The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Prof. Joseph Fuwape has identified insufficiency of funds as the main challenge the university is facing, like many other varsities in the country.

He, however, said FUTA had been taking some measure to manage the situation by involving some ventures that generated revenue for the university.

The don made this known while speaking with news men on the activities lined up to mark 40th anniversary and the unveiling of the anniversary logo, of the institution.

Fuwape said, “Funding has been the major challenge of universities in Nigeria, that is why university system must address the issue of revenue generation for proper running.

“However, in our own case, we have been trying to supplement our subvention for the past 15years . We have FUTA development company, water production company, we have printing press, paint industry , commercial farms among others.

“We have a robust postgraduate school. We are making money from it. We have also been making money from grants for international agencies and we have opportunity to do better .”

According to the VC, the university, which was established in 1981, has also grown rapidly in terms of students’ enrolment with a population of approximately 20,000 undergraduates and 5000 postgraduate students.

“Academic activities commenced in November 1982 with 149 students spread over three schools; School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, School of Earth and Mineral Sciences and School of Pure and Applied Sciences.”

The United Nations Children’s Fund, have partnered the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board to ensure that students return to their schools in order for them to continue with their studies.

Education Officer of UNICEF in-charge of Nasarawa, Kaduna, Niger and Kwara states, Francis Elisha made the disclosure in Lafia during a media dialogue with journalists and staff of the state Ministry of Education.

He explained that the present economy of the country in no small measure, led to the loss of jobs of many parents, thereby making their children unable to continue with their educational pursuit.

Elisha said that the partnership between UNICEF and Nasarawa State Government was going to bridge the gap as they were ready to support the state to ensure that every child got the opportunity to be educated.

“The aim of this partnership is to ensure that every child in this state who desires to go to school is not deprived of the opportunity to be educated. So many children in both the urban and rural areas are out of school because their parents cannot afford to send them back to school after the pandemic”, he added.

The Chairman of SUBEB, Muhammed Dan’azimi, who was represented by the Director of Academic Services of the board, Ibrahim Eshi, assured UNICEF that the state government would do everything within its powers to ensure that the aims and objectives of the programme was achieved.

The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has debunked the news making rounds on social media that corps members travelling on “high-risk” roads are advised to alert their “family members, friends and colleagues to have someone on ground to pay off the ransom that could be demanded” in case they are kidnapped.

On page 56 of the NYSC handbook titled, ‘Security Awareness and Education Handbook For Corps Members and Staff’, the Scheme while advising the former, listed roads like: Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene, or Aba-Port Harcourt” as possible “high risk roads” for its members.

Page 57 of the handbook contained ‘Advisory action when kidnapped or taken hostage’.

However, the NYSC took to its verified Facebook handle to deny giving the advice, stating “the clause quoted is not embedded in NYSC Security Tips pamphlet which was put together by a highly respected retired security expert”.

The founder of Oduduwa University in Ipetumodu via Ile-ife in Osun state, and one of Nigeria’s foremost educationists, Dr (Chief) Rahmon Adegoke Adedoyin has called on the federal government to abolish the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME) being organised by JAMB as means of securing admission by students in Nigeria to tertiary institutions.

Adedoyin who is also Maye of Yoruba Kingdom speaking in an interview proposed that henceforth students should just upload their qualified data to JAMB which should post the students to the institution of their choice based on the available quota of the institution.

He also said that the standard of education in Nigeria is not bad saying that, “it looks better than the way it was.

The standard is good with the advent of the internet which we didn’t enjoy when I was in the university so the standard is now higher unlike in our days.

The educationist also called on the examination bodies such as WAEC and NECO to thoroughly sanitise their systems so that their certificates can be totally genuine in view of the proliferation of Special Centers where deficient candidates are helped to make excellent grades

Speaking on the UTME cancellation he said, “As far as I’m concerned there is no need for any UTME entrance examination again. I have not said that they should cancel JAMB, it has a good role to play but for the exams, there is no need. There are institutions, they know what to take, isn’t it?

The duty of JAMB as far as I’m concern is to transfer students to various institutions.”

The business mogul said his proposal is in tandem with the operating sound and high standard of education in Ghana and the United States of America (USA) among others where he also has institutions.

He said, “In Ghana, they don’t do what JAMB is doing in Nigeria I have a school there and their education is of a high standard, also in the United States of America to they don’t do the UTME examination they just post students to institutions.

I think what they have in the US is University Admissions Processing Center or something so all the students will just apply there and the centre will place students in various institutions.”

He however said that based on the peculiarity of Nigeria, the federal government can make the candidates pay a stipend to JAMB before uploading their data while individual universities should also conduct entrance examinations for candidates posted to it by JAMB without charging them.

Adedoyin posited that by cancelling the UTME examination the private universities and institutions which spend a huge amount of money on advertisement to source for students won’t need to do so again,” there will be no need for any institutions to put any advertisement in the newspaper again

Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has announced that schools will reopen in the state from October 04 for Classes 5 to 12 adding that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has approved the decison.

Schools will reopen in a phased manner. In rural areas, classes will resume for the students of 5 to 12 and in urban areas, for 8 to 12. The Maharashtra government is making efforts to bring back children to schools. The local authorities have also been given powers, she added.

Until now schools were conducting physical classes only in few areas with less effect from the pandemic. “Though schools will reopen in the entire state, there is no compulsion for students to attend physical classes. Consent of parents will be necessary if they want to attend,”the minister added.

According to a survey conducted by the school education department, over 70% parents favoured reopening of schools, Gaikwad said.

Maharashtra had earlier formed a committee to set guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the reopening of schools.

The suggested SOPs include staggered school hours, social distancing inside classrooms, setting up school health clinics, among others.

“We had given permission to start schools from July 15 but on August 10 we had issued SOPs. We have now got guidance from the Pediatrics task force which we have included in our SOPs,” she said.

Gaikwad further said, “After we got the nod, we have taken a decision to open schools from October 04. In rural areas, Classes 5 to 12 and in Urban areas Classes 8 to 12 will start. Maharashtra schools to open.

Eswatini Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini has blamed unnamed individuals for instigating a wave of protests by students demanding the release of pro-democracy MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube.

Learning has been disrupted in at least 10 schools in the southern region of Shiselweni and Lubombo in the east, as students stage sit-ins and destroy property.

“In the past few days we have seen unrest in a few schools, particularly in the southern region. Children have left classes and are roaming the streets subconsciously pushing agendas of other people. Needless to say, these are faceless people. Valuable time is being lost at a time where examinations are getting closer,” Dlamini said.

Meanwhile, Education and Training Minister Lady Howard Mabuza has warned teachers that action will be taken against anyone inciting the students to protest.

“We have received disturbing reports to the effect that in some of the schools where pupils staged protest, some teachers are suspected to have been instigators.

“We have dispatched our regional education officer to investigate the matter and if sufficient evidence proves liability, the implicated teacher or teachers will be taken to task,” Mabuza said.

The leaders appealed to parents to control their children so that learning can resume ahead of national examinations in October.

The two MPs were arrested on 25 July and arraigned on charges of terrorism.

Their arrests came on the back of months of street protests to demand political reforms in the monarchy led by King Mswati III.

Academic activities were put on hold at Abia State Polytechnic, Aba on Thursday as students blocked the Aba/Owerri Road axis leading to the school in protest against what they called failure of the school management to accredit the entire Engineering Department.

The students, who were due to commence their semester examination, halted vehicular movement for hours, even as they also protested an alleged rape of three female students by men of the Rapid Response Squad, as well as the non-payment of the salaries of their lecturers, among other issues.

A student of Civil Engineering who spoke with news Correspondent stated that the protest was necessitated by the failure of the school management to accredit the entire Engineering Department.

He added that it was regrettable that after their final exams, they were issued a result under the Department of Building, calling on Abia State Government and the school management to expedite action so as to enable them graduate with results under the Civil Engineering Department.

On the alleged rape by personnel of Rapid Response Squad, a female student of Accounting who did not want her name in print, informed that three students living at an undisclosed lodge around Aba North were “badly raped” and later taken to hospital, revealing that this has been happening unchecked.

Meanwhile, addressing the students in the company of armed military personnel, the rector of the polytechnic, Prof. Kalu Osonwa, said that he received messages that men of the Rapid Response Squad were assaulting the students.

He promised to look into the issues raised, including that of the accreditation of the Engineering Department, among others.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has condemned in the strongest of terms, the shooting by some Police officers on Thursday at the Abia State Polytechnic Aba during the protest by students of the institution.

In a Press release by Onyebuchi Ememanka, his Chief Press Secretary, Ikpeazu said that “the action of the Police officers was excessive, uncalled for and could aggravate an already tense situation which could lead to collateral damages.”

“Shooting at unarmed students who were protesting the alleged sexual assault of one of them by a Police officer is against all known and recognised rules of engagement by law enforcement officers who could have employed other means other than deadly force to disperse the protesting students,” Ikpeazu noted.

He also promised that the state government was already looking into the issues.

Governor Ikpeazu urged the State Police Commissioner and the Area Commander in charge of Aba to ensure that the officers who were involved in the shooting are identified and disciplined in line with extant Police regulations, while further ensuring that such display of disproportionate force doesn’t happen again.

The Governor further advised the students to be disciplined and avoid taking the law into their hands even while protesting, adding that they must, at all times, exercise restraint when confronted by Police on lawful duty.

The wife of the governor has reportedly visited the victims at an undisclosed hospital, assuring that she would take them to a better hospital and offset the bills.