No fewer than 48 students of the Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State have graduated from the institution with first class.

The first class graduates were among the 413 students that would be conferred with bachelor degrees in the forthcoming convocation ceremony of the institution.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olukayode Amund, disclosed this while speaking on the forthcoming fourth and fifth convocation ceremonies of the university.

He said, the graduating students were from 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic sessions, explaining that the university combined two convocation ceremonies as it could not hold the programme last year due to the pandemic.

Giving the breakdown, the don said, “A total number of 413 students would be graduating out of which 48 bagged first class , 184 finished with second class ( upper division), 163 finished with second class ( lower division) while 18 graduate with third class.”

Amund said the university was thriving in the area of academic and infrastructural development as many projects were being executed on the campus of the institution, saying the varsity had come out with various researches which made it to win 112, 000 dollars as grants from the United States Agency for International Development and the International Foundation for Science. He said all the researches had been executed.

 “The recent leap in the recent ranking of the university was as a result of the various relevant researches recently conducted by the university

“A good number of projects were executed by the university in the last two years, which included a untra-modern engineering complex worth N1billion . It was just delivered to the university,” he stated.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Calabar zone said it has viewed the N250,000 assessment fee for promotion to Professorship as an act of criminality.

The Calabar Zone of the ASUU comprises of the University of Calabar, Cross River state, University of Uyo Akwa Ibom state, Cross River state University of Technology, Calabar, Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden, Abia State University and Ebonyi State University.

Briefing newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Calabar zone, Dr Aniekan Brown, said such assessment is not found within the confines of the laws establishing the universities.

He lamented that those who refused to pay the amount had had their promotions stagnated.

“There is no place that reads that a lecturer should pay for his assessment. How can paid staff who have invested a lot of money in research and publishing and when the time for assessment for promotion comes, they will be asked to pay a whooping N250,000.

“ASUU views that as a case of criminality because it’s not within the confines of the law. Secondly, what do you mean I pay such huge sum and I don’t get favorable assessment. Please note that some of our colleagues who stand by the truth and refused to pay, their promotions are stagnated,” Brown said.

Reacting to the Accountant General of the Federation’s submission that all institutions, agencies and personnel must migrate to the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System platform, the senior lecturer said it would be a case of historical irresponsibility for the Union to accept what is not good for its members.

He described IPPIS as a cess-pool of corruption stressing that it does not understand the peculiarities of the Nigerian University system

Brown said, “It will be difficult for them to say that IPPIS stands for transparency. IPPIS cannot read and understand the peculiarities of Nigerian Universities system. That is why we have salaries fluctuations.

“Our union has always come against this IPPIS legally it goes against University autonomy and it failed to understand the peculiarities of Nigeria University system. IPPIS has no room for payment of salary promotion arrears.”

The Sociology lecturer condemned proliferation of universities by State governors without taking care of the existing ones.

“State governments proposing to establish new universities should be barred from accessing TETFund grants to support their projects for at least ten years. Owners of the proposed universities whether federal or State should provide verifiable growth plan for providing not less than 75% of their pensionable academic staff complement in addition to provision of requisite Infrastructural facilities,” he said

As schools resumes, some educators have identified key issues parents should look out for when choosing a school for their children.

Every parent wants the best education experience for their child; however, failure to put the child in the appropriate learning environment could suppress the gifts and excellence in the child.

As such, The CEO, Soams Creative Education & Consultant, Oyindamola Sonola, said parents should choose quality schools that would make learners happy, socially and emotionally well adjusted, with fear of God and sense of value for their nation when they become adults.

Sonola added that the school philosophy, curriculum, a child’s needs and interests, teaching and learning style, student-teacher ratio, safety and security to mention a few were some of the factors parents should also consider.

She advised, “Be sure the philosophy aligns with yours so there is no clash of interest. While the curriculum is a criterion, the school should also provide opportunities to help develop your child’s physical, cognitive, non-cognitive skills and overall personality. A perfect blend of curricular and co-curricular studies is vital for the holistic development of students. You must take into account your child’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests while researching schools. These are critical to your choice of school. Asking some questions can help here, does your child have any special learning needs? Does the school have facilities and curriculum that considers such needs? Is the school into the arts? Do they love sports? Are they interested in science? Is your child struggling with math? Parents should look for a school that will cater to the child’s individual needs, encourage their strengths, and help them work on their weaknesses. Small class sizes are known to have a positive effect on children’s learning. In periods of insecurity that we are at present, it is better to put your child in schools that the travel time is short and ensure the school is well secured and has all safety regulations and standards in place.”

Similarly, CEO of Gemseed Children Academy, Gbagada, Lagos, Mary Ohagwasi, also advised parents to check if the value of a school aligned with their own value and expectations for their wards.

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“The school infrastructure and ambience, is it suitable for your ward’s learning and care. It is important to know what the school stands for; academic excellence, sports, skills both life and soft skills, Strong parents and teachers community, it is important to know if the fees are affordable and can be sustained. What are the qualities of school personnels, especially the teachers, this can be discovered by connecting with the school community and for children going to secondary school, find out if the school is government approved, skills they impact and results of past external exams,” she said.

The Brand Manager/Business Development Coordinator, OrgLearning Consult, Chigozie Ntamere, explained that performance of the school in external examinations should be a major factor to look out for, adding that parents could also discuss with the schools’ management before taking a decision.

He said, “Perceived moral standards of the institution, scope of the academic curriculum, quality of teachers and staff, scope of extra-curricular activities and how it’s blended with the main school curriculum, the facilities available (classrooms, laboratories, library, computers, recreational facilities, restrooms) are important factors. Also, an open-house session can be organised for parents and prospective customers.”

Nigeria Union of Teachers has said learners in Internally Displaced persons camps in the north do not have access to education.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, NUT Secretary-General, Dr Mike Ike-Ene, described the means of education in IDPs as makeshift.

He said, “What they are receiving is makeshift education. If you have visited any IDP camp, it is just where men and women, who are afraid of herdsmen, hoodlums or whoever has sent them packing from their place of residence live. They don’t even go to schools because they run to the savannah and build tents; so, where will you now establish schools? What they do is that they get bigger tents, bring everybody together and just be teaching them without any curriculum.”

He also explained that the NUT was making effort to engage the government on the incessant kidnapping of learners in the north.

Ike-Ene said, “We are engaging government, we are equally making our own contributions, remember that teachers too are parents so very many a times our children are in these numbers that are being kidnapped, remember that teachers equally are being killed especially in the north-east, north-west, very many of teachers have been kidnapped and killed, some have been cleared, their families have been cleared. What we do is that we take registry of these persons who kind of give up their lives in the cause of their job and provide succor for them and families. As for the children, when they come back, we encourage our states to provide something for them through our checkup because you know we do not go for allocation, ours is an industrial union. So from what we get, we give back to the society, sometimes, we go to the schools or we tell our people through the state to make provisions for these kids.”

He maintained that the intention of bandits was to destroy the educational ambition of learners.

The Federal Government through the North East Development Commission (NEDC) has commenced the building of more schools in Yobe and other parts of the North East.

NEDC is a department of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

The Yobe government had provided land for the building of new primary and secondary schools in Potsdam, Buni Yadi (Gujba) and Gahsua (Bade) Local Government Areas.

The commission’s Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali, who made the disclosure on Saturday in Gasua, said that the initiative was meant to address the current problem of insufficient classrooms.

According to him, the problem in primary and secondary schools in the North-East region is due to activities of insurgents.

Akali said that insurgency and other factors had made the region highest on the poverty index and lowest in literacy rate.

The managing director added that the destruction of schools by the insurgents had disrupted primary and secondary education in the region.

“Widespread poverty coupled with insecurity, has rendered an estimated 600,000 young people unable to go beyond the primary or secondary school levels.

“As such, millions of the out of school children in the region remain uneducated, justifying the need for massive intervention in the development of school infrastructure.

“Consequently, the commission resolved to construct three composite mega schools or upgrading of existing ones in each states of the region, thus making 18, one in each of the Senatorial District.

“We are also going to complement the physical structure with soft support like teachers’ training, curriculum and upgrade,” he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Mai Mala Buni, commended the gesture, adding that it was “timely and desirable” and was in line with his government’s policy on education.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf, Buni appealed to members of the community, local government authorities and the emirate council to take ownership of the projects.

Stakeholders in education have advised that capacity-building is essential in developing competence and skills that will make the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) effective.

In a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday during a training for 100 quality assurance officers of the commission, the statement quoted the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, as saying that the training would improve learning in line with international best practices.

Represented by Alhaji Alabi Asaju, the South-West Zonal Director of the commission, Bobboyi said: “The commission, in conjunction with the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board is setting standards that will be sustained in years to come”.

He commended the Management Board of Oyo State Universal Basic Education for commitment to effectiveness and efficiency in the basic education sub-sector of Oyo State.

Also, the Executive Chairman, Oyo SUBEB, Dr Nureni Adeniran, said that the state’s quality assurance had been in practice but the training would be needed to further expose officers to various techniques in approach to education.

He explained that the theme of the training: “Effective School Evaluation: Panacea for improving learning outcomes and strengthening of the school system”, would enable the trainees to improve learning outcomes, results and performances in the educational system.

Adeniran, however, acknowledged the support from UBEC by giving 33 motorcycles, 30 laptops and printers to quality assurance officers.

He expressed optimism that after the training, officers would be acquainted with the requisite skills for effective performance.

The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Olusanjo Adeniyi and the Director, Quality Assurance, UBEC, Mansir Idris, agreed that the training sought to develop new strategies to improve the quality of learning in basic schools across Oyo State.

They observed that the training was in response to the need to strengthen the capacity of the officers, especially at the local government levels.

The 2019 degree graduates of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri, Imo state have lamented the high rate of extortion by the management of the college.

The college is an affiliate of the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

The students said it was unfortunate that they have not been mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps programme after two years of their graduation.

The spokesman of the student, Chike Anyaso, from the Department of Education/Social Studies, said the degree students had been milked dry by the AIFCE management ahead of their convocation.

Adding his voice, Matthew Anyanwu from the department of Guidance and Counselling listed payment they had made to the college to include N3,000 for accreditation, N2000 for alumni levy, N20,000 for convocation, N1,000 for golden jubilee celebration, N2,000 for NYSC screening, N6,000 for Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, N5,000 for TRCN induction and N3,500 for TRCN exam.

He, however, added that the school management recently released another notice, urging them to pay another convocation fee of N5,000 after the initial N20,000 they had paid.

Another student, Babara Nsukpo, noted that there had been several payments concerning graduation clearance, regretting that the college management had not made any conscious effort to get UNN to mobilise them for the NYSC programme.

She said, “We graduated since 2019 having gained admission in 2015/2016 academic year. Since we graduated, the college management has been giving us an excuse that COVID-19 pandemic stopped them from mobilising us for the NYSC programme.

“When we contacted UNN in July, 2021 to mobilise us for the NYSC programme, they told us to better sort ourselves out with AIFCE management. Since then we have been writing to our school to remind them to send us to NYSC.

“Since that time till now, we have not heard anything from them. But they told us that the information will come to us no more than three weeks from that time.”

When contacted, the College Registrar,Ben Anyanwu, said he was aware of the students’ complaint.

He said, “AIFCE is an affiliate of UNN, but these students don’t know how higher institution operates. The N20,000 convocation fee they paid was sent to UNN but the N5,000 they are to pay now is for the AIFCE NCE convocation.

“The students should calm down because NYSC programme is coming up in November 2021.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Prof Edward Olanipekun, has said that EKSU International College, Afao Ekiti, will recruit the best brains to ensure quality instruction and excellent performance of the students.

Olanipekun, who spoke at an event in the university, said that through the ongoing admission of its first set of students expected to resume this month, EKSU had broken the jinx of not having international school, adding that the college had come to stay.

“I want the best brains to be employed in our international college in the ongoing recruitment exercise. I am personally interested in the recruitment. The college will take off with Junior Secondary School one, two and Senior Secondary School three classes.

“The institution is fortified with standard infrastructure and security architecture. We have also recruited armed personnel to guard against any breach of security. Parents can bring their children to the college and go to sleep”, He added.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the National Assembly to pass the Bill to amend the National Universities Commission Act to address the proliferation of state universities.

The coordinator of the Kano Zone of the Union, Prof. Abdulkadir Muhammad made the call at a press conference held at Bayero University Kano.

Muhammad, who called for the passage of the bill, also called on the visitors of the Universities to live up to their responsibilities.

“We are calling on the national assembly to, as a matter of urgency, consider and pass the Bill. Due to bad governance and underfunding, our state-owned universities may soon collapse beyond redemption.

“Visitors of state universities had turned establishment of state universities into projects for appeasing electorates in their senatorial and state constituencies, while neglecting the existing state universities.

“Besides non funding of capital projects, most state governors have also failed in the primary responsibility of regular payment of staff salaries in their universities,” he added.

The coordinator said that the association also rejected the charging of exorbitant tuition fees in the state universities because it places university education beyond the reach of common Nigerians.

The association also urged the Federal Government to sign and implement the draft ASUU/FGN renegotiated agreement of May, 2021, in addition to the release of the first tranche of the N30 billion funds for the revitalization of public universities.

“The government should also release N25billion Earned Academic Allowance.

“We also urge the federal government to immediately remit withheld check-off dues to the branches of the withheld and amputated salaries/ allowances and third party deductions.” he added.

The coordinator said that the Union would always deploy appropriate measures to salvage the Nigerian university system from rot and decay.

He said that the union firmly believes in the use of qualitative education to liberate and transform Nigeria from its current state of underdevelopment.