143 school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory got trained on cyber bullying and strategies to prevent the act in an event organised by Access Bank and Xploit Consulting Company Limited.
Director, Communication of Xploit Company, Grace Taiwo, said that the training was meant to create awareness in both teachers and students on how to manage the internet.
Taiwo said that the training was organised by the two organizations, adding that it was done for some selected schools in the FCT.
She added that the teachers were from Bwari, Kuje and Gwagwalada local government councils.
According to her, cyber bullying is the act of using the internet to bully people by sending messages that are intimidating or threatening in nature.
Taiwo said that cyber bullying involved using the internet to harm or frighten people especially on social media platforms.
“The aim of this training is to enlighten the teachers on the preventive measures they can use on internet through their handset, ipad, laptop and other devices.
“We are training the teachers after which they will be encouraged to train the students as well so that they (students) can train their other families and relatives around, to enable a retraining trend.
“In other countries, cyber bullying has made children go as far as committing suicide and so, we decided to collaborate to create awareness through trainings in schools,’’ she said.
One of the facilitators of the training and Manager, Ayem and Bayts Consulting Limited, Daniel Ojo, said that one of the ways of exposing people to cyber bullying is when their accounts or passwords are not protected.
He advised people to always ensure that their accounts are not exposed to strangers.
Also speaking, another facilitator, Inya Ode, stressed the need to be safe and responsible, while using the internet, adding that such would help to avoid cyber bullying.
Ode, Principal Partner, Nobleherald Consulting Limited, also urged the trained teachers to ensure that they mentored the students on the risk of cyber bullying and measures to prevent such act.
Another facilitator, Edward Enejoh, expressed worries over the damaging role that cyber bullying could play on the mental development of people.
Enejoh, however, advised Nigerians to always be careful with how they exposed their accounts and passwords on internet platforms.
Vice Principal, Academics, Capital Science School, Kuje, Bunuyaminu Yeti, commended the two organisations for training the teachers over measures to prevent cyber bullying in the country.
Yeti, who spoke on behalf of the other teachers from the various schools, said that the teachers would ensure that the training was extended to other students.Â
Cyber bullying: Schools in Federal Capital Territory Get Training On Preventive Measures
UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy For Girls’ Education Concludes Visit To West Africa
The UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Girls’ Education, Helen Grant, has completed a regional tour of West Africa where she visited girls’ education, gender and inclusion projects in both Ghana and Sierra Leone.
The visit comes ahead of the UK and Kenya’s co-hosting the Global Education Summit with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) taking place in London in July 2021.
Concluding her West Africa visit, the UK’s Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Girls’ Education Helen Grant said investing in girls’ education is a game-changer and vital to building back stronger from the COVID-19 fiasco.
She said: the UK has set ambitious global targets to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10, which have now been adopted by the G7 under the UK’s presidency.
She added: “I am delighted that both Ghana and Sierra Leone share our ambition on getting girls learning, and it was a privilege to meet inspiring girls and boys who are supported to learn with the UK’s support. As we look ahead to the Global Education Summit, the UK’s partnership with Ghana and Sierra Leone is a vital example of how international collaboration can ensure all children, including girls, benefit from at least 12 years quality education.”
Speaking after the Special Envoy’s visit British High Commissioner to Ghana, Iain Walker said: “This week I have seen the enduring UK-Ghana partnership in action. Alongside the Special Envoy Helen Grant, I met some of those young women and girls whose lives have been changed through education, and, I have seen the work of those leaders, teachers and officials who are delivering the lessons, projects and support that is making the difference.
If we want to change the world for the better, girls’ education is the place to start. But it is only through firm resolve and collaboration that we will achieve our global ambition of ensuring all children across Ghana and around the world receive at least 12 years quality education.”
British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Simon Mustard, added: “The UK is committed to ensuring that all girls access 12 years of quality education. The Government of Sierra Leone shares this commitment and has taken important policy steps in the past year in that direction. I am proud of the support that the UK is providing in Sierra Leone to play our part in turning these commitments into a reality.”
Grant took up the role of UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Girls’ Education in January 2021. Mrs Grant is also the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria.
In her role as Special Envoy for Girls’ Education, Grant is working to accelerate progress towards getting more girls into school and benefitting from quality learning.
Rebuilding Philippines’ Marawi Four Years After Siege
Reconstruction efforts are underway in the Philippine city of Marawi which was flattened in a war with Islamic militants four years ago. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced.
The government has turned over several housing projects for displaced families, while the construction of mosques and other facilities damaged by the five-month battle is ongoing.
School Leavers in Kenyan County Urged to Enrol for Technical Courses
Students who did not attain the minimum university entry grade of C+ (Plus) in the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results have been asked to enrol for technical courses which will give them vital skills needed in the job market.
While decrying low uptake of courses at the local technical and vocational training centre in Merti, Isiolo County Commissioner Herman Shambi urged the students to take advantage of the courses in order to improve their chances of securing employment and becoming self-reliant.
He said this when he met Isiolo’s top student Abdi Mohammed Warsamed who attained an A (minus) of 76 points at Barracks Secondary School.
The county administrator said Isiolo is grappling with shortage of artisans and skilled labour, adding that increased uptake of the courses will help address the issue.
According to him, the demand for artisans in the county is high and people should seize the opportunity to empower themselves economically,” adding that there are very few plumbers, masons and carpenters in the county.
Shambi appealed to parents to take their children’s education seriously and support them to achieve their dreams.
He said his office is in talks with local leaders in a bid to support students who are interested in taking various courses at the local institution.
Aung San Suu Kyi Has No Information On Outside World: Legal Team
Myanmar’s state TV has shown still photos of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since the military coup in February.
The images also showed her first in-person court appearance since her arrest.
With two police officers standing by her side, she appeared on screen, alongside President Win Myint and former Naypyitaw mayor Myo Aung.
The ousted leader had a chance to speak privately to her legal team, who said little is known about her detention.
“Firstly, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi asked where this place is. We (legal team) told her that it is in Naypyitaw council compound, but number of the place we don’t know exactly. Then Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she also didn’t know where she was kept.”
While she looked in good health during the 30-minute meeting with her legal team, her top lawyer said she had no access to newspapers, and was only partially aware of what was happening outside.
Her legal team also noted that Aung San Suu Kyi expressed support for the National League for Democracy party, saying it will be there as long as the people are, because the party was founded for the people.
Her remarks come as the junta-appointed Union Election Commission called for the NLD party to be abolished, citing alleged voter fraud in last November’s election.
It has also threatened action against who they called the “traitors” involved.
The ousted leader has been under house arrest since she was taken into custody in the hours following the coup.
The new military regime has filed six charges against her. Her next hearing is set for June 7th.
Costa Rica Becomes Latest Member Of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Costa Rica officially became the 38th member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Tuesday, the Paris-based international forum said.
The formal step comes after Costa Rica’s Congress last week gave the all-clear for the state to become the OECD’s fourth Latin American member alongside Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
Founded in 1961, the OECD is dedicated to promoting policies for economic and social well-being.
Its member countries, including the United States and France, move 60 percent of world trade and represent 80 percent of global gross domestic product.
Costa Rica had “introduced major reforms to align its legislation, policies and practices to OECD standards” during its five-year accession process, the body said.
Among other areas, the changes affected “competition policy and enforcement, a redesign of the national statistics system, the introduction of criminal liability of legal persons for foreign bribery and the establishment of a register of shareholders to ensure tax transparency,” it added.
Secretary-General Angel Gurria said the OECD was “impressed that the cross-party commitment to OECD accession that we witnessed during the accession process continued into the ratification phase, despite the pandemic”.
Brazil could be the next Latin American member for the club, after officially expressing interest in 2017.
Coach Galtier Quits New French Champions Lille
Coach Christophe Galtier told L’Equipe on Tuesday he was stepping down as coach of Lille two days after winning the Ligue 1 title.
“I simply have the deep belief that my time is up here,” he told the paper.
Galtier, who was appointed in 2017, says he has received job offers from clubs including Nice and Lyon in France and Serie A’s Napoli.
The 54-year-old said he was moving on to avoid “falling into a routine”.
Galtier engineered a remarkable turnaround in Lille’s fortunes after succeeding Marcelo Bielsa midway through the 2017-18 season.
Lille just avoided relegation. They then finished second to Paris Saint-Germain in his first full season.
Lille was fourth when last season was ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic, and on Sunday were crowned champions for the first time since 2011.
On the final day of the 2020/2021 season they beat Angers 2-1 to ensure they finished one point ahead of PSG.
IMF Leader Praises US Global Corporate Tax Proposal
The IMF on Tuesday praised Washington’s proposal for a minimum global tax rate of 15 percent on corporations, say it would unlock more resources for governments to invest in areas like education, health or infrastructure.
While there have been proposals for setting the rate at as much as 21 percent, “anything that is above what today in many places is 10 (percent) or even lower is a benefit,” said Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
The Washington-based crisis lender has long advocated an agreement on a common global tax, she said in a conversation with The Washington Post.
“Why? Because when we have it, there is no race to the bottom and less tax avoidance,” Georgieva said.
That means “more money in the public purse to invest in education and healthcare, and infrastructure, digitalization — all the good things we recognize we have to invest more into.”
However, she acknowledged the challenge in finding “the sweet spot” for the global economy between that idea and the best rate for national governments, given some countries have relied on low tax rates to compete.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries agreed in principle in 2015 to work on a plan to prevent corporations from evading taxes by moving headquarters to low-tax countries, a process known as base erosion and profit shifting.
Years of negotiations made little progress, but the discussions were revived with the arrival of President Joe Biden in the White House.
Last week, his administration proposed to OECD partners a tax rate on multinationals of at least 15 percent, the first time the United States has formally suggested a global minimum rate.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will attend next week’s meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven advanced nations in London, who are expected to endorse the 15 percent proposal.
Her deputy, Wally Adeyemo, told Reuters on Monday that he expects to see “a lot of unified support” for the plan from the G7 nations.
The eurozone’s largest economies, Germany and France, have expressed support for the US plan.
The other issue dominating debate is how to handle taxation of major tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook.
The challenge is how to ensure “fair distribution” of taxes where the profits are made and where the companies are located, Georgieva said.
Nearly 90,000 Apply As Government Announces 6,000 Teaching Jobs In Tanzania
Tanzania’s Minister of State President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government’s), Ummy Mwalimu, announced in Parliament on Tuesday that the government received nearly 90,000 applications to fill some 6,000 teaching position in public schools.
The government floated 6,649 teaching positions early this month, which has already received a total of 89,958 just few days before the deadline for applicants. The application includes teachers volunteering in several public schools across the country.
Mwalimu said the government will be fair in the selection process without being bound by either gender, disabilities or academic qualification.
She said the selection priority will be on teachers volunteering but she cautioned that the state has noted with concern applicants with forged letters indicating their volunteering in some public schools.
The Minister’s remarks followed a supplementary question from Longido Constituency MP, Dr. Stephen Kiruswa (CCM). The legislator was concerned that most teaching positions have been limited prompting public schools to rely on volunteers.
He noted with concern that when they are hired, the government relocates the teachers volunteering from their previous schools. He said this while questioning the government on the need to retain the teachers volunteering on the schools.
On her part, the Minister said there has been a crisis in the hiring process, but the ministry was working to resolve the problem. She explained that the government was deliberating on recruiting those whose age is near 45 years and those who had graduated since 2012 but had not been employed.
Deputy Minister in the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Governments David Silinde said the government had received nearly 70,000 applications from teachers claiming to be volunteering.
Mother’s Take Up Front Line Of Colombia Protests.
A group of 10 Moms are calling themselves “Front Line Moms” as they protest to protect youth from alleged police violence.
To protect themselves, the mothers don glasses, face caps and water soaked bandana’s, standing in the frontlines of protests typically marked with hails of tear gas, rocks and fire hose streams.
The group has appeared in videos on social media, one of which shows a sound grenade thrown by police exploding near them during a demonstration.
Colombia’s government and national strike committee, made up of major unions and student groups, reached “pre-agreements” which the government said it hopes will lead to talks to end the almost one month of widespread protests.
The government says just 17 deaths are directly connected with marches, while human rights groups claim dozens more. The attorney general’s office says that while 129 of those reported missing are yet to be found, 290 people have been.
