Friday, August 21, 2015
My NYSC Checklist
Friday, April 3, 2015
Cool facts 10
Do you know that;
Men can listen to a male friend for ages, but he can only listen to his girlfriend or spouse for 6 minutes
A "brownout," when you get drunk & don't recall portions of your night until someone refreshes you
"Aquabob," an underwater blowjob
"Bae" is the Danish word for "poop"
Lovers that sculpt each other into better pple tend to be happier
Beyoncé can run a mile while singing, which helps her to perform on stage without becoming exhausted
In Nigeria, some people believe that children who eat eggs will turn into thieves
In 2014 alone, smokers lit up over 5.8 trillion cigarettes
Even Al-Qaeda has denounced the actions of ISIS as anti-Islamic
All mammals including Humans normally take up to 21 seconds to peep
The number of princes in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be at least 7000
At age seventy, 73% of men are still potent
Lake Superior, The largest body of fresh water in the world
An earthquake on 16 Dec 1811 sent the Mississippi River backwards
Bananas don't grow on trees but on rhizomes
The Black plague destroyed half the population of Europe in the 14th Century
60% of all university graduates in Saudi Arabia are Saudi women
Sharks, like most animals, swim toward storms
If you'd like to be perceived as more powerful, place your hands on top of a table or desk
The Dalai Lama was on the CIA's payroll from the late 1950s until 1974, reportedly receiving $180,000 a year
Dieting could force your brain to eat itself, scientists say
March 31st 1889: 300m high Eiffel Tower officially opens in Paris
The 1st hard drive for the Apple II had a capacity of only 5MB
Nigeria is the most populous Black nation & the 7th most populated nation in the entire world, trailing after
—from least to most— Pakistan, Brazil, Indonesia,
USA, India & China (1.3bn)
The soda 7-up was created in 1929
'7' because the original containers were 7 ounces
'Up' indicated the direction of the bubbles
For more facts, check here
Qn:
The custom of fooling friends on April 1st began in the late 1500's in which country? Holland, France, or Italy?
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Saturday, February 21, 2015
Nigeria Ministry of Education so far
The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education is the government body that directs education in Nigeria . It was established in 1988.
It functions include:
Formulating a national policy on
education. Collecting and collating data for purposes
of educational planning and financing. Maintaining
uniform standards of education throughout the
country.
Controlling the quality of education in the
country through the supervisory role of the Inspectorate Services Department within the Ministry.
Controlling the quality of education in the country through the supervisory role of the Inspectorate Services Department within the Ministry.
Harmonizing educational policies and procedures of all the states of the federation through the instrumentality of the National Council on Education.
Effecting co-operation in educational matters on an international scale.
Developing curricula and syllabuses at the national
level in conjunction with other bodies.
It is located at Block 5A (3rd Floor), Federal Secretariat Complex, Shehu Shagari Way, Central Area, P.M.B. 146, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria, Abuja.
Parastatal Include:
1. National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja.
2. National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna.
3. National Commission for Colleges of Education
(NCCE), Abuja.
4. Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC),
Abuja.
5. Controlling National Commission for Nomadic Education, (NCNE), Abuja
6. National Commission for Adult Education Mass Literacy and Non-Formal Education (NMEC), Abuja
7. Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC), Sheda, FCT.
8. Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Bwari, Abuja.
9. West African Examination Council (WAEC), Lagos.
10. National Examination Council (NECO), Minna, State.
11. National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB).
12.National Institute for Educational Planning & Administration (NIEPA), Ondo.
13. National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna.
14. Nigerian Mathematical Centre (NMC), Sheda, FCT.
15. Nigerian French Language Village (NFLV)Badagry, Lagos.
16. Nigerian Arabic Language Village (NALV) Ngala, Borno.
17. National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN)Aba, Abia.
18. Education Trust Fund (ETF), Abuja.
19. National Library of (NLN), Abuja.
20. Teachers’ Registration Council of (TRCN), Abuja.
21.Computer Professionals Registration Council of
(CPN), Lagos.
22. Your Guide Towards Nigerian Education
The following people acted as Education Ministers of Nigeria , including Ministers of State for Education:
Aja Nwachukwu (1958 to 1965)
Richard Akinjide (1965 to 1967)
Wenike Briggs (1967 to 1970)
A. Y. Eke (1970 to 1975)
Ahmadu A Alli (1975 to 1978)
G. B. Leton (1978 to 1979)
Sylvester Ugoh (1979 to 1982)
Alhaji B. Usman (1979 to 1982)
Elizabeth Iyase (1979 to 1982)
I. C. Madubuike (1982 to 1983)
L. A. Bamigbaiye (1982 to 1983)
Sunday Afolabi (September to December 1983)
Alhaji Y. Abdullahi (1984 to 1985)
Alhaji Ibrahim (1985)
Jubril Aminu (1985 to 1989)
Babs Fafunwa (1990 to 1992)
Ben Nwabueze (January 1993 to August 1993)
A. I. Imogie (January 1993 to November 1993)
Alhaji Dongodaji (January 1993 to January 1994)
Iyorchia Ayu (January 1994 to February 1995)
Alhaji Wada Nas (January 1995 to February 1995)
M. T. Liman (February 1995 to December 1997)
Iyabo Anisulowo (February 1997 to December
1997)
Alhaji D. Birmah (December 1997 to June 1998)
A. N. Achunine (December 1997 to June 1998)
Olaiya Oni (August 1998 to May 1999)
Alhaji S. Saadu (August 1998 to May 1999)
Tunde Adeniran (June 1999 to January 2001)
Alhaji Lawam Batagarawa (June 1999 to 2001)
Babalola Borishade (February 2001 to June 2003)
Alhaji Bello Usman (February 2001 to June 2003)
F. N. C. Osuji (July 2003 to February 2005)
Hajia Bintu Musa (July 2003 to June 2005)
Chinwe Obaji (June 2005 to June 2006)
Halima Tayo Alao (June 2005 to 2006)
Grace Ogwuche (February 2006 to June 2006)
Oby Ezekwesili (June 2006 to April 2007)
Sayadi Abba Ruma (June 2006 to April 2007)
Adewunmi Abitoye (June 2006 to May 2007)
Igwe Aja Nwachukwu (June 2007 to December 2008)
Jerry Agada (June 2007 to December 2008)
Hajia Aishatu Jibril Dukku (June 2007 - ?)
Sam Egwu (December 2008 to March 2010)
Ruqqayat Rufai (April 2010 – September 2013)
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau (? - Present)
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
11 Myths of Autism
People with autism don’t want friends. If someone in your class has autism, she probably struggles with social skills, which may make it difficult to interact with peers.
1. She might seem shy or unfriendly, but that’s just because she is unable communicate her desire for relationships the same way you do.
2. People with autism can’t feel or express any emotion— happy or sad. Autism doesn’t make an individual unable to feel the emotions you feel, it just makes the person communicate emotions (and perceive your expressions) in different ways.
3. People with autism can’t understand the emotions of others. Autism often affects an individual’s ability to understand unspoken interpersonal communication, so someone with autism might not detect sadness based solely on one’s body language or sarcasm in one’s tone of voice.
But, when emotions are communicated more directly, people with autism are much more likely to feel empathy and compassion for others.
4. People with autism are intellectually disabled. Often times, autism brings with it just as many exceptional abilities as limitations. Many people with autism have normal to high IQs and some may excel at math, music or another pursuit.
5. People with autism are just like Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man. Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning its characteristics vary significantly from
person to person. Knowing one person with autism means just that—knowing one person with autism.
His or her capabilities and limitations are no indication of the capabilities and limitations of another person with autism.
6. People who display qualities that may be typical of a person with autism are just odd and will grow out of it. Autism stems from biological conditions that affect brain development and, for many individuals, is a life long condition.
7. People with autism will have autism forever. Recent research has shown that children with autism can make enough improvement after intensive early intervention to “test out” of the autism diagnosis. This is more evidence for the importance of addressing autism when the first signs appear.
8. Autism is just a brain disorder. Research has shown that many people with autism also have gastro- intestinal disorders, food sensitivities, and many allergies.
9. Autism is caused by bad parenting. In the 1950s, a theory called the “refrigerator mother hypothesis” arose suggesting that autism was caused by mothers who lacked emotional warmth. This has long been disproved.
10. The prevalence of autism has been steadily increasing for the last 40 years. The rate of autism has increased by 600% in the last 20 years. In 1975, an estimated 1 in 1,500 had autism. In 2009, an estimated 1 in 110 had an autism spectrum disorder.
11. Therapies for people with autism are covered by insurance. Most insurance companies exclude autism from the coverage plan and only half of the 50 states currently require coverage for treatments of autism
spectrum disorders.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2015
i stand for education - Stephen Adams Social Reformation Foundation (SASRF)
For quite a while now, the issue of the Nigerian education system and standards has generated heated debate and controversy. Many Nigerians are concerned.
The issues have repeatedly been
forced to the front burner with recent mass failures in national examinations and the inability of Nigerian graduates to measure up to employment standards required by the job market.
Stephen Adams Social Reformation Foundation (SASRF), an NGO based in Lagos, has taken the issue of educational standards as its key area of focus, promoting Train-the-Trainer programs for Teachers in public schools under its
Teachers4Change program in order to impact student outcomes and the development of Teachers in Nigeria.
Its new campaign, “istandforeducation”, is another initiative to focus the attention of the general public on Education matters. Mrs. Nike Akerele-De Souza is a Director of SASRF and outlines the concerns of the Foundation and tells us how to get involved.
1. Tell us how SASRF was founded and the motivation behind the establishment.
The Foundation was launched several years ago to address and proffer solutions to various societal needs for the disadvantaged. SASRF took on educational and health sector issues as well as correctional centers for children and old people’s homes. The Foundation has also provided school infrastructural assistance as well as materials to public secondary and primary schools.
2. What are the ambitions of SASRF?
SASRF’s mission is to affect the lives of the disadvantaged. We aim to reform environments that we get involved in. We wish to make an impact on our community and the nation by effecting positive change. Over time, we have developed a focus on the Education sector because we believe there is a crisis and urgent transformation is needed in Education.
3. What initiatives have been established in the area of Education?
There is a clear challenge in Nigeria and
indeed a crisis with the quality of our education and the educational structure itself. Our children are not learning what they should and the way they should to become effective 21st century citizens.
Teachers generally lack the requisite skills and knowledge to transfer to the children and, our teaching methodologies and materials are out-dated for the world of today. Teachers are no longer valued in society as they should be, and the Education sector is not an attractive career option for our youth.
Consequently, we introduced a Teachers4Change Project which involves a one (1) year continuous school development program focusing on Teacher Training & Development and Mentoring for Public Primary school teachers which commenced in Lagos State. Teachers are provided with class room instructions for 3 terms, practical knowledge transfer and school visits to best practice private schools.
4. You have just launched a new campaign on education. What is this campaign about?
We have just launched the istandforeducation campaign and project. We aim to create awareness of the crisis in education and generate support for these issues in our capacity as private sector/NGOs. As individuals, we should begin to own and be responsible for the transformation needed in Education.
There are several credible organizations working in this area already. We have just launched the nationwide campaign
and hope to have about one million (1,000,000) signed up individuals on our platform. The target of this campaign is to attract citizens of all walks of life (the populace) who are concerned about what is happening in our education sector.
We will then be able to call on some of the signed up individuals to volunteer
to teach, work on education projects, mentor students and teachers and get active in various education interventions.
With our website/education portal –
www.istandforeducation.org – we will make available to the populace information on education issues and news and begin to sensitize the populace on what is happening with our children in Nigerian schools.
The istandforeducation project will also
showcase key education projects and initiatives undertaken by various organizations & NGOs. The populace will then be able to see and assess private sector/NGO presence in education and be a part of the change process.
We hope that such projects may also receive financial assistance from those interested in helping.
We will work closely with organizations assisting in the education sector.
5. What role can the public play in supporting the istandforeducation project?
The istandforeducation campaign through the social media is targeted at drumming up attention and creating awareness about the education situation in Nigeria. We also hope it will promote discourse and conversations about the important education related issues and their solutions.
Our means of doing this is through an
awareness campaign driven by the internet and social media. The campaign will be driven on Instagram, twitter, Facebook and our portal istandforeducation.org (a purpose built website with ability to take a roll call of individual sign- ups for support and assistance).
Please go online to istandforeducation.org and sign up immediately and also take a decision to
join the cause for action.
You should also upload your photo to your favourite social media site and tag at least 4 people asking them to do the same for Education.
Please don’t forget to include in your social media post #istandforeducation and www.istandforeducation.org and remind the 4 people you tagged to do the same.
We look forward to your support as we drive changes in our education sector and create a better future for our Teachers and children.
JOIN US ON
istandforeducation.org
istandforeducation Nike’s work in Education is implemented in her
role as a Member of the Human Capital Committee of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), an appointed Member of the Human Capital Committee of the National
Competitiveness Council of Nigeria.
She is a Fellow of the Aspen Leadership Institute (US)/ Africa Leadership West Africa (ALIWA). As a Director of SASRF, she is active in the education
sector, especially in the area of Teacher
Education and Development.
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Know more about Autistic Children
Wikipedia says ; Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction , verbal and non-verbal communication , and restricted and repetitive behavior.
Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. The signs typically develop gradually, but some children with autism will reach their developmental milestones at a normal pace and then regress.
Understanding the underlying reasons for behaviour is
very important in helping professionals to devise
strategies to help a child on the autism spectrum.
Without at least a background knowledge of the
challenges that having autism can create, a child’s
behaviour can be misinterpreted and their needs will not
be met in the most appropriate way. A teacher or early
years practitioner will therefore need a knowledge of
autism and how to structure situations to promote
learning as well as observational skills and the capacity
to motivate and involve.
Other people’s opinions may have little or no influence
on the behaviour of children on the autism spectrum
and the child may say and do exactly as they want.
Adults who do not know the child or know about autism
may misunderstand the child’s behaviour and view it as
naughty, difficult or lazy when in fact the child did not
understand the situation or task, or did not read the
adult’s intentions or mood correctly.
Typical behaviour
The kind of behaviours professionals look for in
diagnosing autism are:
Delay or absence of spoken language including loss of
early acquired language
Unusual uses of language
Difficulties in playing with other children
Inappropriate eye contact with others
Unusual play activities and interests and failure to share
in the interests or play of others
Communicating wants by taking an adult’s hand and
leading to the desired object or activity
Failure to point out objects with the index finger
Unusual response to certain sounds, sights and textures
Resistance to changes in familiar routines
Repetitive actions or questions
A preference for following their own agenda.
There are a number of subgroups within the spectrum of
autism but all children on the autistic spectrum share a
triad of impairments some of which impact on their
behaviour, for example difficulties with thinking and
behaving flexibly may be evidenced by obsessional or
repetitive activities. Some children on the autism
spectrum may have unusual sleep patterns. Many will
have difficulty in understanding the social behaviour of
others and in behaving in socially appropriate ways.
Other factors besides autism can also affect a child’s
behaviour – personality, environment, family
characteristics and the child’s skills and interests.
Children on the autism spectrum may have other
conditions which can impact on behaviour – for
example ADHD, dyspraxia and obsessive-compulsive
disorder.
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Here are ten things every child with autism
wishes you knew:
1. I am a child.
My autism is part of who I am, not all of who
I am. Are you just one thing, or are you a
person with thoughts, feelings, preferences,
ideas, talents, and dreams? Are you fat
(overweight), myopic (wear glasses) or klutzy
(uncoordinated)? Those may be things that I
see first when I meet you, but you’re more
than just that, aren’t you?
As an adult, you have control over how you
define yourself. If you want to single out one
characteristic, you can make that known. As a
child, I am still unfolding. Neither you nor I yet
know what I may be capable of. If you think of
me as just one thing, you run the danger of
setting up an expectation that may be too
low. And if I get a sense that you don’t think I
“can do it,” my natural response will be, why
try?
2. My senses are out of sync.
This means that ordinary sights, sounds,
smells, tastes, and touches that you may not
even notice can be downright painful for me.
My environment often feels hostile. I may
appear withdrawn or belligerent or mean to
you, but I’m just trying to defend myself.
Here’s why a simple trip to the grocery store
may be agonizing for me.
My hearing may be hyperacute. Dozens of
people jabber at once. The loudspeaker booms
today’s special. Music blares from the sound
system. Registers beep and cough, a coffee
grinder chugs. The meat cutter screeches,
babies wail, carts creak, the fluorescent
lighting hums. My brain can’t filter all the
input and I’m in overload!
My sense of smell may be highly sensitive.
The fish at the meat counter isn’t quite fresh,
the guy standing next to us hasn’t showered
today, the deli is handing out sausage
samples, the baby in line ahead of us has a
poopy diaper, they’re mopping up pickles on
aisle three with ammonia. I feel like throwing
up.
And there’s so much hitting my eyes! The
fluorescent light is not only too bright, it
flickers. The space seems to be moving; the
pulsating light bounces off everything and
distorts what I am seeing. There are too many
items for me to be able to focus (my brain
may compensate with tunnel vision), swirling
fans on the ceiling, so many bodies in
constant motion. All this affects how I feel just
standing there, and now I can’t even tell
where my body is in space.
3. Distinguish between won’t (I choose not to)
and can’t (I am not able to).
It isn’t that I don’t listen to instructions. It’s
that I can’t understand you. When you call to
me from across the room, I hear “*&^%$#@,
Jordan. #$%^*&^%$&*.” Instead, come over to
me, get my attention, and speak in plain
words: “Jordan, put your book in your desk.
It’s time to go to lunch.” This tells me what
you want me to do and what is going to
happen next. Now it’s much easier for me to
comply.
4. I’m a concrete thinker. I interpret language
literally.
You confuse me by saying, “Hold your horses,
cowboy!” when what you mean is, “Stop
running.” Don’t tell me something is “a piece
of cake” when there’s no dessert in sight and
what you mean is, “This will be easy for you
to do.” When you say, “It’s pouring cats and
dogs,” I see pets coming out of a pitcher. Tell
me, “It’s raining hard.”
Idioms, puns, nuances, inferences, metaphors,
allusions, and sarcasm are lost on me.
5. Listen to all the ways I’m trying to
communicate.
It’s hard for me to tell you what I need when I
don’t have a way to describe my feelings. I
may be hungry, frustrated, frightened, or
confused but right now I can’t find those
words. Be alert for body language, withdrawal,
agitation or other signs that tell you
something is wrong. They’re there.
Or, you may hear me compensate for not
having all the words I need by sounding like a
little professor or movie star, rattling off words
or whole scripts well beyond my
developmental age. I’ve memorized these
messages from the world around me because I
know I am expected to speak when spoken to.
They may come from books, television, or the
speech of other people. Grown-ups call it
echolalia. I may not understand the context or
the terminology I’m using. I just know that it
gets me off the hook for coming up with a
reply.
6. Picture this! I’m visually oriented.
Show me how to do something rather than
just telling me. And be prepared to show me
many times. Lots of patient practice helps me
learn.
Visual supports help me move through my
day. They relieve me of the stress of having to
remember what comes next, make for smooth
transition between activities, and help me
manage my time and meet your expectations.
I need to see something to learn it, because
spoken words are like steam to me; they
evaporate in an instant, before I have a chance
to make sense of them. I don’t have instant-
processing skills. Instructions and information
presented to me visually can stay in front of
me for as long as I need, and will be just the
same when I come back to them later.
Without this, I live the constant frustration of
knowing that I’m missing big blocks of
information and expectations, and am helpless
to do anything about it.
7. Focus and build on what I can do rather
than what I can’t do.
Like any person, I can’t learn in an
environment where I’m constantly made to
feel that I’m not good enough and that I need
fixing. I avoid trying anything new when I’m
sure all I’ll get is criticism, no matter how
“constructive” you think you’re being. Look for
my strengths and you will find them. There is
more than one right way to do most things.
8. Help me with social interactions.
It may look like I don’t want to play with the
other kids on the playground, but it may be
that I simply do not know how to start a
conversation or join their play. Teach me how
to play with others. Encourage other children
to invite me to play along. I might be
delighted to be included.
I do best in structured play activities that have
a clear beginning and end. I don’t know how
to read facial expressions, body language, or
the emotions of others. Coach me. If I laugh
when Emily falls off the slide, it’s not that I
think it’s funny. It’s that I don’t know what to
say. Talk to me about Emily’s feelings and
teach me to ask, “Are you okay?”
9. Identify what triggers my meltdowns.
Meltdowns and blow-ups are more horrid for
me than they are for you. They occur because
one or more of my senses has gone into
overload, or because I’ve been pushed past
the limit of my social abilities. If you can
figure out why my meltdowns occur, they can
be prevented. Keep a log noting times,
settings, people, and activities. A pattern may
emerge.
Remember that everything I do is a form of
communication. It tells you, when my words
cannot, how I’m reacting to what is happening
around me. My behavior may have a physical
cause. Food allergies and sensitivities sleep
problems and gastrointestinal problems can all
affect my behavior. Look for signs, because I
may not be able to tell you about these
things.
10. Love me unconditionally.
Throw away thoughts like, “If you would just
—” and “Why can’t you—?” You didn’t fulfill
every expectation your parents had for you
and you wouldn’t like being constantly
reminded of it. I didn’t choose to have autism.
Remember that it’s happening to me, not you.
Without your support, my chances of growing
up to be successful and independent are slim.
With your support and guidance, the
possibilities are broader than you might think.
Three words we both need to live by:
Patience. Patience. Patience.
View my autism as a different ability rather
than a disability. Look past what you may see
as limitations and see my strengths. I may not
be good at eye contact or conversation, but
have you noticed that I don’t lie, cheat at
games, or pass judgment on other people?
I rely on you. All that I might become won’t
happen without you as my foundation. Be my
advocate, be my guide, love me for who I am,
and we’ll see how far I can go.
Coutesy: http://www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk
www.ellennotbohm.com
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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Sunday, February 15, 2015
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
"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
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
Friday, February 6, 2015
NSE 2015 Graduate Trainee Program
Our Graduate Trainee Program
The Nigerian Stock Exchange Graduate Trainee Program (GTP) is an intensive 11 month program designed to groom young global talents locally and raise a new generation of leaders for the Capital Market and the Nigerian economy.
Combining theoretical insights and a hands-on approach, the NSE Graduate Trainee Program (GTP) will give participants the extraordinary opportunity to learn all aspects of the capital markets and also firmly position them on the right path to career success.
CRITERIA:
1. Graduate from Nigerian and foreign Universities
2. Bachelor's Degree in any discipline
3. Minimum of Second Class Upper Division (2:1)
4. Completion of NYSC between 01 January 2014 and 31 December 2014
5. Maximum age limit of 26 years by 31st December 2014
How to apply: Interested candidates who meet the eligibility criteria should apply at:
http://e-recruiter.ng/portal/NSE
Application closes 13th of February, 2015.
The NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE -
www.nse.com.ng
@nsecontact
facebook.com/TheNigerianStockExchange
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Can this be truly called Schooling or a School 2?
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'Politicians hire our teachers'
Continued from here
http://enlightenmemore.blogspot.com/2015/02/can-this-be-truly-called-schooling-or.html
Expressing worry, the school principal told our correspondent that he sometimes receives calls from politicians telling him not to ‘disturb’ some particular teachers because they are working for them on other duties.
He said, “Politicians are not helping matters. In a situation where politicians call me to say a particular teacher is working with them, knowing well that the
teacher is fully employed, what do I do?
“It would have been better if they would rather tell us that they are no longer teachers so that we can forget about having them in the system, but that is not the case.”
An Abuja-based political analyst, Mr. Teniola Ayodeji, suggested such action could have been connected to the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan hails from the state and there would be lots of political activities there.
He said, “Elections are here again, remember, and it’s the President’s home. But if politicians are engaging teachers and calling the principal not to disturb them, then there is a big problem in this part of the world.
“It’s the President’s home and the state of education is perhaps expected to be far better than this. If the ‘President’s children’ are suffering like this, I wonder
what is happening to children in some other remote communities in the country.”
Ayodeji suggested that if politicians are hiring teachers for assignments that pay better than teaching, it is possible militants also hire young boys for their violent campaign.
He said, “It happened in the pre-amnesty era when militants from the state recruited young boys into their fold.
“They need young men to do that. All they need is to lure them with money and this can make some of the male students quit schooling.”
Teachers demand better welfare
Though the principal didn’t disclose the salary packages of his teachers, he said they were well paid, being one of the richest states in the country.
Meanwhile, two of the four schoolteachers who were around, said they had good reasons for not teaching regularly.
One of them, who pleaded anonymity, said it was cumbersome travelling on water from the state capital Yenagoa where he resides to the community to teach because of the risks involved.
He also said if the government could construct a road that links the community with Yenagoa, “life would be
better for us and the students.”
He said, “It is not easy travelling on speedboats everyday to teach. If there is good road, movement to and fro and teaching these students would be easier.
“Look at the students also; they don’t have the privilege of going for excursions outside this community. They only go to the farm or the river to swim after school.
Many of them have not seen cars before. They only see canoes and boats.” Another teacher, who pleaded anonymity, said he lives in Yenagoa because of the presence of better social amenities in the city.
He said, “My family lives in the city and I don’t think it will be easy abandoning them to stay in a place where there are poor infrastructure. There is no good water source here, no light, no road, and many others.
“Many times also, we don’t always get boats on time to travel here to come and teach, so we return home. These are the challenges.”
Youth corps members take charge
Almost all the students said they were most times taught by NYSC
members posted to the school. They said if that was not the case, probably no learning would be taking place. Victor said, “We need more corpers (youth corps members) to teach us.
“Our teachers come once in a while because they travel a lot, but the corpers are always around. They are
permanent. As one set goes, another comes in. They are our friends.”
The situation has, however, led to some of the youth corps members complaining of fatigue and some illnesses.
One of them, Matthew Awoga, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, said he usually experiencesvstress and sometimes develops headache because he alone teaches Mathematics from JSS 1 to SS 3 and Introductory Technology from JSS 1 to JSS 3.
Waving a cane at the JSS 3 students as they were making noise, he complained, “If you saw me when I just resumed in this school, I was a fat person, but now
I’m lean. Teaching has drained my blood. It’s not easy.
“The teachers don’t teach them, they leave the job to us. I pity the students sometimes because I know they don’t get quality education. We are only trying our best as we are not professional teachers.
“Many of them only come around when they have issues with their salary payment, otherwise, you won’t see them.”
While he spoke with our correspondent, the school principal and a teacher, whom Awoga described as a ‘ghost,’ emerged from the principal’s residence, a stone’s throw from the school.
The teacher had just arrived from Yenagoa to inform the principal, that he would not be available in the school for more than two days in a week as he was
‘busy’ doing some other things outside the state.
Our correspondent overheard their conversation before they switched to vernacular.
Companions with wild animals
Because of the swampy nature of the school environment (and the community generally), due to the fact that it’s a riverine area, We learnt from the students and the youth corps members that
wild reptiles, especially snakes, are occasional ‘visitors’ in the school premises.
Vincent Christian, a JSS 3 student, was bothered. He said, “There are wild animals here. We kill snakes and scorpions because they sometimes lurk around the school environment.
“Many times when we are cutting grasses or playing in the field, we see them and kill. We see big snakes at times close to the window.”
Toilets, food vendors, miles away from school
premises
Another reason why most students in the school don’t learn for more than two hours in a day is because there are no toilets in its premises. In addition, because there are no food vendors in the school premises, some go out and never return for the day.
“We go back to our houses, riverside or bushes if we want to defecate because we don’t have toilet in the school premises,” Godspower Blessing said. “Some of us also go home to eat and don’t return, especially if
there are no teachers around.”
The school principal, Sofoni, confirmed it is true. He commented, “We are trying everything possible to stop the loitering of students but there are certain factors that are militating against the measures.
“In a big school like this, we have no toilets. So when a student walks up to any teacher or me that they are going to ease themselves, we cannot stop them.
In disguise of going to ease themselves, some of them never return to the class.
“They spend the remaining school period in the town or even if they return, they come very late.
Lack of toilet facilities is a big problem here. “Also, for those living at the far end of the community, by 11:30am when the school is on lunch break, they go home and never return for the day.
“You can’t stop them from visiting their parents to have lunch. By the time they trek that distance, even if they want to come back, it is already around 2pm when school closes.”
Poor infrastructure, impediment to learning
Non-availability of teachers is not the only problem; the students complained that they lacked facilities that could facilitate their learning.
The weather was cold due to harmattan when our correspondent visited, and this made the students to shiver – another reason why the students said they wouldn’t be able to learn well even if teachers were around to teach them.
In almost all the classrooms, there are broken windows and ceilings such that if rain falls, it leaks through the ceiling and this also makes the students shiver.
Apart from broken windows, seats and ceilings in the school, the students said they had no laboratories to do practicals and no library to study while their
teachers are away.
A JSS 3 student, Clarky Igburu, 15, said, “We have broken ceilings, no windows, no doors, the harmattan is affecting our us. The cold is affecting us, we cannot
learn well.”
Christian also said, “The environment is not good for us; most of us don’t want to come and study because we feel cold and the environment is not good for us."
We need better classrooms
Not having enough and well-furnished classrooms, laboratories and library also contribute to the reason why the students don’t spend more time learning.
For instance, all the SS 2 students were combined in one classroom and so when a teacher walks into the class to teach, the ones who don’t offer the subject leave the classroom – to an empty one, most times making noise there.
Due to idleness, some leave the school premises and go home.
“We can just walk home if we feel there is nothing to learn again for the day, that is why we go home early even when we come late,” one of the students,
Moses
Ayibakari, said he would have loved going to the library to study each time he leaves the class for subjects that he doesn’t offer, but there is none.
He added, “There’s no library. For us science students, we don’t have laboratories to do practicals.
“We learn computer education in the textbook, but we have not seen any in this school. We learned that the
world now is a global village, but we don’t have computers in this school.
“We want to be part of the global civilisation. I also learnt that the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination will be computer-based, but
we don’t have knowledge of how it works.”
For Sofoni Ebimo, Thankgod Godgift, Firstman Woyinkuro, Doralby Sekibo and some others who said they wanted to become computer scientists, non -availability of the equipment may hinder their ambitions.
“I want the government to come to our aid. I also want to learn how to use the computer because I want to be a pilot, flying planes,” Favour Gumugumu said.
A JSS 3 student, Ebibonimighe Gumugumu, 13, also
said, “We need library. The one we have is not normal. There are no books in there. We also need a computer lab, light and sports facilities.”
Blessing Godspower, of JSS 2 class, confirmed what Ebibonimighe said, “There are no textbooks in the
library.
“We have not learnt anything today because there are no teachers to teach us. We don’t know many of them.
Some of them are not coming. I want them to be coming so we can learn many things.”
Ebikeme Igburu, 16, also said “We lack facilities in this school. I want to become a medical doctor, but I don’t have a practical understanding of science subjects. We want computers and electricity.”
The principal, Sofoni, is worried.
He said, “Now, WASSCE is making it compulsory for students to write computer study, civic education and
some entrepreneurial subjects, where are the computers?
“Even if we have them now, can they learn how to use them to write the exam between now and April (2015)?
These are some of our challenges.”
On the electricity issue, We found out that
the community doesn’t have electricity and so all the residents depend on the community generator which is
switched on at 6pm every day for about six hours – at the time when many of the residents would have gone to bed and the students would not be in school.
Poor academic performance
Talking about passing examinations, this seems to be the least challenge for some of the students – because writing seems to be the greater one, as our correspondent earlier found out.
Despite the fact that the state was rated 4th in performance in the 2013/2014 academic year by the West African Examinations Council, an educationist, Mr. Tariowei Abule, said the rating does not depict the true situation of things.
He said, “Don’t forget that growth is different from development. It’s just like Nigeria having the largest economy in the world, but still having low development.
“Passing examinations does not mean real learning is taking place. There are ways results can be manipulated. The process is the real deal, which cannot
be manipulated.
“Many of them pass the exams, but cannot further their education or cope at the tertiary level because they got their O’Level certificates through malpractice.
They cannot prove what they have.”
Also, when another educationist, who lives in Yenagoa, Mrs. Amaebi Owei-Tongu, learnt about the plight of the
students, she said there was no way they would learn well.
“These situations will adversely affect their overall performance and I don’t know how they would be able to pass examinations,” she said.
Baffled how they could then be able to write and pass national examinations, our correspondent asked a youth corps member.
He explained that some of the teachers and his colleagues ‘help’ the students during such times.
For the ‘help’ – a word used for ‘malpractice’ – the latter pay for it by cash, though. A former student of the school, an undergraduate of the Niger Delta State University, Amasomma, Bayelsa State, who pleaded anonymity, said, “We also paid for the
help we received during our time.
“I am not happy saying this, but that was the situation we found ourselves in. It’s the way they could compensate us for not teaching us well. They assisted
us by writing answers for us and allowing us to take textbooks into exam halls.”
‘We need help’ Sofoni admitted there was little he could do to restore the old glory of the 50-year-old school whose motto is
“Show the light.”
Rather than being in light, he admitted the students are ‘living in darkness.’ He said, “In a school environment, what should be paramount is the teaching aid.
We don’t have enough classrooms; the ones we have are not furnished with
good seats. Many of them are in bad shape. The conduciveness is not there for them.
“Then in a big school like this, teachers should be accommodated to reduce their travelling on water expenses. Some have to travel back to Yenagoa where
they reside by 2pm every day, so hardly do you find them anytime after that. They would have sped off.
“Also, look at my office (looks cramped, untidy and not conducive). Who can believe a cubicle like this is a principal’s office?”
He also blamed the students partly for their woes. He added, “The students are also to blame for their poor performance.
I was a student here in the late
1970s and then we used to read a lot. We did study in the night.
“We were always reading and competing among ourselves, but students of this school nowadays don’t do that. They love staying idle and not taking initiative.
They are not too serious about learning.”
On not being “serious about learning,” one of the teachers said there are a few students from JSS 3 to SSS 3 classes who have children that they look after.
Pointing at one of the female students in SSS 2 who is 16, he said, “She has a two-year-old child and always sleeps in class.”
The young girl was ashamed to talk afterwards. However, Sofoni said the situation could change if the government would help.
He said, “There are politicians, senators, and House of Representative members from this community, but once they go out there, they forget about us.
“If not, we would have road and other facilities. If the government comes to our aid, some of these problems will be resolved and there will be better learning for these children.”
Courtesy: www.punchng.com
Can this be truly called Schooling or a School 1?
http://enlightenmemore.blogspot.com/2015/02/can-this-be-truly-called-schooling-or_5.html://enlightenmemore.blogspot.com/2015/02/can-this-be-truly-called-schooling-or_5.htmlrief argument ensued between some of the Senior Secondary School Two students of Southern Ijaw Secondary School, Oporoma, a riverine community 45 minutes away via speedboat from the capital city of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
A young male teacher, Matthew Awoga, had asked one of the students, Emmanuel Alabo, to write the word ‘malaria’ on the blackboard to test his spelling skill
before the English class would begin properly.
Trembling as he held the chalk, Alabo dragged his feet to the front of the class, and after making several attempts to write the word, he eventually wrote
‘marleria.’
Perplexed, the teacher asked the rest of the class whether Alabo was right. While a part of the class said he was, another part argued he was not. Some other students were confused – they could not tell whether he was right or wrong.
The teacher was embarrassed; nonetheless, he called another student, a female, to write the word.
But the girl never attempted to write it. She bluntly said she had no idea how to spell the word.
After spending several minutes in front of the blackboard, she dropped the chalk. “Sir, I don’t know how to write it,” she admitted
Wanting to ‘disgrace’ the SSS 2 students, the teacher dashed out of the class to select three Junior Secondary School Three students “who would teach the seniors how to spell.” But Awoga got more than he bargained for.
One of the JSS 3 students, Efe Moses, simply wrote ‘maleria.’
Likewise, Faith Income, 15, was asked to write same word, but wrote ‘asieg,’ a non-existent English word.
Firstman Woyinkuro, also from JSS 3, eventually bailed his classmates and seniors out by writing the correct word The class clapped for him.
Interacting with the students later, they said it was not entirely their fault that they were unable to write words properly.
The students said they had not been receiving English lessons for a long time and that the teacher was a National Youth Service Corps member posted to the school.
Going late to school
The time was 11:35am when some of the students entered the school premises, chatting and playing along — until they all entered their different classrooms.
For the next one hour, the students in the Junior Secondary School 3 class sat on almost broken wooden seats idly, some resting their arms on the desks, anxiously waiting for the day’s lesson to begin. A young male teacher walked in with cane and a Mathematics textbook.
At his sight, they all sighed.
The teacher, another serving National Youth Service Corps member in the school, taught the class Mathematics till 2pm.
The lesson was over for the day.
The JSS 3 students learnt for an hour on that Monday. Unlike in Yenagoa, the state capital, where students were seen boarding taxis, buses and tricycles to go to school at about 7am, the students of SISSO told our correspondent many reasons why they needed not to resume early.
They said one of the reasons they resume late is because their teachers are not always available to teach them.
“Instead of wasting my time if I come early, I prefer staying at home helping my parents with some house chores,” a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School 2
student, Wisdom Victor, said.
Opening his dusty Biology notebook for the class’ last lesson on the subject was
in October. The boy forgot to date the lesson.
“We don’t have a Biology teacher again. Since the corper (corps member) who was teaching us passed
out last year, we’ve not had anyone to teach us again,” he said.
Victor, who wants to be a medical doctor, lamented that he was unsure of how he could achieve his dream without having an adequate knowledge of his favourite
subject – which is also a prerequisite for studying Medicine.
Ghost teachers, ghost students
From every indication, Victor, his classmates, juniors and seniors may keep going to school late, sitting idly in classes and having a one or two-hour lessons, as long as their teachers don’t bother, a position the principal of the school, Mr. Austin Sofoni, agreed to.
Although he did not disclose the number of teachers the school has, Sofoni said they are “many.”
However, on the day our correspondent visited, there were only about four of them present, including two corps members.He lamented that many of them are not committed to teaching and are also “difficult” to discipline.
He said, “We have a problem with teachers. Many of them are not always around. They don’t come to teach these children. Though we have many, most of them are not committed to the job and they are difficult to control.
“It is so because they are paid through their bank accounts nowadays; I could have withheld their salaries if it was like before when they were paid by cash.
“Though I can still do it [withhold their salaries], the process involved in doing so is not easy. Even if I succeed in getting their salaries unpaid, getting them paid afterwards is not also an easy process.
“When I consider all these things, I pretend not to know what is happening, but I truly fear for the future of these students.”
The situation has adversely affected the attendance of the students. Many students have since stopped attending classes while some others have dropped out of the school.
Aside Victor, another SSS 2 student, Orderere Agada, said she sometimes arrives in school very late because many times, her class only has one or two lessons in a day. She added that there are days when no lesson holds.
She justifies her lateness to school: “We need more teachers to learn. Some of us, even I, sometimes arrive in school by 11am or 12 noon because there are many
times we don’t learn anything. What’s the point in coming early?
“There are days that if we have more than two lessons, we are surprised. It’s unusual. Many of our teachers
live in Yenagoa.
“Our friends stay at home, especially when they are not sure whether there would be any lesson for the day.
They only come if we tell them teachers are around. We are determined to learn, but we lack teachers.” Moses Ayibakari, 15, also in SSS 2, said, “We don’t
have a Biology teacher since last term.
We also do not
have a Geography teacher. We are pleading with the government to send us more teachers.”
Courtesy: www.punchng.com
Continues here
BPP University partners Nigerian Law School
BPP University, London has launched a
partnership with the Nigerian Law School (NLS) with a three months top-up masters course for NLS graduates.
BPP dean of faculty of law and CEO of BPP Law School, Professor Peter Crisp, said the partnership is aimed at celebrating the flourishing legal sector in Nigeria as well as addressing the different ways that the legal profession can continue to expand through round table discussions.
The new programme is on offer exclusively to Nigerian Law School graduates and legal professionals, and provides them with the opportunity to study towards an LLM in Trans-national Criminal Justice (TNCJ), Comparative Commercial Law (CCL) or International Business Law (IBL) at BPP Law School’s
Holborn campus in London.
Crisp said: “The launch of the LLM courses in Nigeria will provide graduates and professionals with the opportunity to gain specialist experience that otherwise may not have been available to them.
More than 3,300 of BPP University’s students are international students
and we are dedicated to continuing to expand our presence in the overseas market and forging integral relationships with partners like Nigeria Law School.”
In her remarks, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun said the programme is an exciting addition to the existing avenues for enhancing the professional qualifications of legal practitioners in Nigeria. “The course is certainly timely having regard to the prevailing rate of foreign exchange and the falling value of crude oil in the international market.
Going overseas for further education is a rather daunting at the moment.
To have a post graduate programme of this nature for a fraction of the cost of spending a whole year abroad is a fantastic opportunity.
The short duration of the course would allow legal professionals to enhance their professional skills without too much disruption to their normal work schedule.
It would also make it
easier for firms to release their staff. I must commend the NLS for their initiative”, she declared.
The Supreme Court Justice also said the BPP University’s Legal Practice Course has provided excellent training for would-be barristers and is a popular choice of Nigerian Students. According to her, to have this expertise at the post
graduate level in collaboration with the Nigerian Law School is an opportunity that should be fully embraced.
“I welcome this innovation in legal training in Nigeria and wish the Nigerian Law School and the BPP University a very rewarding and successful collaboration”, she concluded.
The Nigerian Law School was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1962 to provide practical training for aspiring Legal Practitioners in Nigeria. It has since then remained a strong force in promoting legal excellence in Nigeria.
This new partnership with BPP University is in alignment with the Nigerian Law School’s culture of promoting excellence in the professional development of lawyers in Nigeria.
BPP is one of Europe’s leading providers of professional education. Through a combination of academic rigour and professional expertise, the University has earned an excellent reputation by its unique approach to the education and
training of professionals.
BPP gives professionals the tools they need to expand their capabilities and boost their prospects. Degrees and training programmes are designed to help students break into some of the most prestigious and respected careers
available.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Fake WASSCE Syllabus in Circulation
THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL
Private Mail Bag No. 1022, Yaba, Lagos
FAKE VERSION OF WASSCE REGULATIONS AND SYLLABUSES IN CIRCULATION
The attention of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has been drawn to the existence of a fake version of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Regulations and Syllabuses, copies of which are being sold to the Public by unscrupulous persons.
Features of the fake Version (which a blue cover and contains 568 pages) are as follows:
1. Listing of expired texts (2006-2010) for Lit-In-English, Arabic and Nigerian Languages;
2. Omission of Syllabuses for all the newly-introduced trade subjects;
3. Wrong examination Scheme and contents for revised syllabuses in several subjects;
4. Out-dated information on the Current Chairman of Council, the Registrar and the locations of the offices of the Council;
5. Wrong validity period spanning 2013 - 2016.
Members of the public who wish to purchase hard copies of the approved WASSCE Regulations and Syllabuses (2014 - 2016) are advised to contact the Council's offices nationwide. Schools can also download the Regulations and Syllabuses from the WAEC e-registration site: www.waeconline.org.ng
SIGNED : Management
Wednesday January 28th 2015.
Biggest Education Show in Africa - TOSSE 2015
The TOSSE "T’esperience" is the Total Experience we create for our visitors and exhibitors. For six years, it’s been one filled with satisfaction, cheers and plenty more.
“You ran a great show. I even overheard a man raving about what an incredible experience this was for him; very proud it was all put together here in Nigeria! You made him proud…and made me proud too. Thank you.
Congratulations to you and your (well-oiled) team.”
2013 Exhibitor
A very big thank you to Edumark, the organizers of TOSSE 2014. Well done. The exhibition was wonderfully organized. More grease to your elbow for giving the education sector such a powerful lift.
2014 Exhibitor
With over 7000 educators expected at this year’s event, TOSSE is the right platform to navigate your way in the education world.
We are quite excited about the numerous benefits we have for our Exhibitors at the 7th Edition of the Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition scheduled to hold as follows:
Date: 11th / 12th of June, 2015
Venue: Ten Degrees Event Centre, Billings Way, Oregun, Lagos, Nigeria.
Time: 10:00 am daily
The theme for this edition is "Inspiring the Future" and we expect a 50% rise in our attendance. We recorded over 4,000 visitors from about 19 states at the last Edition.
For the Education community, TOSSE is the place to learn, to see, and to get the most innovative products/services.
We invite you to join us at TOSSE 2015 and reach out to the Education market. Vast Networking opportunities, viable business leads, presentations... all in a fully airconditioned and safe environment.
We would certainly be delighted to welcome your organisation to TOSSE 2015.
Simply e-mail or phone us our executives would provide all the information you need.
For Exhibition Space, Product Presentation, Brochure Advert, Venue Branding, Handbill Distribution, Ushers Branding
Yinka Ogunde
CEO, EDUMARK CONSULT
For Exhibition space, advert in Event brochure and presentation.
Contact:
0709 317 5270 | 0812 758 6122 | 0802 839 9138
Email:
info@tosse.com.ng
info@edumarkng.com
Call: 0709 317 5270 | 0812 758 6122.
EDUMARK CONSULT
18, Oyetola Idowu Street, Off Sura Mogaji
Coker Road, Ilupeju
Lagos 100211
Nigeria
Email: info@tosse.com.ng
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