Education News Update for Thursday 29th February 2024

Here are the headlines as they where published in the dailies today.

Independent

Reps Want Mandatory Drug Test For Secondary School Students

The Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministries of Education and Health to collaborate and develop a mandatory drug testing programme for secondary school students in Nigeria.

The House also urged the National Orientation Agency and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to increase awareness about substance abuse among secondary school students nationwide.

The Committees on Basic Education and Services, and Healthcare Services were mandated to ensure compliance and report back within four week for further legislative action.

This was also captured in The Guardian, The Nation, Daily Post, People’s Gazette and The Cable

The Nation

FEC mourns former education minister Osuji

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, on behalf of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), has mourned the death of former minister of education, Professor Fabian Osuji, who died at the age of 82 years.

In a statement issued on Thursday, February 29, by the Director of Information in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen, Senator Akume described Osuji as a thorough-bred politician and an experienced scholar.

This was also captured in News Diary Online

Reps to tackle out-of-school menace

The creation of the Almajirai and Out-of-School Children Commission, after the passage of the law by the National Assembly, was aimed at addressing the menace and rising cases of out-of-school children in the country. In spite of that, the House of Representatives is concerned that the number of children affected is on the increase. It has, therefore, decided to hold a basic education summit to find ways of helping the Executive address the problem, which many believe is the problem of states and local governments.

Goal Four of the Sustainable Development Goals seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. But as at September 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) estimated that about 263 million children remained out of school around the world seven years to the attainment of the SDG. According to UNESCO, this number includes children who never started formal education as well as those who dropped out of school for one reason or the other. Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/reps-to-tackle-out-of-school-menace/

TEF works attract Harvard Business School’s recognition

The Harvard Business School, the graduate business school of Harvard University, is set to cast the spotlight on the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). The school will be recognising the Foundation’s extraordinary philanthropic achievement in a ground-breaking case study.

The case study, first of its kind on any philanthropic organisation in Africa, is to be launched today, before a class of graduate students in Boston, Massachusetts and will explore the Foundation’s unique approaches and transformative initiatives, showcasing how strategic philanthropy offered by TEF is driving positive change and elevating countries and communities. Read more: https://thenationonlineng.net/tef-works-attract-harvard-business-schools-recognition/

Tribune

ABUAD VC calls for review of 2011 TETFund Act

Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Elisabeta Olarinde, has called for an immediate amendment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Act 2011 to align its functioning with the current realities of the Nigerian tertiary education landscape. That way, the avoidable, discriminatory, and inequitable exclusion of Nigeria’s 149 private universities from accessing TETFund largesse will be permanently laid to rest.

Olarinde who described funding and financing as the most pivotal aspects of Higher Education Institutions’ (HEIs) governance framework, advocated adequate funding of universities, whether private or public, bearing in mind that education is power and constitutes a significant influence on the wealth of any nation. Read more: https://tribuneonlineng.com/abuad-vc-calls-for-review-of-2011-tetfund-act/

Five JABU graduates make first-honour during part two exam in Nigeria Law School

Five graduates from Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) have left an indelible mark at the Nigerian Law School by bagging first-class honours in their recent Bar Part II examinations.

This was contained in a memo released by the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Olasebikan Fakolujo, which was forwarded to the Nigerian Tribune.

Fakolujo hinted that the graduates whose names are; Abegunrin Peter, Ogunmoyero Dolapo, Kayode-Isola Oluwaseeke, Omoniyi Omowumi and Akintola Paul, had distinguished themselves as good ambassadors of the institution. Read more: https://tribuneonlineng.com/five-jabu-graduates-make-first-honour-during-part-two-exam-in-nigeria-law-school/

16,920 write UNILORIN Post-UTME test

OUT of the 18,098 admission seekers that registered for the 2023/2024 Post-UTME test of the University of Ilorin,16,920 presented themselves for the exercise that was held between February 19,and Friday, February 23.

In a statement contained in the weekly bulletin of the institution, the screening exercise, which was entirely computer-based, was held on the university campus between the hours of 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m each day.

Speaking on the exercise, the deputy vice chancellor (Academic) of the institution, Professor Abayomi Olubunmi Omotesho, said that there were no recorded incidents of examination malpractice or impersonation. Read more: https://tribuneonlineng.com/16920-write-unilorin-post-utme-test/

LASU VC wins Nelson Mandela leadership prize

The vice chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello has won the Nelson Mandela Leadership Prize for Integrity and Transparency.

The President of Stay Africa Youth Development Initiative (SAYDI-AFRICA), Mr Dominic Mensah, presented the award to Olatunji-Bello in her office last Friday in Lagos.

Mensah said the award was presented in recognition of Olatunji-Bello’s selfless and transformational leadership in LASU, which was providing the right direction for youths across the country and the African region. Read more: https://tribuneonlineng.com/lasu-vc-wins-nelson-mandela-leadership-prize/

Business Day

UK student visas to Nigerians, Indians rose most in 5 years

Nigeria and India are the countries that accounted for the most increase in student or sponsored study visas granted by the United Kingdom in five years, according to new official immigration data.

The data published by the British government on Thursday said the majority of the increase in main applicants between 2019 and 2023 were from Indian (+85,849) and Nigerian (+35,366) nationals.

“These same nationalities together accounted for 65 percent of all sponsored study visas issued to dependants in 2023 (compared with 29 percent in 2019),” the British government said on its website. Read more: https://businessday.ng/news/article/uk-student-visas-to-nigerians-indians-rose-most-in-5-years/

UK joins Nigeria, others with ban on smartphones in schools

The UK government has banned the use of smartphones in all schools in the country to minimize disruption and improve behaviour in classrooms.

The decision accompanies concerns about online bullying, distraction, and classroom disruption associated with mobile phone use leading to loss of learning time.

The latest government data found that 29% of secondary school pupils reported mobile phones being used when they were not supposed to. Read more: https://businessday.ng/news/article/uk-joins-nigeria-others-with-ban-on-smartphones-in-schools/

3.0 Verse, SIBAN to boost blockchain education in Nigeria

3.0 Verse, a digital assets company, has launched operations in Nigeria, marking its entry into Africa.

At the inauguration ceremony held recently in Lagos, the firm also announced a partnership with the Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria to boost blockchain education and adoption.

Speaking at the event, Mayur Poddar, the Director of 3.0 Verse, highlighted the company’s commitment to addressing the concerns arising from the devaluation of the naira. Read more: https://businessday.ng/technology/article/3-0-verse-siban-to-boost-blockchain-education-in-nigeria/

Travails of Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University

The ongoing war in Gaza has claimed casualties beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine.

The four walls of a university were once revered as among the few places in the world where one could hold and air even the most unpopular ideas without any fear of repercussion. In the modern day, especially in America and Europe, it is no longer so. ‘Woke’ youth, who form the majority of students, rally and riot to prevent anyone identified with ‘reactionary’ thought or publication—the ‘misogynistic’, the ‘racist’, the anti-LGBTQ—from getting to speak on any university campus. At the other end, right-wing ‘republicans’ do everything in their power to run ‘liberal’, ‘equal opportunity’ faculty members out of town. ‘The Gown’, in America, has become as polarised as ‘The Town.’ Ideological contenders are locked in no-holds-barred mortal combat, and all the characteristic viciousness, mendacity, and bigotry that are the bane of a neo-Trumpian era can be observed at play as the mob is whipped into a frenzy, ready to lynch.

Claudine Gay, until the beginning of this year, was widely celebrated as the first African American to be appointed president of Harvard University. Harvard regularly tops the list in the World University Rankings. Like other universities in the country, it relies on funding from private donors for a substantial part of its income and is very sensitive to their sentiments. Read more: https://businessday.ng/columnist/article/travails-of-claudine-gay-president-of-harvard-university/

Top 5 tuition free universities in the USA for interested students

News Diary Online

NIMASA delivers marine and transport building to Port Harcourt varsity

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has handed over the complex housing the Institute of Marine and Transport Technology to the University of Port Harcourt, in Rivers State.

A statement from the agency indicated that the building was initiated by its previous leadership.

“The initiative dated back to 2012/2013 when the former Director-General of the agency, Dr Dakuku Peterside, decided to build a maritime training institute. Read more: https://newsdiaryonline.com/nimasa-delivers-marine-and-transport-building-to-port-harcourt-varsity/

Students Loan: ES NELFUND briefs Education Minister on progress made

The Executive Secretary Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr has briefed the Honourable Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman and his team on the progress of work leading to the takeoff of the programme.

The Higher Education Loan Scheme is a welcome initiative of President Tinubu aimed at less privileged students in the education sector.

The Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2023 was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 12, 2023. Read more: https://newsdiaryonline.com/students-loan-es-nelfund-briefs-education-minister-on-progress-made/

The Punch

ASUU sends SOS to Taraba gov over N1.7bn unpaid allowances

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Taraba State University chapter, on Thursday, appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to pay the N1.7 billion accumulated earned Academic and promotional allowances owed to staff of the university since 2014.

This is even as the Union lamented the prolonged delay in the payment of their withheld salaries, noting that with each day passing without the payment of these outstanding salaries, the financial strain on their members intensifies, pushing them further into distress and uncertainty. Read more: https://punchng.com/asuu-sends-sos-to-taraba-gov-over-n1-7bn-unpaid-allowances/

Oronsaye report: Don’t merge army varsity with NDA, Zulum appeals to FG

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has implored the Federal Government to change its decision to merge the Nigerian Army University Biu, Borno State, with the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, as recommended by the Oronsaye Report.

The report, among other recommendations, called for the merger of the new Army varsity with the decades-old NDA, Kaduna.

This was also captured in People’s Gazette and Daily Nigerian

Daily Post

ASUU calls for government action to address challenges at TSU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Tarara State University, TSU, has once again called upon the state government to tackle the array of issues affecting the institution.

During a press conference in Jalingo, on Thursday, ASUU-TSU highlighted the lack of a pension scheme as one of the major challenges facing the university.

Led by Chairman Dr Garba Mbave Joshua, the union stressed the severe impact of this absence on the welfare and livelihoods of academic staff, particularly the families of deceased members. Read more: https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/29/asuu-calls-for-government-action-to-address-challenges-at-tsu/

Bill to establish Federal University of Technology, Ilaro passes second reading

The Nigerian Senate on Thursday passed for second reading, a bill to establish Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, Ogun State.

The bill which was sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan is seeking the upgrade of the 44-year-old Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro to a University.

While explaining the general principles of the bill, Senator Adeola stated that the proposed University of Technology would fill the technological gaps in that part of the South Western, adding that Ogun State is the most technologically developed state in the entire South West. Read more: https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/29/bill-to-establish-federal-university-of-technology-ilaro-passes-second-reading/

Professionals, not politicians must build Nigeria – UNILORIN VC, Egbewole

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole, has charged professionals not to leave Nigeria in the hands of politicians alone.

Egbewole, a legal practitioner and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, stated this in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while delivering a lecture titled: “Town Planners, Sustainable Development and Nation Building” at the 10th Waheed Kadiri Lecture Series on Thursday.

The annual lecture is organised by the Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners in honour of the former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Dr. Waheed Kadiri. Read more: https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/29/professionals-not-politicians-must-build-nigeria-unilorin-vc-egbewole/

Kwara pays N3bn to clear SUBEB teachers, LG workers’ salary arrears

The Kwara State Government has finally cleared all the salary arrears for State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, teachers and local government workers inherited from the administration of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed amounting to about N3 billion.

A statement issued by the Press Secretary, Babatunde Toyin Abdulrasheed, said, “Figures from the last allocation meeting of the local government showed that the government committed N1,297,389,165.83 to clear the balance of the arrears owed to the SUBEB teachers. Read more: https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/29/kwara-pays-n3bn-to-clear-subeb-teachers-lg-workers-salary-arrears/

Nairametrics

Australia introduces stricter controls over  student visa applications

Australia has introduced stricter controls over its student visa applications which limits its post-study work rights policy for international students, which will take effect from the middle of this year.

These measures will ensure that visas are primarily used for education, rather than as a means to obtain long-term residency.

This comes in the aftermath of a major policy shift in December to halve its migrant intake over the next two years, following a record net immigration of 510,000 in 2022-23.  Read more: https://nairametrics.com/2024/02/29/australia-introduces-stricter-controls-over-student-visa-applications/

People’s Gazette

Trinity University VC stresses importance of entrepreneurship skills in students

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Trinity University, Yaba, Lagos, Prof. Clement Kolawole, has said the institution is researching ways to further bridge the gap in entrepreneurship skills in students.

Mr Kolawole said this during an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.

He said that the institution, established in 2019, had identified a gap in the area of entrepreneurship, noting that there was a bridge between what the students learnt in the university and the skills demanded in the labour market. Read more: https://gazettengr.com/trinity-university-vc-stresses-importance-of-entrepreneurship-skills-in-students/

Channels Television

Gov Lawal Distributes Learning Materials To 250 Schools in Zamfara

About 250 schools across Zamfara State will benefit from scores of educational materials to be distributed by the Zamfara State Government across the State.

This was revealed by the State Governor himself, Dauda Lawal at a handing-over ceremony in the state on Thursday.

While presenting the learning materials to the beneficiary schools, Lawal explained that the educational materials were a result of collaborations between the Universal Basic Education (UBEB) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Read more: https://www.channelstv.com/2024/02/29/gov-lawal-distributes-learning-materials-to-250-schools-in-zamfara/

Africa News

Meningitis outbreak kills students in northern Nigeria

A meningitis outbreak has killed 20 students in northern Nigeria, local media reported Wednesday (Feb. 28).

The death toll which remains provisional was announced by the Yobe state Education commissioner.

The outbreak has been recorded in some secondary schools in the state.

This was also captured in Medical Xpress