The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife has fixed a date for the school to be reopened.

The school’s management announced that students will be allowed back on campus from Friday, November 5th, 2021.

The announcement of the institution’s reopening was contained in a statement made available by the school Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju.

The statement disclosed that the OAU management decided to reopen the university at an emergency meeting of the Senate which held Friday.

It stated that the students would be allowed back to their halls of residence on Friday, November 5, 2021, while their examinations would continue on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

According to the statement, “Parents and guardians are hereby advised to inform their children and wards, particularly those who have already finished their examinations to stay at home so that none of them would use the excuse of the reopening of the University to do something untoward.

“Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, charged the students to be law-abiding and not to engage in anything that could further elongate the session.”

The statement also said the resumption of the student examinations was in tandem with what was previously on ground.

The school management closed the institution in the aftermath of the student’s protest over the death of their colleague earlier in October.

The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund has applauded the Nigerian government’s promise to progressively increase education budget and fund research to drive global competitiveness in the country.

At the 13th Thematic meeting of the TETFund Research and Development Standing Committee, RDSC, on Education, Bogoro said that the recent pronouncement by the government recognised basic education as a crucial foundation.

“The retirement age of our teachers has been moved from 60 to 65. I think this is very encouraging for teachers. Of course I mentioned earlier that those in the sciences will have better emoluments attached to their allowances . Government has announced its intention from the budget year of 2022 to raise education budget by 50 per cent and scale it up and gradually double it to 100 per cent by the year 2025″

The TETFund official futher said he looked forward to a situation where areas that have suffered inadequate funding from the appropriation window would be taken care of.

There should be a focus on increased funds that would be made available to institutions as most vibrant economies does, Nigeria should not be different.

In his words “The most vibrant economies are so because they have allowed education to dictate the way forward through qualitative research, to make a difference. In Nigeria it cannot be different. In Nigeria for instance, the facts are there that the south west zone have a comparative advantage over the other five geopolitical zones due to their consistent and massive investment in education starting from the time of late Obafemi Awolowo, with free education from the foundation upwards,”

Bogoro also disclosed that the draft for the establishment of the National Research and Development Foundation, NRDF has been submitted to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, for inputs before transmission to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, for approval and onward submission to the National Assembly.

Immediate Past President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Abiodun Ogunyemi acknowledged the submission noting that education remained the bedrock for every knowledge based economy and sustainable national development.

Nigeria labour congress (NLC) kebbi state area council has lunched  state level school in the state.

Speaking during the lunch which was held at the NUT house in Birnin Kebbi, the state chairman of NLC kebbi state comrade Umar Halidu Alhassan stated that, the commencement of the month long training of associations is in compliance with the directive of the umbrella body of the union geared towards training other associations and unions on how best to handle labour demands and rights of all wage earners in the country particularly how to resolve conflicts between employers and employees.

According to the NLC Chariman, the theme of the maiden edition captioned as “Building future leaders through education” meant to show how education can shape leaders ability to govern and thus prepare them for leadership task.

Halidu also used the occasion to appeal to governor Bagudu to pay the backload of gratuities to kebbi retired civil servants, as he appreciates the state government’s efforts in prompt payments of workers salaries in the state.

In his response, the kebbi state governor Senator Atiku Bagudu told NLC that, since he came onboard he has never owed pensions unlike other states who spent months without payments of pensions to retirees, on gratuities Bagudu said “its not my wish that retirees are not paid full gratuities, we are using available resources at our disposal to gradually pay gratuities to retired civil servants in the state.

He urged NLC leadership in the state to train workers on agriculture and other trades while still in service to enable them prepare well for retirements.

The Wife of the Oyo State Governor, Tamunominini Makinde, says the acquisition of both digital literacy and Information Technology skills has become imperative, more than ever, for individuals to remain relevant and enhance their future.

Makinde disclosed this while speaking at an event to commemorate the 2021 International Day of the Girl Child, themed, “Digital Generation, Our Generation.”

She urged Students and Teachers of Secondary schools across the state on the need to be digitally literate to be relevant now and in the future.

At the event, held at the House of Chiefs, House of Assembly Complex, Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Makinde noted that the emphasis over time had been on the Students, but that it is crucial for Teachers to also equip themselves technologically, to be on the same page with their students, whom she described as “tech-savvy”.

She enjoined female students to take seriously Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and correct the insinuation that STEM courses are more of the jurisdiction of male students.

Stressing that everything today is a product of technology, the Governor’s Wife urged female students to take keener interest in Information Technology (IT), while also praying that more females get involved in the coding and development of computer programmes.

Makinde urged students to explore the Internet to choose their career paths, network mentors and acquire and share ideas that would positively impact the world, stressing that students should reap the benefits of ever changing technological innovations and not expose themselves to cyber bullying.

Other speakers at the event, including a Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, Kafilat Sokunbi, and another expert, Aderonke Adedayo, emphasised the need to optimise technology as a tool for social change and development.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abiodun Abdu-Raheem, In his remarks, emphasised that technological knowledge, especially by girls, is crucial to the development of Nigeria and Africa at large.

He decried the high prejudice against women and unequal opportunity to education, saying the State government was keen on ensuring that the voice of the Girl child is not muffled.

Abdu-Raheem added that the State Ministry of Education had, since 2012, included in its curriculum at all levels, digital and technology education.