Pledge to restore discipline, revitalise learning at FSTC

Says school’s workshops in comatose
A RECENT visit at Federal Science and
Technical College (FSTC) Yaba, Lagos, revealed that the school is undergoing slight infrastructural and human transformation.

If only government and corporate bodies would liaise with the college, the new Director/ Principal, Chris Ugoji, said the culture and excellence, which unity schools are known for, would be restored.

When The Guardian sought the view of Ugoji, who is also a Director at the Federal Ministry of Education, in his Yaba office, he said the school’s infrastructure was in a sorry state when he assumed duty, but for the intervention of Parents Teachers Association (PTA).

Worse among all are the school’s workshops, about 12 of them, which he said, are up to standard compared to those in tertiary institutions but lack electricity to power the machines.

According to Ugoji: “When I assumed duty, I didn’t like what I saw, there was total indiscipline among the students coupled with the issue of inappropriate dressing, such as flying of shirts and wearing of slippers.

All these had been tackled heavily because they are not in the culture of unity schools.
“So, as a team, we agreed it cannot be
business as usual. We decided to inform the PTA of our mission to restore discipline because where there is indiscipline, there would be chaos and where there is chaos, academic activities will suffer.

Secondly, we discovered that some students are not paying school fees, and so we have introduced measures to ensure that students pay fees and every other thing and it’s been successful so far to the glory of God.”

He continued: “We have 12 workshops in FSTC Yaba that can compete favourably with any of the universities in the country.
These workshops are used to service 19 trades, although they are very powerful, but electricity to power them is a
major challenge.

So, we are seeking for assistance/partnership to power these
machines so that the workshops can be used to teach students and also to service the need of the country in technical and vocational education.”

Ugoji further stated that in the area of
infrastructure, the PTA has helped in decking the female hostel and also installing CCTV in the college, which has helped to improve the security so far, adding: “They also assisted with
classroom furniture, water, clinic, among
others.”

However, in spite of these shortfalls, Ugoji
hinted that the students’ academic prowess still gleams. He said: “At the yearly general meeting of
Federal Unity Colleges (FUC) held at Ilorin, the score card of FUC was made available an FSTC Yaba came overall second in the area of NABTEB. We also did exceptionally well in West
African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO).”

To achieve the objectives of the technical
session of the school, he said: “All we need to do is revive the workshop and power the machines. We already have competent, qualified, seasoned, administrators and members of staff
who can on their own head any school in this country.

We need facilities as we lack adequate infrastructure needed to impart the right skills and knowledge in a science and technical school.”

http://m.ngrguardiannews.com

N133m debt delays Cross River's SSCE results (WAEC )

FOR over a year, the West African Examination
Council, (WAEC) has withheld the May/June
2013/2014 SSSE results of students in Cross
Rivers State following the state’s inability to
complete payment of its statutory examination
fees.

Following this development, students in the
state cannot process their admission documents
into various higher institutions in the country
and the Labourt Party (LP) in the state has
decried the situation as “embarrassing and
unacceptable” accusing the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) led government in the state of
being insensitive to education and the plight of
Cross Riverians.

Addressing a rally of massive supporters of LP
in Ikom on Monday, the party’s Senatorial
candidate for Cross River Central, Dr. Sandy
Onor described the development as very
frustrating to both students and their parents,
noting that “children wrote WAEC since last year
and till today, they have not seen their results
because the government in Cross River has
deliberately refused to pay WAEC.

“Why should government be the one thwarting
educational progress of our young ones? The
same government that claims to be bankrupt
and cannot pay token for students’ results to be
released is the same government spending
billions of Naira to conduct simple party
primaries.

“Our state is no more the cleanest in the
country because dirt has taken over. Salaries
are owed and people are suffering. Where are
we heading? We have come to liberate Cross
Rivers from slavery.”

One of the affected students who simply gave
her name as Mary, said, “this government is not
sensitive to our plight. Imagine how they are
making us suffer. I know if it was a political
matter that affects them the government will
immediately rush and get money to pay.
“ I have admission into the university, but
without the SSSE result to present, I cannot go
anywhere. Please the government should come
to our rescue because this is not healthy for us
and the state”.

The State’s Commissioner for Education,
Professor Offiong Offiong admitted that the
state was “owing WAEC N133 million and we
have paid them N108 million and the balance is
N25 million which the Accountant General says
he is making efforts to pay. So that is the
situation”.
The LP has accused the PDP led government in
the state of not giving priority to education but
Professor Offiong said, “I cannot comment on
that and I am not the one that controls the
treasury of the state. I don’t know where they
(LP) are getting their information but I think
that everybody in the state has seen that even
salaries have been delayed. The thing did not
start now. It is a problem that has been trailing
us for up to a period of one year now. The
politics is just starting in the last one month or
two. So this problem has been with us for some
time now”.

For the students who are disturbed, he said,
“we have appealed to them through the Parents
Teachers Association (PTA), through their
principals because this is a matter that is
beyond the Ministry. The state is passing
through some serious financial crisis, which
calls for understanding by everybody. It is
rather unfortunate, that is the last thing we
would have expected to happen to our schools
at this time, but be it as it may, we are hoping
that we will resolve that this week”.

Written by Anietie Akpan,

http://m.ngrguardiannews.com

5 things we want from parents

It takes a village to raise a child. We can't expect teachers to be the only ones educating our children. Research proves that when Mom and Dad become involved in their kid’s school life, grades, behavior and emotional well-being improve. So, if you want to make the teacher’s job a little easier, check out these 5 things teachers want from parents. Read to Your Child “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading, is reading aloud to children,” stated the U.S. Department of Education Commission on Reading in 1985. Grab a book, any book, and read to your child at least three times a week. You’ll plant the seeds for a lifetime of reading. Get to Know the Teacher You should be on a first-name basis with your child’s teacher. Ask for the best way to get touch with him or her, such as by phone or email. Be there for open houses and parent-teacher conferences. Don’t be the parent who only shows up when you have a bone to pick. Encourage Friendships Outside of School Classroom learning works best when solid teamwork is in place. Because there isn’t always time for children to get to know one another all that well at school, make sure that your child spends time with classmates outside of school by encouraging playdates and after-school activities. Get Involved With the School Attend school council meetings. Join the school’s PTA. If you work and these school-oriented meetings are scheduled during the day, ask if meetings can occasionally be held at night. Your voice counts— sometimes, it's the only voice that will advocate for your child. When parents unite, they can more readily affect changes in schools. Take Part in School Events Don’t miss school events such as talent shows, science fair nights and seasonal potlucks. Even if your child isn’t playing on the team, why not attend a school sporting event? You’ll help foster an appreciation of school life. Not only will you be helping your child be successful in school, but you'll also be making memories with him along the way. Source:www.education.com