducive learning environment for our tomorrow leaders from the basic education level.

We also want more collaboration from the private sector.” The Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Nonny Ugboma, said the group was honoured to be part of the
initiative.

She added that state had benefitted from a number of MTNF interventions, such as the donation of dialysis and mammography machines to two general hospitals, among other interventions.

“Since inception in 2009 to date, the MTNF Learning Facility Supply Project has spent well over 1bn on quite a number of initiatives in the education sector.

In this fourth phase, the foundation will present 16,000 desks, benches, tables and chairs to 85,000 schools across the
six geo-political zones in Nigeria,’’ she said.

On the MTNF-COWLSO partnership, Chairperson, COWLSO Building Committee, Mrs. Bimpe Bamgbose-
Martins, expressed delight at the quality of work done by the different contractors handling the project.

She added, “I have no doubt that our collective efforts will produce the change needed in our society,” Bamgbose-Martins said.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

Diamond Bank & Child Development

The management of the Diamond Bank Plc has said that it is committed to supporting the intellectual development of children.

The bank’s Executive Director, Lagos and West Businesses, Mr. Victor Ezenwoko stated this during the presentation of the finalists of the 2015 edition of the “Vision of the child” competition.

The initiative, sponsored by the bank is a live painting and literary arts competition for children to support the commemoration of the Lagos Black Festival of Arts and Culture.

According to Ezenwoko, the bank’s support for the competitive programme is in recognition of the importance of children to the future of the country.

He said, “Nigeria’s future depends not only on our children but also on the investment we make on them. It is in recognition of this that the bank supports the competition. As a responsible corporate institution, we will continue to support this initiative because it is our
own little contribution towards the wellbeing of the Nigerian Child.”

Ezenwoko also stressed the need to nurture and develop the intellect of children to enable them to become intellectually sound adults later in life.

Commending the organisers of the
competition, Ezenwoko said it would afford children the opportunity to reveal their minds.

He said, “This has made it easy for them to write and paint on the challenging theme posed at them annually by Prof. Wole Soyinka. This generation will overtake the generation of unemployable graduates produced in the last few years.

These children will win laurels from
international competitions with adequate preparation that is being given to them through the Vision of a Child project.”

The Head, Corporate Communications of the bank, Ayona Trimnell, said the bank had been supporting the project because of its belief in the Nigerian child.

According to her, every Nigerian child is a bundle of potential waiting exposure. She added, “Children in this competition have two areas of arts to show competence in painting and literary arts. Though, the
theme could be challenging for adults but children get inspired from all societal happenings and come up with expressions that are ingenious.’’

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

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BRF quiz: and the Winner is...

A 14-year-old pupil of the State Senior High School, Ikeja, Lagos, Habeeb Musa, and 16-year-old, Mariam Lamidi, of the same school have emerged winners of
the Brighter Rewarding Future Quiz.

They defeated Mubarak Mohammed and Qudus Alabi of the Sango Senior Secondary School, Agege by scoring 2 points as against the 10 points scored by their opponents.

In the Junior Secondary School category, Festac Junior College, represented by Michael Abasi-Ifkere and Jimoh Iyanu-Oluwa scored 20 points to emerge winners of the competition.

They beat the pupils of the Government
Junior College, Ketu- Epe represented by Patricia Imarhia and Adetayo Adefarasin.
Community Nursery and Primary School, Ojo represented by Rachael Ayodele and Stella Ogugua emerged winners in the primary schools category beating Chisom Anyigor and Samuel Salami of the Maidan Primary School, Kosofe .

In the Best Individual Mathematics category, Mubarak Mohammed of the Sango Senior Secondary School,
Agege won, beating his schoolmate, Martins Ogundele, and Habeeb Musa of the State Senior High School, Ikeja to the second and third places respectively.

In the Special School category, Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home, Bariga represented by Jadesola Mogaji and Taiwo Omotosho beat Solomon Omere and Eke Aleshi of the Down Syndrome Foundation of Nigeria and Adaobi Nwobi and Raiwi Uche of the National Orthopaedic School, Igbobi to the second and third positions respectively.

According to the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, the quiz was to develop the minds of the pupils.

“The competition also aims at creating a healthy rivalry among school children in primary, junior and senior secondary schools in public and private schools across the state and I am happy to report that it has gained ground and become so popular such that the level of awareness among the students and pupil is awesome.”

Oladunjoye also said the competition had brought to the fore areas where teachers need to focus on in the schools’ curricula for improvement and better performance of their pupils.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

NTICF offers assistance to pupils in Lagos

The Nigerian-Turkish International College Foundation has offered educational materials to the pupils of the
St. Peter Anglican Nursery and Primary School, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to the NTICF, the gesture is to reduce the hardship faced by many parents in educating their children.

The pupils received stationery packages comprising exercise books, Mathematical sets and pencils among other items.

The Director-General, NTICF, Mr. Fettulah Celik, who presented the items to the pupils, noted that the foundation had earlier presented more than 10,000 similar gifts to other schools in 15 states.
Represented by the Principal Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, Mr. Yunus Dogan, Celik added that the gesture was to “relieve the challenges in education, poverty, psychological and physical advantage.

He further noted, “Our mission is to contribute for a more comfortable and peaceful Nigeria while fighting against poverty.”

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, lauded the NTICF for the initiative. Oladunjoye, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo, urged the foundation to do more to collaborate with the state government.

“This is not the first time your foundation will partner with us but this is the icing on the cake. We are after improved performance in the education sector. This is the foundation of the sector and if we lay the foundation well, the structure will stand the test of time.

But like Oliver Twist, we want more of these intervention,’’ she said. The headmistress, Mrs. Comfort Tuoyo, applauded the foundation for the gifts to the pupils of the school. She said, “There are over 1,000 public primary schools
in Lagos and we are blessed to be the beneficiaries of this programme.

We appreciate you for this gesture and
I am sure it will remain unforgettable and indelible in the hearts of these future leaders.

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

Leadership retreat for February 25

The forthcoming retreat for school administrators and officials will expose the participants to the basic skills
needed to inspire their workers for longer service and productivity, the Association of Proprietors of Private Schools has said.

The retreat tagged, “Effective Empowerment of Schools through Collaborative Capacity Building and Leadership,’’ starts on February 25 at Magodo, Lagos State.

The Lagos State chapter Chairman of the association, Mr. Yomi Otubela, said the programme became necessary to provide “requisite skills in school business using collaborative building capacity.

“Some other focus is on sports and recreation activities as a tool for self and body development.

Exercising the body is a tool to staying healthy and its importance and benefits will be emphasised and practiced during
the retreat.’’

The Managing Consultant, Standard Mandate International, Mr. Nelson Ayodele, said the training of teachers and school managers was necessary to keep the academic environment vibrant.

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Sporting Activities helps Children

The Director of the Taqwa Private Schools, Lagos, Alhaja Mariam Alimi, has asked parents to allow their children to participate in sporting competition, saying it is good for their mental and physical development.

Alimi spoke at the sixth inter house sports of the school held at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Thursday 12th of February 2015.

According to her, apart from building the children physically, such competition prepares them for challenges ahead.

She said, “Sports help to build mentally and physically and that is why I encourage parents to help build their children’s interest in sport. We also discover talents in our children through sports and this helps to build their future.”

The administrator, while stating this also urged the government and school owners to provide sporting facilities in schools.

She added, “Sports play an important role in the lives of the children and events like inter house sports showcase talents in the pupils.

We hope to have a private mini stadium soon.’ The institution’s Board of Governors Chairman, Sikiru Alimi, explained that parents should not force their children to choose a particular profession.

He added, “Encourage your children in exhibiting their talents in sports and other areas of life. Again, there is no need to force children into choosing a particular profession.

“We participated and won the Lagos State Table Tennis ‘Talent Hunt’ in 2014 and won the first edition of the Dansol High School Soccer Competition, so we are bent to showcase the school as a place where all round education is given.”

Courtesy: www.punchng.com

We will rebuild Chibok girls’ school says FG

The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday  12 February 2015 said the Federal Government would soon
begin the reconstruction of Government Secondary School ,Chibok , Borno State.

The finance minister stated this on Thursday when she led a government delegation to visit Internally Displaced Persons from Chibok settled in Buzunkure, Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory.

The school came into limelight when over 213 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram about nine months ago.

While stating that the purpose of the visit was to support and encourage them, she noted that already, President Goodluck Jonathan had approved the reconstruction of the school.

This, according to her, would be achieved under the Safe School Initiative. She said, “She said that the major focus of the Federal Government was to ensure that Boko Haram was removed so that people could move back to their communities.

“Displacement is not a permanent condition; the idea is for you people to be able to go back and not to build you camps in different places.

“The second thing is about the school, Government Secondary School, Chibok, about two days ago, we had a conversation for a long time; we have been waiting for the right circumstances.

“That school, the President (Goodluck Jonathan) is determined and he promised publicly that he will have the school rebuilt, the plans are ready; they are working with engineers.

“In no few distance, we will be able to start work in that school, he has already approved that.” Okonjo-Iweala added that 44 students among the IDPs would be added to about 2,400 other students that
would be transferred from schools in the north-eastern states to various unity schools in other parts of the country.

This, she said, was being done with funding from donors including Britain, United States of America, Norway, World Bank, and the African Development Bank
under the safe school initiative programme.

She said, “We will add the names to the list but we will come back to you to do it in orderly fashion to make sure that we are reflecting what the parents and children want.

“If they want to be placed in schools close to here, we will do it, if they want to be in secondary schools, elsewhere, we will do that, it is a voluntary thing and
we will try to meet up with their demands.”

Earlier, the Coordinator of the IDPs, Mr. Gapani Yanga, had said that one of the major problems of the people was how to ensure that the pupils were back to school.

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Is my teaching effective?

Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students
didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."

However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students.

Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.

If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.
If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.

If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, when and why?

Beginning the process

1. Peer observation

Invite a colleague to come into your class to collect information about your lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking.

This will relate back to the area you have identified to reflect upon. For example, you might ask your colleague to focus on which students contribute most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how you deal with errors.

2. Recording lessons

Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for reflection. You may do things in class you are not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the teacher you do not normally see.

Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.

How much do you talk?

What about?

Are instructions and explanations clear?

How much time do you allocate to student talk?

How do you respond to student talk?

Video recordings can be useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour.

Where do you stand?

Who do you speak to?

How do you come across to the students?

3. Student feedback

You can also ask your students what they think about what goes on in the classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries for example.

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What to do next

Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, what do you do?

Think, You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

Talk Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.

If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection as a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around
scenarios from your own classes.

Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar)

you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.

Read

You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are plenty of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics.

Or if you have access to a library or bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers. Ask Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training,
ask for a session on an area that interests you.

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Courtesy:  http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Personal Teachers diary

This is the easiest way to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal.

After each lesson you write in a notebook about what happened. You may also describe your own reactions and feelings and those you observed on the part of the students.

You are likely to begin to pose questions about what you have observed.

Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it on a regular basis.

Writing a teaching diary

Here are some general questions to get you started:

Lesson objectives

• Did the students understand what we did in the lesson?

• Was what we did too easy or too difficult?

• What problems did the students have (if any)?

• Was there a clear outcome for the students?

• What did they learn or practise in the lesson? Was it useful for them?

Activities and materials

• What different materials and activities did we use?

• Did the materials and activities keep the students interested?

• Could I have done any parts of the lesson differently?

Students

• Were all the students on task (i.e. doing what they were supposed to be doing)?

• If not, when was that and why did it happen?

• Which parts of the lesson did the students seem to enjoy most? And least?

• How much English did the students use?

Classroom management

• Did activities last the right length of time?

• Was the pace of the lesson right?

• Did I use whole class work, group work, pairwork or individual work?

• What did I use it for? Did it work?

• Did the students understand what to do in the lesson?

• Were my instructions clear?

• Did I provide opportunities for all the students to participate?

• Was I aware of how all of the students were progressing?

Overall

If I taught the lesson again, what would I do differently?

So score yourself as a teacher.....

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