The Namibian College of Open Learning has hosted its annual prize- giving ceremony to recognize the best performers in the National Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary/Advanced Subsidiary 2022 examinations.
The ceremony at the college’s head office was organized to celebrate the academic excellence of learners who overcame challenges and obstacles to excel in their studies.
The college and different stakeholders awarded scholarships, vouchers ranging between N$1,500 to N$4,500, and tablets to the best-performing learners to incentive them to continue striving for excellence.
Othello Joseph, the overall best- performing Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level (NSSCO) candidate from the Khomas region, received a scholarship worth N$15 000, a voucher worth N$4,500, and a tablet.
Fidel Malumani was the best overall Namibian Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary Level (NSSCAS) candidate, achieving three As.
He also scooped a scholarship worth N$15 000 and a voucher worth N$4 500.
Malumani, who came from Katima Mulilo, highlighted that Namcol provided him with the opportunity to improve his grades and change his mindset towards learning. He had to come up with study tactics and routines to reach his full potential.
He is now studying Electrical Power Engineering at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).
Namcol CEO, Heroldt Murangi said the college shrived over the years to move learners from lower grades to higher grades by creating an enabling environment.
He praised the emotional intelligence exhibited by the top-performing learners, who were able to adapt inter-personally and thrive in diverse situations.
The Rivers State government has handed over two of its schools to the Nigerian Navy.
The Model Secondary School Egberu in Oyigbo Council and Ambassador Nne Furu Kurugbo Model Secondary School, Ebube-Eleme, in Eleme Council of the state are the schools handed over to the navy.
During the handover in his office, the state Commissioner for Education, Prince Mmom, said the presence of the Navy in these locations would strengthen the security of the host communities and also boost the relationship between the state government and the Nigerian Navy.
Mmom, in a statement by the Senior Information Officer of the Ministry of Education, Tochi Abinye Pepple, said the state executive council consented to given the two schools to the Navy on their request for use as training college.
He urged the Navy to put the schools to use immediately and start necessary operations.
He added that the Rivers State government is enjoying a good relationship with the Nigerian Navy and this gesture will further strengthen that relationship.
Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Abdullahi Dewu, in a statement said the state government has given the Nigerian Navy the needed support, especially in the area of security, which has enhanced their operations in the waterways.
He thanked the state governor, Nyesom Wike, for being at the forefront of the fight against illegality in the maritime sector.
Dewu also promised on behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff that the facilities would be put to good use, adding that the Nigerian Navy will continue to fight against criminal elements in the state.
A leading publishing firm, Learn Africa, unveils e-book store to make learning and teaching easier for both students and teachers to enable digital learning
Managing Director of the organization, Hassan Bala, while launching the platform, reminded that technology is imperative for educational advancement, and investing in tech would enable the firm to provide more innovative and engaging learning experiences for students.
Bala said the firm has created a platform that provides easy access to educational materials for learners and teachers, regardless of their location.
He said the group understands the challenges facing education sector in Nigeria and is determined to bridge the gap by making educational materials more accessible to all.
He added that the e-book store offers a wide range of all our books at the per-primary, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary levels, covering various subjects and topics. Access will be granted to all the books based on a subscription model at a most affordable price of N500 per month.”
With its rich history of over 60 years, Bala said the firm is committed to delivering high-quality educational materials to students across the continent.
Apart from bridging educational gap, the company chief said the e-book store also offers an opportunity for Nigerians in the diaspora to access educational books written in line with the Nigerian curriculum.
He said, the e-book will enable them to stay connected with their roots while still accessing quality education materials from across the world.
At Learn Africa, we believe that education is key to unlocking potential of our continent. We are committed to providing access to quality education, and we believe that Ed tech and e-store are the future of education. By investing in these technologies, we are not only expanding our business, we are also contributing to the growth and development of the society,” Hassan stated.
He called on stakeholders, government agencies and non-governmental organizations as well as schools and parents to partner with the publishing outfit in its new initiative, saying, by working together, they can make a positive impact in the sector.
National President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela, commended the firm for the initiative and expressed the association’s readiness to embrace innovation.
Otubela said the association is convinced that the initiative would further sustain the attention of students who have been distracted because of so many activities on the Internet.
He added that the cost also sounds affordable to the purse of parents at N500 per month, which is further opened to negotiation for those who want to pay ahead per annum.
Otubela noted that the innovation would further assist students, teachers and other stakeholders in the sector to have all resources in one touch.
The fact that it’s also going to rate the children on time spent in solving a given task is quite encouraging. NAPPS is not only going to partner with learn Africa, it will ensure that the parents forum are carried along as this solution will serve as a mobile library for children to have access to all relevant books that can promote and enhance learning as they prepare for examinations. Teachers will also be delighted to use the solution, as it is going to afford them varieties of resource materials.
“We expect them to quickly launch the competition that will come on the platform to allow children test their ability in giving books they have read and class works they have been exposed to. We also expect that the competition will enhance reading culture so much that children are going to see reading as part of daily life,” Otubela added.
Even with the 2023 edition yet to hold and the search for that of 2025 is still on, Confederation of African Football has announced that the bid for the 2027 edition is now open.
According to CAF, the decision was also taken because of the requests by numerous CAF Member Associations and their Governments to host the AFCON competition.
CAF will announce the successful Nations that will host the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 and the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 at the same time before September this year.
The CAF Executive Committee was also updated on the substantial progress that is being made in relation to the inaugural African Super League that will kick off later this year.
Those who have sleep issues such as snoring may be at greater risk of having a stroke, a study has found.
The research looked at 4,496 people – 2,238 of which previously had a stroke and 2,258 of which previously did not.
Participants were asked about their sleeping patterns and habits, including the amount of sleep they had, the quality of sleep, whether they took naps, if they snored or snorted during sleep, and if they had breathing problems.
The research revealed that getting too much sleep or not getting enough, taking long naps, having poor sleep quality, snoring, snorting and sleep apnoea – where breathing is disrupted – can increase risk.
The risk became higher for those suffering from more than five of these symptoms.
Experts said their findings, published in the Neurology journal, did not show that sleeping problems caused stroke but that there was an association.
It was also revealed that snorers were almost twice as likely as non-snorers to have a stroke.
Stroke Prevention
Researchers found that people who slept for more than nine hours, or less than five, were more likely to have a stroke than people who had an average of seven hours.
Study author Christine McCarthy, from the University of Galway in Ireland, said: “Not only do our results suggest that individual sleep problems may increase a person’s risk of stroke, but having more than five of these symptoms may lead to five times the risk of stroke, compared to those who do not have any sleep problems.
“Our results suggest that sleep problems should be an area of focus for stroke prevention.”
Some Causes of Snoring?
Snoring can occur when airflow through the mouth and nose is blocked, with the tongue, mouth, throat or airways in the nose vibrating as a person breathes.
The vibration happens as these parts of the body relax and narrow when a person sleeps.
The National Health Service in England says you’re more likely to snore due to these factors:
• Being overweight
• Smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Sleeping position – mainly sleeping on your back
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed two shops in Abuja for allegedly selling unapproved aphrodisiacs to unsuspecting Nigerians.
The shops are located in the Zuba Central motor park and Utako main market.
According to the Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, NAFDAC, Mr. Tamanuwa Baba, the operation followed intelligence reports received about the shops.
He revealed that some of the unregistered aphrodisiacs are “Hajiya Ayesha Snuff, AK47, Bulletproof and Hajiya Aysha Maisanda.”
“The products are meant to boost sexual performance and some were said to have been manufactured in Ghana.
“NAFDAC laboratory analysis indicates that these products contain a chemical substance called Pyridine which is potentially harmful to the human body.
“We found a lot of unregistered products in the two shops. We will begin immediate investigations.”
Baba said that the agency has apprehended the sales representative in the Zuba shop pending when the owner of the shop will return from his journey.
He said, “We will get in touch with the owner of the shop to find out where he is sourcing these products from. But from the label on the products, some of them were allegedly manufactured in Ghana.
“What the sellers are saying is that these products usually make them high and some said that they are used as aphrodisiacs.
“After the investigation, these products are going to be destroyed because they have not been registered by us.
He said similar set of products were also discovered in a shop in Utako, known as Kabo Investment Limited.
Baba noted that it was scary that some of the products have flooded the Nigerian market and are fast spreading because the agency conducted a similar operation in Sokoto State, where some of the products were removed from a shop.
“I can tell you that Pyridine which is the chemical that is contained in some of these products can cause cancer, skin irritation and even lead to death.
According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, pyridine is a colourless liquid with an unpleasant smell.
The centre explained that it can be made from crude coal tar or from other chemicals and is used to dissolve other substances.
“It is also used to make many different products such as medicines, vitamins, food flavourings, paints, dyes, rubber products, adhesives, insecticides, and herbicides. Pyridine can also be formed from the breakdown of many natural materials in the environment.
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet warned that breathing in the colourless substance can irritate the nose and throat causing coughing and wheezing, and may damage the liver and kidneys, as well as affect the brain.
Stakeholders have demanded an open license for the generic production of HIV and Hepatitis C drugs to allow low and middle-income countries access to lifesaving medications.
The call was made during a news briefing organised by AIDS HealthCare Foundation in Abuja.
The Country Programme Director, AHF Nigeria, Dr. Echey Ijezie, called on Gilead, a pharmaceutical company based in the United States to stop evergreening patent on HIV and AIDS access to drugs like Truvada.
According to Ijezie, the company had priced several of its HIV and hepatitis C drugs out of the reach of many people, by refusing to register some drugs in developing countries.
He noted that Gilead had consistently blocked attempts to introduce cheaper generic versions of its medicines, which would benefit humanity.
Ijezie said Gilead, which was listed among the 15 largest biopharmaceutical firms in the world, puts profit before people’s lives, adding that in 2021, they generated over 27 billion dollars in revenue.
The Country Programme Director said the advocacy was a call by AHF on Gilead to put life first.
“First, stop evergreening patent right on existing HIV and AIDS drugs like Truvada. Secondly, they should open the license for the generic production of the hepatitis C drug, Harvoni, to allow middle and low-income countries access without exception.
“Thirdly, they should license the technology for the production of treatment for cryptococcal meningitis to generic manufacturers among others,’’ Ijezie said.
AHF Director for Advocacy and Marketing for Africa Bureau, Ms. Oluwkemi Gbadamosi, said Gilead should be held accountable for placing a price on the most effective, modern and lifesaving medicines
She decried the astronomical profit made by big pharmaceutical companies at the expense of people’s lives.
According to her, Gilead is notorious for exploiting patent monopolies on blockbuster drugs to enrich itself and its shareholders.
“The research and development are often funded by U.S. taxpayers, but for their generosity, the public is rewarded with astronomical drug prices.
She said, “For example, a highly effective hepatitis C drug cost 1,000 dollars per pill and a 12-week course of treatment has a retail price of over 90,000 dollars in the U.S.
“A generic version of the same drug cost only 4 dollars per pill in India, but according to Medecins Sans Frontieres, Gilead has excluded 50 middle-income countries from access to the generic discounted price.
“These exclude countries like Jamaica, Tunisia, the Philippines, Ukraine and Venezuela among others.”
Gbadamosi said over the years, Gilead had been criticised for blocking access to affordable treatment of cryptococcal meningitis, a deadly fungi disease that often affects people living with HIV.
She said, “Gilead holds a patent on the technology needed to produce the drug, therefore generic manufacturers cannot produce it at a lower cost.
“The company has promised but failed to deliver on a commitment to provide the drug to 116 countries at 16 dollars per vial, and has not even registered the drugs in these countries, but rely on local suppliers.”
The Advocacy Director said that for decades, Gilead had exacted a heavy toll on people living with HIV around the world by securing successive patent rights on tenofovir-based formulations for over two decades.
According to her, the company generated billions of dollars in profit by maintaining a monopoly on some of the most effective and well-tolerated antiretroviral drugs.
“In 2016 when the estimated cost of Atripla in the developing world was around $100 per patient per year, the U.S. government paid 30,000 dollars per patient, per year for the same drug,’’ she added.
Executive Secretary of Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with HIV/AIDS, Ms. Amber Erinunwinhe, said the group was standing strong on the advocacy to ensure that millions of people have access to affordable lifesaving drugs.
She said the lives of people must matter first before profiteering, hence the call on Gilead to end its monopolistic behaviour and ensure the license for generic production was made available.
“It is important for us to look at the lives of people. The people you are producing these drugs for should come first before profit.
“This is because if these lives are not there tomorrow, I don’t think they would make such a profit. I am happy the advocacy is not just in Nigeria, but a global one,’’ she said.
The Advocacy Specialist, Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, Mr. Micheal Edoh called on the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research to wake up and carry out more research that would focus on local vaccine production for the citizens.
He further lauded AHF for taking the lead in the advocacy by ensuring millions of people especially the community of persons living with HIV and AIDS have access to lifesaving medication.
Secretary of the Alliance for the Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond, Mr. Ade Atambi, said health was a fundamental right of citizens and a social service that must be provided by the government.
He said, “Government in all countries, especially in Nigeria, must be serious with the business of making resources available to fund public health institutions.
“They must stop the narrative of partnering and privatizing with the private sector. They must support the public sector funding.”
Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni has urged educators and academicians to lead the resistance against the attack on African identity.
Museveni said this at the first National Symposium on National Transformation, hosted this year by Makerere University Council, themed, ‘The role of universities in responding to Africa’s problems and development needs’.
The symposium took place at the Food Science and Technology Conference hall, Makerere University.
He added that the education system at university must put confidence back into the African people, but now because of the colonial thinking, blackness is frowned on.
In a speech read by Vice President, Jessica Alupo, Museveni also urged all educators to emphasis to their learners the crucial importance of large markets in bringing about transformation and development.
Keynote speaker, Vincent Anigbogu, director, Institute for National Transformation International, said a value-based education is important for nurturing the necessary integrity for bringing about social transformation.
Anigbogu noted that many of Africa’s universities are still at the first- generation or second-generation phase with just a few transiting into the third- generation phase.
Explaining how the social-impact university operates and relates, he gave an example of how Cambridge University transformed the Cambridgeshire county around it, hence the new concept of ‘Cambridge phenomenon’.
He added that university structures and systems have to be reformed and academicians be incentivized (through evaluation and promotion) to transition to the social-impact university, the university of the 21st century.
NMB Bank has handed various equipment to three district councils in Morogoro Region as part of its commitment to support health and education sector development
The NMB Bank Central Zonal Manager, Nsolo Mlozi said the bank’s support which is part of its corporate social responsibility seeks to create a shared value for communities where the bank operates.
He said the bank remains committed to working closely with all development partners including the government to enhance sustainable development in areas where we operate.
The bank after registering a record 429bn/- profit after tax last year committed 6.2bn/- to support various corporate social investments in its priority areas including health, education and emergencies this year.
The NMB Bank Government Relations Manager, Peter Massawe said the beneficiaries of the bank’s support include Bigwa College which received 100 chairs and 100 tables, Sinyaulima Ngerengere Primary School that received building materials.
Others are Chita Secondary School received 50 chairs and 50 tables, Ngoheranga that received 50 chairs and 50 tables, Mwembeni Malinyi Primary School that received 50 desks and Malinyi District Hospital that received eight delivery beds to enhance maternal health.
He said the support seeks to create a conducive environment for the beneficiaries in three district councils within the Morogoro Region, believing the donation will go a long way in minimising and addressing some of the challenges faced by the region.
The Malinyi District Commissioner, Sebastian Waryuba said the bank’s support came timely since his district is currently working on a strategy to improve social service delivery urging other companies to support its effort.
The Mlimba District Acting Executive Director, Kulaba Dotto said that the district still faces an acute shortage of desks noting that Chita Secondary School and Kalengakeru Primary School still face a shortage of 1690 tables and chairs.
The Parliamentary Friends of International Education has been officially launched in Australia, aiming to bring together sector stakeholders with legislators.
Federal education minister, Jason Clare joined the group’s co-chairs Liberal Party MP, Zoe McKenzie and Labor MP, Julian Hill at the launch event in Canberra.
The non-partisan forum allows MPs to meet and interact with international students and industry leaders from both the public and private sectors.
The group was established as part of advocacy activities by Australian sector leaders, as well as to improve the literacy about international education across parliament.
Issues the group hopes to address includes student experience, market distribution and the sustainability of growth.
The Chief executive of International Education Association of Australia, Phil Honeywood said that every study destination country has concerns about the strength of our social Licence to operate in the wider community.
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