England Teachers End Strikes As All Four Unions Accept Pay Deal

338 BC Macedonian army led by Philip II defeats combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean

216 BC Second Punic War: Battle of Cannae – Carthaginian army lead by Hannibal defeats numerically superior Roman army under command consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro

1776 Formal signing of the US Declaration of Independence by 56 people (date most accepted by modern historians)

1790 1st US census conducted, the population was 3,939,214 including 697,624 slaves

1832 Battle of Bad Axe, Wisconsin: 1,300 Illinois militia defeat Sauk & Fox Native Americans ending the Black Hawk War in the US

1858 Government of India transferred from East India Company to the British Crown

2018 Apple becomes the first American public listed company to reach $1 trillion in value

Historical Events Today Events in 2023

Today in Film & TV

1973 “American Graffiti”, directed by George Lucas and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard premieres at the Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland

Today in Music

1961 The Beatles 1st gig as house band of Liverpool’s Cavern Club

Today in Sport

1864 Saratoga Racecourse, America’s oldest Thoroughbred racetrack, opens its inaugural meet with four days of racing

MORE FACTS…

1937 Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, essentially rendering marijuana and all its by-products illegal

2017 First footage of white giraffes posted by Hirola Conservation Program in north eastern Kenya

Famous Weddings

1882 US educational pioneer Booker T. Washington (26) weds Fanny Smith

1904 Novelist Hermann Hesse (27) weds Maria Bernoulli

1930 Laurence McKinley Gould (33), American Geologist and Polar Explorer weds Margaret (“Peg”) Rice in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Kenya Education Changes to Take Effect Immediately – President Ruto

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August 2, 2023

Kenyan President, William Ruto says the country’s education system will undergo immediate changes.

This follows Tuesday’s launch of the report of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform at State House in Nairobi.

He said the new system will inculcate innovation and facilitate learners to explore their talents.

He said Education is central to our human capital development, that is why the Government is intentionally investing in quality education.

He explained that the government will ensure the provision of quality, inclusive and relevant education.

He called on stakeholders to direct their attention towards the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

The Head of State added that there is a lot to be done in terms of policy, legislative, organizational, strategic and administrative measures to actualize the recommendations.

Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua noted that the new system will ease burden on children and give them room to exploit their skills.

He said it was time Kenya’s education was made more competitive and rewarding.

The Working Party’s Chairman, Raphael Munavu said the findings of the report was based on primary information gathered across the country.

Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu argued that the Ministry of Education will continue formulating and implementing appropriate education and training policies to churn out competent human power.

Implementing New Varsity Curriculum Will Boost Graduates Employability Skills — NUC

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August 2, 2023

The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Chris Maiyaki says the Commission is working assiduously with key stakeholders to change the narrative on the dissonance between skills and employment potentials of graduates from Nigerian universities.

He said one of the primary objectives of the recently launched Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) by the Commission, when implemented, would address the skill gaps and make Nigerian graduates employable and employers of labour.

He said the new CCMAS is premised on the understanding that the university system is the bedrock of the intellectual and socio-economic progress of any nation.

He spoke in Abuja at the 2023 International Summer School and Conference of the African Centre for Career Enhancement and Skills Support (ACCESS) added that NUC is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that universities are equipped with the necessary tools, facilities, and skills to nurture employable graduates.

Stakeholders at the event expressed worry about reports that about 40 percent of Nigeria’s youth population are unemployed, and this is the cause of numerous social vices such as kidnapping, drug trafficking, armed robbery, cultism, and terror threats, to mention a few

The acting NUC executive secretary said the Commission has also made entrepreneurship study compulsory for students in all universities in Nigeria, in addition to curriculum re-engineering and collaboration with industry to enhance the employability of Nigerian graduates.

While speaking further at the conference, themed Cultivating New Frontiers in Employability Research for Skills and Career Enhancement, Maiyaki said graduates must be fully equipped to face the challenges of a dynamic and interconnected world, constantly advancing in technology.

He said the improvement and update of educational programmes constituted a continuum that must align with the realities of global best practices.

Maiyaki also pledged that the conference would harness some of the topical issues, best practices, and emerging trends worldwide while formulating implementation machinery with concrete implementable actions to drive graduates’ employability.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew David Adejo called on tertiary institutions as well as captains of industry to devise a means and strategy to train Nigerian graduates that would be fit for the labour market.

Adejo noted that with the increasing number of tertiary institutions, especially universities, graduates coming out from these institutions cannot find jobs because of the problem of employability.

He said that the missing link between academia and industries must be addressed so that graduates would possess skills that would make them employable.

Striking Writers And Studios Will Meet This Week To Discuss Restarting Negotiations

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August 2, 2023

Union leaders told striking Hollywood writers Tuesday night that they plan to meet with representatives for studios to discuss restarting negotiations after the first official communication between the two sides since the strike began three months ago.

The Writers Guild of America sent an email to members saying that the head of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations, requested a meeting on Friday to discuss the resumption of contract talks.

“We’ll be back in communication with you sometime after the meeting with further information,” the email read. “As we’ve said before, be wary of rumors. Whenever there is important news to share, you will hear it directly from us.”

It was not immediately known whether a similar overture was made to union leaders for Hollywood actors, who have been on strike since July 14.

Asked about the prospect of talks with either guild, a spokesperson for the AMPTP in an email said only that “We remain committed to finding a path to mutually beneficial deals with both Unions.”

An email to a representative from the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which represents striking film and television actors, was not immediately returned.

Talks between screenwriters and their employers collapsed on May 1, and the first of the two strikes that have frozen production in Hollywood began a day later. Issues behind the strike include pay rates amid inflation, the use of smaller writing staffs for shorter seasons of television shows, and control over artificial intelligence in the screenwriting process.

Inclusive Education Centre Trains Teachers, Parents On Special Needs Education

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August 2, 2023

The Inclusive Education and Individualized Education Plan Centre (IEIEPC) has trained teachers and parents on effective strategies and skills for teaching and caring for learners with special needs.

At a two-day training, which took place at SUBEB Hall, Maryland, Lagos, the Director, Inclusive Education and Individualized Education Plan Centre (IEIEPC), Oyeyinka Oluwawumi said the training is aimed at equipping teachers and parents with skills to better maximize the potential of learners with special needs.

Oluwawumi urged for support from the government and good-spirited individuals within and outside the country, adding that the centre’s effort is born out of a passion for advocacy and a desire to help reduce the skills gap between educators and parents of learners with special needs.

He said Many a time, parents of children with disabilities are faced with difficulties of looking after their children alone, be it socially, economically or financially, hence they are mainly left with a huge burden and emotional trauma and sometimes there is a lack of adequate services/support or some services that are available are quite expensive for them to employ.

A Guest speaker at the training and Head of Special Education, Uncommon Schools, New York, USA, Marissa Gutherz, said that lessons from the training will help parents and teachers of learners with special needs in motivating and supporting them in their learning.

She said when working with children with special needs, they need a lot of consistency and structure in order to be successful.

She added that the traditional school environment is not very helpful and can be very overwhelming because there are a lot of students and teachers and many things going on. So, teaching teachers how to have special schedules or special interventions to support the students helps their minds organise and helps decrease anxiety.

She said students with special needs are so because their brain functions in a different way, so, giving teachers these strategies to helps them teach in a way that is different from the way to teach a normal child.

A lecturer with the Special Education Department, University of Ibadan, Udeme Jacob, in his lecture on Inclusion Revolution: Best Practices for Special Education, harped on the need for an inclusive learning environment for regular learners and learners with special needs.

He said the government should try as much as possible to make the environment a conducive one, modify certain things like the sitting arrangement in the classrooms so that these learners can be accommodated.

The Board Secretary, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Lamidi Akeem appreciated the IEIEPC for organizing the training and urged the participants to maximize the lessons from the training.

Some of the participants at the training, including Afolabi Oyebade, Chairman, Nigeria Association of Special Education Teachers, Lagos State chapter and Agnes Adeyemi, Head of Unit, Ooreofe Inclusive Unit, Lagos, said the training equipped them with beneficial strategies and skills which they will deploy in teaching their students.

NFVCB Tasks Nigerian Filmmakers, Associations On Professionalism

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August 2, 2023

Executive Director, Adedayo Thomas, of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) on Tuesday urged filmmakers, associations, and guilds in film productions to intensify efforts in promoting professionalism in the industry. The task was made during a stakeholders’ interactive session organized by NFVCB, in Lagos, Nigeria.

In his words, Adedayo stated that the associations and guilds must work on sensitizing their members to desist from cutting costs at the expense of achieving professionalism.

“Stop cutting costs at the expense of professionalism, I can only pick a few associations growing this industry, we should all be involved in moving the industry forward.

“I am happy at this point that NFVCB has been able to make your associations, guilds, and the federation formidable.

“No association has written to us in recent times that they need any form of assistance to host their events, this is because NFVCB has created the platform for you to be sustainable.

“We want you all to work more on being the true professionals that you are,” he said.

Thomas advised film producers and directors to work in synergy with the 19 registered associations and guilds, in ensuring actors, technicians, make-up artists, and all other players involved in the process of movie production are selected from the registered associations and guilds.

He said this would further strengthen the guilds and associations while practitioners in the industry who had yet to register with professional associations would be spurred to do so.

“I want you all producers and directors to make sure only registered association members are engaged in your films.

“This will make those gallivanting around the register while we clean up the quacks and your associations will become stronger.

“This can only be done through collaborations and constant engagement.

“This industry is like a tree with branches, collaboration is key,” he said.

Thomas hinted to the stakeholders that the annual digital conference for the industry would hold from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 and proposed to honor the late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.

He said that NFVCB received and censored 541 movies produced by the film industry in the second quarter, describing such a feat as laudable.

He noted that the issue of a downward review of censorship fees for stakeholders was not feasible, considering the increased cost of operations.

Earlier, Emeka Aduah, President, of Film and Video Producers and Marketers of Nigeria (FVPMAN), urged NFVCB to consider the downward review of censorship fees for producers given the economic situation of the country.

Also, Ikechukwu Okafor, a member, of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), who supported the review of censorship fees, said this was necessary considering the low-income independent producers.

Okafor said this category of individuals only distribute their content on YouTube and generates minimal revenue.

On his part, Bolaji Amusan, National President of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), appreciated the efforts of the NFVCB executive director in strengthening the various guilds and associations.

Amusan appealed to the leadership of NFVCB to intensify efforts in moving the industry forward by working more with the heads of the associations and guilds.

Zamfara Governor To Revatalize Education Sector

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August 2, 2023

Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal says his administration is committed to the revitalization of the education sector at all levels.

The Governor gave the indication when he paid an unscheduled visit to the College of Health Science and Technology, Tsafe.

The Governor’s race spokesman, Sulaiman Bala Idris said that the visit was to assess the level of infrastructural challenges confronting the school.

He said the Governor was taken around the school by the Provost, Hamisu Yusuf Yelwa, where he inspected and assessed the condition of the classrooms and students’ hostels.

He said part of the buildings inspected were blocks of classrooms, the Dauda Lawal Dare Complex which was constructed by the Governor as part of his philanthropic services years before he was elected Governor.

While assessing the female hostels, Governor Lawal interacted with some of the students occupying it.

He said the Governor was worried about the condition of the infrastructural decay in the college and vowed to take swift action in addressing the problem.

He tasked the Provost to provide a detailed report of their needs, in his effort to overhaul the educational sector in the state.

Over 150 Dogs Join Race To Support Venezuelan Shelters

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August 2, 2023

People and their dogs attend a race to support Venezuelan shelters for animals, in Caracas, Venezuela. July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Efrain Otero

More than 150 dogs wearing colorful scarves on their necks participated alongside their owners in a race through Venezuela’s capital Caracas, which was organized to seek support for animal shelters in the country.

Runners and their pets ran for four kilometers (2.49 miles) across eastern Caracas in the second edition of the ‘Dog Running’ race.

Under Venezuela’s prolonged economic collapse, many have left pets in shelters or abandoned them on the streets. Household incomes have been hit by an annual inflation of about 400%, making it hard for pet owners to pay for the basic needs of their animals.

“In each edition (of the race) we support shelters that have taken in animals from the streets in precarious situations,” said Andreina Nedjme, organizer of the event.

All participants of the race paid $30 to run with their pets, aiming to give animals a good quality of life while they wait for a family, Nedjme added.

Runners interviewed on the sidelines of the race said they were happy to compete with their pets, noting such activities should be more encouraged in the city.

Katy Perry’s Backup Singer Turned Down Pop Music Career To Serve God

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August 2, 2023