Ethiopia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education says the establishment of the country’s higher education quality Council is instrumental in ensuring comprehensive human development and driving Ethiopian prosperity wheel.

Speaking at the occasion to officially set up the council, Science and Higher Education Minister Samuel Urkato (Ph.D) noted that the Council could add value to the nation’s human development efforts and pave the education programs in terms of policy in a more productive fashion.

He further stated that though Ethiopia has registered remarkable achievements in increasing access to education, quality, which has been requested for years by the community and other stakeholders, has not yet been met at all levels.

The Mknister has been working for quality education through devising various mechanisms in collaboration with pertinent stakeholders as it is the major inquiry of the country.

He said “Since the establishment of the Council is a major step, we have to invite expertise and potential professionals towards framing steps how human development can be ensured thereby fostering national prosperity and development. Hence, we should bring the culture of science to the communities and let them participate in developing it into practical aspects”.

According to him, as education is one of the fundamental factors for development, higher education institutions have to attach due emphasis to it to foster its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.

According to Samuel, today, more than ever before in human history, the wealth or poverty of nations highly depends on the quality of higher education since no country could assure progress as per societal expectation or economic development, peace, serenity, democratic culture tolerance and mutual respect without a good training and research system.

He added that the Council should be free from any form of political affiliation, stating that he is ready to provide it with all the necessary support to make it productive in achieving the intended target.

He further noted that the government has revised the education policy so as to fit with the reality on ground; other modalities are also developed to make sure all stakeholders partake in the education system.

Advisor to the Prime Minster Prof, Hirut Woldemariam on her part stated that the establishment of the Council can play a fundamental role in shaping the education system of Ethiopia.

She said quality education could not be achieved without the active engagements of all stakeholders.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, has called on stakeholders for intervention over the windstorm destruction of infrastructure at the institution.

She made the appeal to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Niger Delta Development Commission while inspecting the damages in Calabar.

The Vice Chancellor said that properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed by the windstorm that occurred during the heavy downpour of Thursday.

The buildings affected include the Medical College, Post Graduate School, Faculty of Education, Printing Press, Senate Chambers, open pavilion and Department of Medical Laboratory.

Others are the Senator Godswill Akpabio Engineering Lecture Theatre, telecommunication mast, the Isolation Centre, electrical and solar installations, the Vice Chancellor’s office as well as the male and females hostels among others.

Obi said that the windstorm was coming at a time when the University has yet to recover from the destruction of its facilities by hoodlums who hijacked the #Endsars protest on October 24, 2020 in Calabar.

The Registrar of the University, Gabriel Egbe, who was also on the inspection tour, appealed to relevant government agencies to come in and assist the University in the area of projects intervention.

The Student Union President of the University, James Ugah, also appealed to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to urgently intervene, especially in the hostel with a view to replace the damaged facilities.

The Management of the Kaduna State University has confirmed the upward review of its tuition fees but said consultations are ongoing with stakeholders.

The management made the confirmation in a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna by the university’s Public Relation Officer, Adamu Bargo.

Bargo explained that the upward review was due to the present reality and efforts to improve the standard of learning adding that the decision was also to enhance development in the university.

The PRO said that available record showed that N400 million was being spent monthly and N4.8 billion annually by the Kaduna State Government on payment of the university’s staff salaries.

He said that N25 million was also being spent as overhead monthly, while the university generates only N765.9 million as internally generated revenue annually.

He further stated that in 2020, N10 billion was allocated to the university meant for the execution of capital projects, but N5 billion was spent on overhead and personnel cost.

Bargo explained that the upward review of the tuition fees was a difficult decision based on the reality of the present time and that the university hopes to improve the quality of teaching and research activities as well as create more conducive atmosphere of learning for staff and students.

In the meantime, students have rejected the increase.

A medical student, Abdulrazak Shuaibu, who spoke on behalf of the students, said the tuition fees were increased from N26,000 to N150,000 for students in Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences.

Shuaibu who is a former President of Kaduna State Students Union, added that students in the Faculty of Medicine from the state would now pay N300,000 as against N24,000 while non-indigenes will pay N500,000.