Education, Dating & Traveling

WAEC Candidate Gives Birth In Exam Hall?

2014-05-06T01:54:00.000-07:00

A 22-year-old final year student of Akyem Swedru Senior High School (SHS) in Ghana was reported to have delivered a baby while writing the ongoing West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

According to reports, the students were writing Biology paper when the pregnant girl began to scream, attracting the attention of the invigilators. The student had allegedly delivered the baby boy without the assistance of her colleagues.

Daily Guide reports: She was later rushed to the Akyem Roman Catholic Hospital for medical attention. Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE has gathered that the baby boy had been named Kwaku Biology – (Kwaku, for the day he was born and Biology, the paper the student was writing before the delivery).

According to some sources, the student was impregnated by her fiancé but the man refused to contact the girl’s family because he claimed the girl was too fat. The mother of the student, Mama Yaa, told the paper via telephone that she had no knowledge of her daughter’s pregnancy. Danwono A.K. Michael, the headmaster of Akyem Swedru Senior High School, expressed surprise at the development, stating that the student never toyed with her studies.

UNIZIK Cut-Off Admission for 2014/2015 Stands at 180

2014-05-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we promised to bring you all the latest cut off marks for the various university. Just got a report that the Senate Committee of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University has concluded that the cut-off mark for 2014/2015 admission into the institution is 180. This means that if you have applied for admission into UNIZIK and scored up to 180; you stand a chance of being admitted into the school. Start preparing for your post-UTME and stay informed to know when the post-UTME form will be on sale.

US Woman Duped Via Internet Love Scam Of N56M

2014-05-01T04:09:00.003-07:00

henry ogu

People should be vigilant because internet scammers are very much busy looking for their next prey. Premium times reports that the Police Special Fraud Unit, SFU, has arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly operating an internet fraud syndicate that specializes in defrauding unsuspecting wealthy foreign women who are in dire need of husbands.

Yunusa Okonkwo

Henry Ogu, and his accomplice, Yunusa Okonkwo, 42, were arrested after defrauding a New Jersey lady of US$350,000 (about N56 million) via an internet dating site.

In a statement on Wednesday, the SFU said that it received an e-mailed petition from a U.S. citizen, whom it did not name, sometime in April 2013. The petitioner alleged that she met Mr. Ogu on a dating site.

According to the petition, the couple started a relationship which lasted for months until the Mr. Ogu allegedly manipulated and made the lady to believe that he was in trouble in Nigeria and needed some financial assistance.

“She further stated that she sent the sum of $350,000.00 US Dollar to the two account numbers provided by the suspect,” the police said in the statement signed by Ngozi Isintume-Agu, Police Public Relations Officer, SFU.

“The account numbers belonged to Faneece Business Services International, owned by Mr. Okonkwo of No. A1 Giwa Road, U/Muazu Kaduna where he was subsequently arrested. His arrest led to the arrest of the principal suspect, Henry Chinedu Ogu.”

Mr. Okonkwo, a native of Amuri Nkanu West local council of Enugu State, is a patent medicine dealer who runs a Bureau De Change.

He confessed that he is the account holder of Faneece Business Services International, according to the police, and admitted that he provided his two bank accounts for the transactions.

“He also stated that the 2nd suspect, Henry, provided him with his account number where he transferred the money after converting it to Naira. The account detail is … with account name Raydeus Synergy Nigeria Limited. He also added that he always deduct his commission of N2.00 per Dollar before paying in the money,” said the police.

“Henry Chinedu Ogu, from Amafor – Ishingwa Umuahia, Abia State, claimed to be one of the Directors of a company called Raydeus Synergy Nigeria Limited. He confessed to the alleged crime that he sent the account details of the 1st suspect to the victim who in turn paid the sum of $295,000.00 Dollars into the account which the 1st suspect Yunusa converted to Naira before paying into his Diamond Bank.

“He corroborated the Complainant’s statement that they met on a dating site last year January 2013 and started communicating and exchanging e-mails.

“He also confessed that he deceived the victim into believing that he wanted to marry her but was stranded in Nigeria and needed financial assistance. He further admitted that he had spent all the money, that he used N9million to purchase a heavy duty generating plant which the Police had recovered.

“Also he purchased a plot of land for N800,000.00 along Lagos – Ibadan Expressway. The cash sum of N2million was also recovered from him.”

The police said that investigation has continued and the suspect would be charged to court soon.

“The Commissioner of Police, SFU, CP Umar Farouk Idris uses this medium to reassure the public of the Unit’s commitment to fight internet fraudsters and advises that such cases should be promptly reported through the Unit e-mail addresses: specialfraudunitlagos@yahoo.com sfulagos@yahoo.com info@specialfraudunit.org.ng,” the police added.

List of UK Scholarships for International Students in 2014

2014-04-28T05:24:00.002-07:00

Lots of international students in African and other countries are not aware of the many opportunities they have to obtain a scholarship to study in the United kingdom. The scholarship are divided into two broad categories, the UK government scholarship and UK University scholarship.

UK Government Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships
The Chevening UK Scholarships is the flagship scholarship scheme of the British Government. Every year, 1000 scholarships are given to exceptional international students who wants undertake postgraduate study at UK Universities.

Commonwealth Scholarships
The Commonwealth Scholarships are targeted to students from developing Commonwealth countries who wants to pursue Master’s, PhD, and split-site (PhD) study in the UK. These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme
The Shared Scholarship Scheme is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (with funding from DFID), and UK universities, to support scholarships for students from developing Commonwealth countries who wants to pursue postgraduate studies at UK Universities towards the development of their home countries.

UK University Scholarships

Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Gates Cambridge Scholarships are full-cost awards for graduate study and research in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. The scholarships are open to all international students from all over the world. A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge namely: university fees, maintenance allowances, airfare, and some dependant’s allowance. About 100 new Gates Scholars are awarded annually.

Rhodes Scholarships at University of Oxford
Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international scholarship program in the world. The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards that supports exceptional international students from selected countries at the University of Oxford. A Rhodes Scholarship covers all university fees, personal stipend, health insurance, and airfare to and from the student’s home country. A class of 83 Scholars are selected each year.

Cardiff University Scholarships for International Students
In recognition of the outstanding talent of many international students, Cardiff University offers a highly prestigious International Scholarship Fund designed to attract and reward the brightest students. There is a wide range of distinct scholarships available annually, at all academic levels: Undergraduate (3 scholarships), Postgraduate Taught – Masters (6 scholarships), and Postgraduate Research – PhD (not specified). The scholarships will cover full tuition fees for the duration of the studies.

University of Birmingham Scholarships for International Students
The University of Birmingham is offering 18 individual scholarships for international candidates commencing a one year Masters programme. The scholarships are worth £10,000 towards the cost of tuition fees for a one year masters course. These awards are for tuition fees only and cannot be used for maintenance/living costs.

ISH-London Met Scholarship Scheme
London Metropolitan University and International Students House (ISH) offers a joint scholarship programme for international students from selected countries who wish to pursue a Master’s Degree Programme at the University. The scholarship programme offers a full tuition fee scholarship and includes one year’s free accommodation at International Students House.

Bristol University International Office Scholarships
The University of Bristol is offering ten International Office Scholarships for new international students who wish to pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate degrees at the University. The scholarships are worth £8,500 which can go towards your tuition fee.

University of West London International Ambassador Scholarships
The International Ambassador Scholarship recognises and provides financial support for outstanding students who wish to pursue a full time undergraduate or postgraduate degree at University of West London. The scholars will act as international ambassadors for the University of West London. Up to 100 scholarships are worth up to £5,000 ($7,500 USD) which can go toward tuition fees.

University of West England Global Student Scholarships
The University of the West of England, Bristol offers more than £100,000 worth of scholarships for international students each year. This includes the Global Student Scholarship and Chancellor’s Scholarship wherein the recipient will be required to undertake an internship working within the Global Student Support/International Development Office. The scholarships cover the full tuition fee.

Sheffield Hallam University Transform Together Scholarships for Non-EU Students
Transform Together scholarships are open to students from any non-EU country applying to study full time postgraduate or undergraduate programme at Sheffield Hallam University. The scholarships are specially targeted to international students who want to represent the international student body at Sheffield Hallam University. The scholarships include a one-year full tuition fee waiver for full-time taught postgraduate courses and 50% tuition fee discount for each year of an undergraduate course (subject to successful progression).

University of Westminster International Scholarships
University of Westminster awards scholarships to eligible students from any developing country who wish to study in the UK and pursue a full-time Masters degree in any field of study at the University of Westminster. The scholarship awards full tuition fee waivers, accommodation, living expenses and flights to and from London.

Developing Solutions Scholarships at University of Nottingham
The Developing Solutions Scholarships are designed for international students from Africa, India or one of the developing countries of the Commonwealth who want to study a Masters Degree at the University of Nottingham and make a difference to the development of their home country. Each year, 105 scholarships are awarded– 30 scholarships will cover the full tuition fee while 75 will cover 50% of the tuition fee.

Edinburgh Global Development Academy Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh offers Masters Scholarships for international students from least developing countries as for eligible Master’s programmes offered by the University. There will be 2 Master’s scholarships covering the overseas rate of tuition fee for students from less developed countries.

University of Bradford Scholarships for Developing Countries in Crisis
The University of Bradford Countries in Crisis Scholarships are intended to aid students in financial hardship due to the fact that they are domiciled in a country that is in crisis as a result of the political situation, war, natural disaster etc. Each scholarship is worth approximately £20,000 which includes full tuition fees and accommodation plus £2000 per annum living costs.

University of East Anglia Development Scholarships
The University of East Anglia is offering partial and full scholarships for students from developing/low-income countries. The scholarships are for Bachelors or Masters Degree in International development courses offered by the School of International Development. Multiple International Development Scholarships worth £1,000 fees awards and One (1) International Development Full Fees Scholarship are offered to international taught applicants on the basis of academic excellence and their personal statement.

Check out UK and Nigeria University head to head(MUST READ)

2014-04-28T02:34:00.001-07:00

When people are asked why African nations are struggling in areas of development, governance and many others,when the developed world are flourishing, many are quick to give excuses ranging from bad leadership, corruption,ethnicity e.t.c. In this post , i like to present a different approach to these problems. I sincerely think African biggest problem is lack of a well structured Education system. For simplicity, i like to use Nigeria and UK as a case study because i have lived in both countries well enough and i have gotten degrees in both. It has been very easy to discover educational patterns that make the UK what it is today and also the patterns that characterizes the Nigeria education system.

1. UK built their education system around their own way of living, their culture and to solve their own problems while Nigeria adopted a system that is so different from its way of life in many areas.

2. Research findings from studies in the UK are integrated into the system to impact government and citizens positively while research findings from Nigeria universities are stacked in unread books and journals and don't impact the lives of the ordinary man.

3. Quality education is made accessible to all in the UK while only the rich can afford the allegedly "good education" in Nigeria.

4. Education research, project and studies are sponsored by the government and business organizations to a large scale in the UK while government and business sponsored researches in Nigeria is almost non-existent. Interested and smart individuals inconvenience themselves to carry out researches and the fact that the results are swept under the carpet make this so painful.

5. In the latest QS ranking, UK currently boast about 17 universities in the world's best 100 university while no Nigeria University is in the top 1000 world universities.

To say African continent will undergo a major turn around if they tackle their education crisis is an understatement. Lets all join hands to make African work.

2014 Top 20 Universities In Nigeria Based On Web Ranking

2014-04-27T17:59:00.002-07:00

According to 41cu.org,an international higher education search engine and directory reviewing accredited Universities and Colleges in the world, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is the best web ranking university in Nigeria.

The current ranking is based upon an algorithm including five unbiased and independent web metrics extracted from three different search engines:

Google Page Rank

Alexa Traffic Rank

Majestic Seo Referring Domains

Majestic Seo Citation Flow

Majestic Seo Trust

Check out the first 10 universities in Nigeria:

Check out the remaining top 20 universities,,

UK'S Ten most competitive business degree courses

2014-01-29T02:42:00.000-08:00

Are you very competitive and currently thinking of a business degree in the UK and don't know which university will be well suited for your needs, here is a list of the top 10 most competitive business degree courses as compiled by the Telegraph, UK

10. Durham University

Students on Durham's business course have an average Ucas points tally of 429. Durham's business course also has the lowest proportion of international students on this list, at just 25 per cent.

9. University College London (UCL)

UCL business students average 438 Ucas points, and are the oldest of the student bodies on this list - 11.1 per cent of them are mature students.

8. University of Exeter

University of Exter's business course is one of the UK's most prestigious, demanding an average 453 Ucas points from its accepted applicants, but has the highest student:staff ratio of the universities in this list, with 64.8 students per member of staff.

7. King's College London

King's College London take seventh place on this list, with 466 Ucas points being the average requirement for a successful application. It has one of the lowest male:female ratios on this list, with female slightly outnumbering males (0.92 males per female).

6. The University of Bath

Bath's business students have an average 471 Ucas points, and collectively make up the largest student body on this list, with 855 students enrolled in 2011/12.

5. Imperial College London

Imperial makes our top 10 with its prestigious business course, whose 75 students - the smallest student body on this list - have an average 478 Ucas points each.

4. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

The fourth and highest-ranked London university on this list of top business degrees expects its students to pick up 478 Ucas points. It also has the highest propostion of part-time students on this list, at 3.1 per cent.

3. University of Warwick

Warwick takes third spot, with 490 Ucas points the usual asking price for admission. At 62.6 per cent, Warwick has one of the highest proportion of international students on the list.

2. University of St Andrews

The only Scottish institution on this list boasts the second-best business course by entry requirements in the UK, with 524 Ucas points typically held by its undergraduates. At 86.8 per cent, its student satisfaction rate is the highest of those on this list for which we have information.

1. University of Oxford

The top ranked business course in the UK by entry requirements is at the country's oldest university - Oxford business students have an average of 560 Ucas points. It is also the only course on this list with a 100 per cent completion rate, and has the highest departmental expenditure per student (£30,753).

Graduate jobs: top 12 degree subjects for getting a job in the UK

2014-01-28T14:08:00.001-08:00

This is list of top 12 courses in the UK that can land you a job quickly after graduation as compiled by the Telegraph,UK .

12. Business & administrative studies

Turns out you don't need need to win The Apprentice to forge a career in the City - for 85 per cent of graduates, a business degree did just as well (or better, in the case of some of Lord Sugar's winners).

11. Architecture, building and planning

"The skies of London are busy with cranes that froze or disappeared in 2008," according to Mayor of London and Telegraph columnist Boris Johnson. And here's more good news for architecture students - 85.2 per cent had found jobs or further study within six months of graduation

10. Historical & philosophical studies

A perhaps surprising inclusion in the top 10 is historical and philosophical studies graduates, 85.4 per cent of whom had landed jobs or further studies within six months of finishing their degrees. However, that's down from 90 per cent the previous year - a golden era for historians, seemingly.

They still beat students of subjects which failed to make the list including physics and computer science.

9. Engineering

Experts everywhere have been making robust predictions for the growth of "Stem" jobs (science, technology, engineering and maths) - and so far they don't seem to be wrong. Engineering graduates performed well in the job market last year, with 85.4 per cent landing either a job or further education within six months.

8. Languages

Much as we Brits hate to admit it, the ability to speak another language is a highly sought-after skill in the job market these days – and 86 per cent of 2011/12 language graduates have the jobs to prove it.

7. Mathematical sciences

Mathematicians are clearly in demand – 86.5 per cent had landed jobs or further education positions within 6 months of 2011/12 graduation. Let's just hope their skills are being employed to better effect than tweaking Libor rates or inventing impossibly complex financial derivatives.

6. Biological sciences

Studying biological sciences isn't all about field trips chasing elephants around the savannahs. Some 87.1 per cent of recent graduates have walked into jobs or more studies, with biotech and other related industries currently booming.

5. Law

If there's one degree choice which has always been seen as a near-guarantee of well-paid employment it has to be law. That appears as true today as ever, with 88.6 per cent of 2011/12's law graduates finding themselves work or study - although it is worth noting that around half of these went into some form of further study.

4. Subjects allied to medicine

This broad category encompasses degrees such as biomedical science and neurology. Across the spectrum an impressive 91.8 per cent of students were able to quickly find work.

3. Veterinary science

Treated as a separate subject from medicine and dentistry by the bods at HESA this year, veterinary science still holds its own in the employment stakes, with 91.9 per cent in either work or study six months after graduation.

In fact, purely in terms of employment it ranks second, with 85 per cent of grads finding work immediately in the UK, and another 3 per cent finding employment overseas.

2. Education

Whatever you think of Michael Gove's reforms, this statistic seems to show how much we still need teachers – 92.6 per cent of all those leaving university with degrees relating to education picked up work or further study right away.

Some 15 per cent were in either part- or full-time study, and just one per cent were working overseas.

1. Medicine & dentistry

A predictable number one, but the margin is still remarkable. A massive 99.4 per cent of all students graduating in medicine or dentistry landed themselves jobs or further study within six months of graduating. 92 per cent went straight into work in the UK.

Surprisingly, relatively few of these new doctors found their jobs in Australia: just 15 of the 7,095 graduates who replied to the survey were working abroad - exactly the same number as were unemployed.

US-Based Nigerian Awarded Physician Of The Year

2013-07-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

National Medical Association, NMA, has selected a Nigerian, Prof. Samuel Dagogo–Jack, as the NMA Internal Medicine Section Physician of the year 2013, Dagogo-Jack, a Professor of Medicine and Director, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and Director, Clinical Research Centre at the University of Tennessee Health Science Centre, Memphis, U.S.A., was selected based on his work in pathology of pre-diabetes and diabetes.

The letter conveying his selection read: “You have been selected to receive this honour based on your work and research in pathology of pre-diabetes and diabetes and your continued dedication to the NMA Internal Medicine Section.

“We would like to honour you during our annual NMA 2018 Convention and Scientific Assembly in Toronto, Canada, at our Internal Medicine Section dinner on Sunday evening, July 28th, 2013.”

Dagogo-Jack, who hails from Rivers State, holds the A.C. Mullins Endowed Chair in Translational Research at the University of Tennessee.

He also holds an MD and a second doctorate in medical research from the University of Ibadan College of Medicine back home in Nigeria, an MSc from the University of Newcastle‚ he is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, the American College of Physicians and the American College of Endocrinology.

ASUU Threatens To Extend Strike

2013-07-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Benin zone, has threatened that the ongoing strike embarked upon by the union could be prolonged if President Goodluck Jonathan repeats the mistakes of previous administrations.

Speaking to journalists at the University of Benin main campus, Coordinator of the zone and member of the National Executive Council of ASUU, Dr. Sunny Ighalo, said the strike could be indefinite if government remained insensitive to lecturers’ plight and refused to honour the agreement it had with the union.

Giving an update on the three-week strike, Ighalo said this time around, the action would be total and comprehensive in all Nigerian universities. Ighalo said members would not shift ground except government honoured the agreement it entered into with ASUU, adding that members would not yield to government’s threat of no-work-no-pay rule.

He said, “It is clear that the Jonathan government has not learnt anything from the mistakes of previous governments in Nigeria that are notoriously known for fragrant disregard for agreements, due process and rule of law.

“Government must be compelled to find a solution to the brain drain issue and infrastructure decay in the system.

This is what this ongoing strike action is all about. All these problems are a product of underfunding and deliberate neglect of our universities by the government.

The 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement is meant to arrest these problems and restore our universities to the path of progress and reckoning. “We are on strike for the same reasons of government insensitivity, unwillingness and inability to keep and implement the agreement it entered with ASUU.

“The major source of problem in Nigeria’s universities has been government’s gross underfunding of the universities and lack of basic infrastructure including research equipment for sound academic learning and relevant studies by students and lecturers.”

Ighalo said the strike was aimed at rescuing the country’s universities from further decline and urged stakeholders, including parents, to hold the Federal Government accountable for the “wasteful period the exercise would last.”

Obafemi Awolowo University Inaugurates N600m ICT Centre

2013-07-21T09:27:00.002-07:00

The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has launched a centre of excellence in software engineering built and equipped at a cost of N600 million ($4m).

The construction of the N450 million building housing the centre was funded by Skye Bank Nigeria Plc. Procurement and installation of ICT equipment at the centre, valued at $3 million (N450 million), was funded through the Step B/World Bank Project.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, who inaugurated the centre, said that the mission of the university with regard to ICT was to harness modern technology for effectiveness and efficiency for the benefit of all.

“The problem of large classes will soon be a thing of the past as lecturers and students can interact real time online,’’ he said.

He appealed to financial institutions, the private sector as well as the institution’s alumni to take a cue from the gesture of Skye Bank.

In his remark, the Group Managing Director of Skye Bank, Mr Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, said that the decision of the bank to build the centre was in line with the organisation’s philosophy.

“It is our desire to support causes that are of benefit to aid the extension of the frontiers of education.

“The application of information technology in our education has assumed a more important dimension as it confers several advantages.

“It is expected that the ICT centre will enhance the operational efficiency of the university,’’ he said.

Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba, Pro Chancellor of the university, commended Skye Bank for the gesture, saying the desire of the university council was to leave the institution better than they met it.

“With this magnanimity from Skye Bank, the university should maintain its lead in ICT education with a view to developing software that is technologically advanced, but purposely indigenous.

“OAU is coming to a point where we should be able to produce indigenous computers, IPADs, IPODs and other gadgets to address the realities facing Nigeria,’’ Ndoma-Egba said.

The facilities at the centre include a tele-presence centre, cloud computing laboratory, software studio and students’ internet access laboratory.

Nigerian Student Needs N5m For An Open Heart Surgery

2013-07-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah Emmanuel is a Nigerian student at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. He is 22, but looks like a 12-yr old child.

His problem is that he is ravaged by diseases.

Since he was aged 3, he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease and was placed on drugs.

Campaigners on his behalf said his condition was stable for some years, but the disease has since resurfaced, and now more vicious.

Right now the heart disease has made his stomach, legs and private part swollen and he needs an Open Heart Surgery in India, to stay alive.

Doctors diagnosed his health defect as Ventricular septal defect.

We can all be indifferent and allow Jeremiah to die, but we certainly will all bear the burden of guilt for not helping a fellow Nigerian when it matters most.

The funding goal for the surgery has been fixed at $30,000 (5million naira), according to Aminat Adebukola Wahab of Shawttynatt Online Media.

University Withdraws From ASUU Strike

2013-07-20T02:13:00.001-07:00

The Adamawa State University’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced its withdrawal from the on-going nationwide strike called by its national body.

Reports say that the development followed a vote of "no confidence" passed by some lecturers on the chapter’s executive council in Mubi on Thursday.

The vote was passed during a special congress where Dr Kamkwis Zira was nominated as the new acting Chairman.

Zira, who announced the withdrawal, accused the ousted executive council members of joining the nationwide strike without due consultation with members.

"The new executive council has met with the university authorities and resolved to resume lectures on Monday,’’ the new acting Chairman said. In a swift reaction however, the ousted chapter chairman, Molem Ishaku, said he was still in charge and that the strike would continue. Ishaku described his removal as "an illegal development that cannot stand’’.

When contacted on the development, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Alkasum Abba, said all he knew was that the chapter’s ASUU had withdrawn from the on-going industrial action.

ASUU, FG meeting deadlocked as strike continues

2013-07-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

The negotiations among the Senate, the Federal government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU), over the ongoing industrial action embarked by universities lecturers ended without all parties reaching any reasonable compromise.

The meeting which was at the instance of the chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, PDP Abia North, was called to pacify the striking lecturers with a bid to finding a common ground, so that normal academic activities can commence.

However, reports from the meeting revealed that all efforts to push for calling off of the strike proved abortive as members of ASUU stood their grounds.

The reports also came in that for well over seven hours, Chukwumerije was literarily on his kneels pleading with the lecturers to consider the plights of the students and call off the strike, but ASUU members held their ground.

The meeting had in attendance, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Education, Professor Ruquayyatu Rufai; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie and members of the Senate Committee on Education and many others.

British Council launches commonwealth legacy project

2013-07-16T04:29:00.002-07:00

To create an awareness about the Commonwealth, its values and the upcoming commonwealth games scheduled for 2014, the British Council is planning to distribute Commonwealth global information packs to some Nigerian teachers, to enable them teach students about various activities going on in all commonwealth countries.

The Project Manager, Olamipo Oyetunde, who spoke during the launch of ‘Commonwealth Legacy Project’ in Lagos, explained that the packs, which had already been given to some selected teachers who were present at the launch, would later in the year be distributed to other teachers in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and the federal capital territory.

The overall aim, she said, is to groom the students.

She said: “|It would also facilitate dialogue between teachers and young people across the globe and as well provide deeper knowledge and understanding about commonwealth countries, cultures and features of their environment, including awareness about the 2014 Commonwealth games that will be hosted in Glasgow.

“It was specifically designed to support young people’s education about the world around them.

It includes an online debate, which will enable Nigerian students interact with other students around the world as students from all Commonwealth countries will be participating.

The BBC will be hosting a series of monthly online debates from summer this year and any school in the commonwealth or the wider world can take part in it.

The debates are topical conversations for pupils to join in and share their ideas and opinions with other pupils around the world”.

She added: “Later on in the year, we will have the commonwealth information pack distributed to teachers in Lagos State and all the states where we are engaging teachers.

We want teachers to rightly educate the children so that wherever they find themselves, they will be able to adapt because they already have an understanding of various culture around the world.

And so, it is a legacy project aimed at exposing the children to happenings in other countries”.

She also charged teachers to continually educate children on how to thrive in difficult situation rather than dwelling in negativity.

Survivors Reveals Shocking Details of School Massacre

2013-07-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

Last week’s massacre of students at a public secondary school in Yobe State sent many families into mourning.

Reporters visited some of the survivors of the gory incident and some parents of the deceased students to hear their side of the stories.

A week after suspected insurgents violently attacked, slaughtered and burnt both students and teachers at Government Secondary School (GSS) Mamudo district in Yobe state, survivors of the ugly incident and the entire community are yet to recover from the shock, much as the atmosphere of fear still pervades the land.

Scores of students and teachers were killed in the early hours of Sunday, when a boarding school was attacked by the insurgents.

Accounts of the incident by survivors overwhelmingly revealed that the assailants gathered students and teachers into one dormitory, where they opened gunfire, hauled explosive devices at them and set the place ablaze.

Yobe State government reacted by ordering the immediate closure of all secondary schools in the state, till the next academic session.

Governor Ibrahim Geidam said the schools would remain closed till next September when a new session would commence.

Since the incident, survivors who are witnessing the second such dastardly insurgents attack on secondary school students, have been scared stiff to even talk about the incident.

The fear stems from the realization that the insurgents actually carried out their threat to launch a second attack after the first incident.

A widow, Amina Nuhu, whose husband, Nuhu Datam was killed a month back, by gunmen during the first attack, told Weekly Trust that the insurgents warned them of further attacks on schools soon.

She said “my husband arrived from a journey when the gunmen stormed our house.

We were chatting when they suddenly broke in, rounded us up and shot him twice on the chest. I knelt before them, pleading for mercy on my husband, but none of them listened.

They confidently and freely walked away uninterrupted by any security agent.” “They also threatened coming back to burn down the school.

So, it was not a surprise to me when I heard sporadic gunshots and explosions that Sunday morning around 3:45am. We went into the school the next morning and saw corpses littered everywhere and the administrative block torched,” she said.

A mournful parent, Malam Ahmed Sani who lost one of his two children to the incident at GSS Mamudo initially refused to talk to newsmen, but said “these people know what they did and God will surely handle them.

But I would like to assure you that, I will not stop taking me children to boarding schools.”

A junior student, Sani Mohammed, who sustained bullet wound on his arm, but survived relived his experience thus; “we were sleeping in UBE hostel, when some gunmen broke into the room and poured petrol on our bodies; I woke up and discovered that they have surrounded all of us.

One of them asked us to lie down on the floor, we all complied.

They separated the younger ones among us and asked them to stay behind.

“They opened fire on about 20 of us, the next thing I knew was seeing myself on the hospital bed,” he said.

Another student recounted that “we were rounded up by the attackers; they later conveyed us to the principal’s office for screening.

They checked our armpits and genital parts to see if it developed hair, an indication that you are matured.

They released the underage among us and opened fire on the matured ones.

“I just cannot say how I managed to escape from the office, because they threw explosives into the office after they opened fire on us, I just found myself running in the bush,” he said.

A nurse, who pleads anonymity, said four students were brought to the hospital alive, “but one of them died instantly, one was taken to the Federal Medical Center Azare on referral, while the other two are responding to treatment.”

“As at the time they brought the first batch, I saw about 23 corpses, but they later brought more.

So, I cannot say exactly the total. Many of the parents were still unable to identify their children from the badly charred bodies and were still uncertain if they had died or survived,” she said.

Malam Saleh Potiskum a father to one of the students burnt to death said he cried in a manner he has never wept before in his life, when the school children identified a roasted copse as his son.

“I still couldn’t convince my mind to believe that what I saw was my son, because, the corpse was burnt beyond recognition.

But I must accept his fate, because some of the students gave testimony that they saw him struggling with the flames before it consumed him finally.

I blame government for not providing enough security for the children,” Saleh lamented.

Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, who was yet to trace his son dead or alive, said “myself and my wife have been sleepless since the day we received information of the attack, because we still can’t find him.

It is better for them to declare him dead than leaving us in suspense, as it is now.”

However, the school’s Principal shied away from releasing the list of murdered students for the apprehension it would cause the public, saying the “list is only for State Security Service (SSS) and not journalists.”

A resident, Malam Rabiu Nguru still in shock of what has happened, lamented that government schools in Yobe State have been attacked twice and students killed within a month.

“Who else could be safe in the state? The security agents should urgently assess the checkpoints and the curfew to decide on better ways to operate,” he said A father to one of the deceased students, who pleads anonymity, said his son who was shot by the assailants ran from the school to the nearby Bubaram village.

He said “I am a brother to the school principal.

When my son sustained the bullet wound, he ran down to his mother at Bubaram village but, couldn’t survive it due to the excessive bleeding he went through.”

Another Yobe State resident berated government for its decision to shut down secondary schools in the state, adding that it was as good as accepting defeat.

“They did that because their children are not part of the system, most of their children go to private schools and it is just the simple reason,” he stressed.

“Security agents were deployed to Turkish International Collage, Mamudo even before the first students attack in Damaturu, but our children were left alone in the schools without parameter fences and no securities.

The assailants gave notice of the attack, but no action was taken, so, what impact could the school closure make? Demoralizing parents and the students or what?”, he further asked angrily.

The state Commissioner for Lower Education, Mohammed Almin described the incident as pathetic, ungodly and callous, saying that the state government will fence all the secondary schools in the state and provide them with adequate security.

Lagos State Reps asks Government to respect pact with ASUU

2013-07-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

Lagos State House of Assembly has tasked the Federal Government to adhere to an agreement it reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the payment of their earned allowance, which include work-load responsibility allowance amongst others.

The House noted that the agreement was to enhance the welfare of university teachers in the country, and “should not be treated with kid gloves, but as priority of the Federal Government.”

In reaction to the nationwide strike declared by ASUU on Monday, the lawmakers said it was disheartening that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, through the Federal Ministries of Education and Finance did not prioritize the welfare of the university teachers, while formulating the 2013 appropriation bill.

The Assembly blamed Federal Government for its non-committance to the 2011 truce with ASUU till it results into another round of industrial action.

In a statement signed by the spokesman and House Committee Chairman on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Olusegun Olulade, the House said: “Granted that the N10 billion meant for the payment of the allowance was not accommodated in the 2013 budget, the Federal Government should go ahead and improvise the fund to ensure that the university teachers are paid without any delay whatsoever.”

According to them, “The option of paying a quarter of the money is not only ridiculous but an insult on the sensibilities of the lecturers as well as a demonstration of half-hearted commitment towards their plights,” the statement reads in part.

The lawmakers urged the Federal Government to take a cue from what obtains in other African countries like Ghana and South Africa where university workers have no cause to go on strike, making their academic calendar hitch-free.

They also urged the government to ensure quick resolve of the lecturers’ grievances, adding that further delay would expose undergraduates to indulge in all kinds of anti-social activities such as internet fraud, prostitution, armed robbery as well as political/community violence and brigandage.

Olulade also urged university teachers not to foreclose the option of negotiation and dialogue when and where necessary with a view to reaching a reasonable agreement on the issue.

University divided over ASUU strike

2013-07-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

We gathered that two factions each led by Professor Maduabuchi Dukor for the ASUU/NAU(Nnamdi Azikiwe University) Progressives and the local chapter of ASUU, led by Professor Ike Odimegwu, had emerged at the institution and are both struggling for supremacy.

Problem started when the faction led by Dukor, which pulled out of the ongoing ASUU national strike, tried to conduct the second semester exam as scheduled, against the determination of the rival Odimegwu group to enforce the strike.

The ensuing melee allegedly disrupted some examinations while lecturers and students were ordered out of examination halls.

And as the rift continued, confusion reigned supreme.

Although, security was beefed up at the Faculty of Social Sciences to ensure that all the scheduled examinations, including the a course titled ‘Statistics for Political Science’ , scheduled for the day were held successfully.

But at the multipurpose hall of the new permanent site, the situation was different.

It was alleged that strike enforcers aborted some scheduled examinations, by forcefully locking the examination hall and chased out the students.

Many students who had earlier arrived at the new permanent site to write their examinations were seen clustering in groups and discussing the development, while other loitered within the premises.

The University management, in collaboration with the members of the ASUU Progressives, have now resorted to fixing and conducting examinations at the time when it would not be possible for the strike monitoring team to disrupt activities.

Some students of in various departments have however expressed the fear that the strike might affect their academic programmes adversely.

They pleaded for an end to the dispute , urging the federal government to mend the fence with ASUU.

National Gender Policy must be implemented now – AAU VC

2013-07-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Professor Cordelia Agbebaku, has advocated the enactment of specific laws that will compel governments at all levels to implement the National Gender Policy in order to ensure the protection of women’s rights and gender equality in the Country.

She noted that the stoppage of all forms of cultural and traditional discrimination against women was key to the realisation of Vision 20:2020, adding that no nation desirous of achieving meaningful development can afford any shade of gender imbalance in the management of its public affairs.

She spoke at a lecture on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality: A Case of Universality or Culture Relativism at the 44th inaugural lecture of the university in Ekpoma.

Agbebaku stressed the need for the National Assembly to repeal laws that discriminate against women such as the laws on inheritance, divorce under customary law and others.

Lamenting poor access to training, quality education and self-improvement as the major reason for women’s lack of empowerment, she noted that if this is addressed, the country will be a better place.

According to her, women constitute half of the population in Africa and their under-representation in social, political and economic spheres must be addressed if Africa is to leverage fully on the promise and potential that it holds, adding that about 30 per cent of women participate in economic activities, often in very limited ways.

Agbebaku further stated that economic empowerment of women is an important issue and should be taken seriously by families, communities, organisations and nations.

“Women must have access to training, higher education and self-improvement in order to aspire to higher paying jobs. It is believed that continuous academic improvement by women significantly determines how far they can rise even much more than their male counterparts,’’ she added.

“Empowering women provides more choices for women and creates female role models and mentors in places where economic opportunities have historically been limited.

I have noted that the elusiveness of attaining gender equality and protection is not as a result of a dearth of legislations geared towards redressing gender inequality.

Indeed, gender equality continues to be central themes in global treaties, conventions and declarations. “In spite of these efforts, gender discrimination against women still looms large in Nigeria.

By way of recommendations to stem this tide, I wish to suggest the following: An effective and efficient enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance should be provided for international, regional and municipal laws guaranteeing and protecting gender rights.

Legislations that discriminate against women should be expressly repealed. e.g. laws on inheritance, divorce under customary law etc.”

Legal awareness programmes should be institutionalized in order to empower women with increased knowledge of their rights under existing laws. Customs and practices which negate the human rights of women should be abolished.

Thus, customary and religious laws which engender gender inequality should be expressly abolished by legislation.

Women’s rights should be accorded the status of human rights as they are universal. Therefore, specific laws must be enacted to ensure their protection and enforcement.

Include money management studies in curriculum - Educationist

2013-07-13T04:08:00.000-07:00

The Executive Director, Amville School, Mrs. Mosun Owo-Odusi, has called on the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council to include money management studies in the curriculum of basic schools Nationwide.

She argued that this would put a stop to the resource mismanagement challenge facing the country.

Owo-Odusi gave the advice during the fifth graduation of the school on Wednesday in Lagos.

According to her, pupils of the school are taught money management to prepare them for the future. She said, “Pupils should be taken through things like planning a single budget on the little allowances they get every month by looking at their income and expenditure.

They should also go through things like knowing if they are making loss or gain. In Amville, it is activity-based and we taught them using both the local and international currencies.

They had a brief stint at money management skills via the Junior Achievement. Owo-Odusi, who lamented the declining state of education in the country, urged the Federal Government to invest more in basic education.

She added, “The state of education in our nation is worrisome and calls for action. The national security challenges stem from failed family structures, poor and failed educational systems and unemployment.

At the centre of this is the education system. It is worrisome that in some states in our nation there are millions of children out of school.

Sex education will reduce teenage pregnancy – UN

2013-07-13T02:04:00.001-07:00

The United Nations as well as the National Population Commission, yesterday in Abuja called on.

The United Nations as well as the National Population Commission, on Thursday, in Abuja called on the Federal Government to ensure the provision of comprehensive sex education in schools to reduce the trend of teenage pregnancy in the country.

While the UN said it was supporting the government in the implementation of basic education programme and the Child Rights Act 2003, which criminalises child marriage, the NPC noted that the “inclusion of sex education in the curriculum of schools” would reduce adolescent pregnancy.

The UN’s Resident Coordinator, Mr. Daouda Toure, who was represented by the Country Director of Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Bilali Camara, said this during the roundtable discussion in commemoration of this year’s World Population Day, with the theme: “Adolescent pregnancy: Young people’s Access to information and services.”

Toure said, “Complications from pregnancy and childbirth can cause grave disabilities, such as obstetric fistula, which are the leading cause of death for these vulnerable women. Adolescent girls also face high levels of illness and death due to unsafe abortion.

“To address these problems, we must get girls into primary school and enable them to receive good education through their adolescence.

When a girl is educated, she is more likely to marry later, delay childbearing until she is ready, have healthier children and earn more income.”

Also, the NPC Chairman, Chief Festus Odimegwu, represented by the Chairman of the commission’s Technical Management Team, Dr. Festus Uzor, assured that the commission would take the lead in efforts to manage Nigeria’s population for further development.

He said, “In Nigeria, most teenagers lack information and education on reproductive health issues, particularly on the need to avoid pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancies and seek counselling on reproductive health services.”

FRAUD!!! House Of Reps To Probe JAMB Over N21.3bn UTME Fees

2013-07-12T08:09:00.001-07:00

The House of Representatives has ordered a probe into the financial status of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with regards to its revenue remittances to government coffers.

The House at its plenary yesterday said the body had, over the last three years, generated over N21 billion from sale of forms to candidates seeking admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions with no commensurate remittances, but still got appropriation of over N6 billion from the national budget within the same period of time.

In its resolution on a motion moved on the matter by Ibrahim Ebbo, the House mandated its joint committee on Education and Finance to investigate the revenue generation and remittances of the Board, and report back its findings within two weeks.

According to Ebbo, in 2011, 1,493,604 candidates bought forms and sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organized by the Board at the cost of N4, 600 per candidate, translating to a total of N6,870,400 while it got an appropriation of N2,021,235,070 in the national budget the same year.

Similarly, 1.5 million candidates sat for the UTME in 2012, amounting to N6.9 million generated through sale of forms, and 1,644,110 sat in 2013 and N7,562,906,000 generated through sale of forms while the Board got N2,370,273,304 and N2,377,397,191 for the two years respectively.

The lawmaker said the investigation was necessary to ascertain whether JAMB was actually remitting the right sum to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation as stipulated by the law.

'UI Students' Protest Paralyses Commercial Activities

2013-07-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

Students of the University of Ibadan, yesterday, paralysed commercial activities in the ancient city of Ibadan when they moved out of campus to protest Federal Government’s alleged insensitivity to myriad of problems in education sector.

The angry students went on a peaceful protest to major streets in the city with various placards with inscriptions such as ‘Nigeria: Giant or Dwarf of Africa,’ ‘Education is dead in Nigeria,’ ‘Adieu to education sector in Nigeria,’ and others.

During the protest that lasted for hours, vehicular movements were paralysed as motorists going to places like Mokola, Dugbe, Ilorin and other northern parts of the country could not.

As a result, commuters, transporters and passengers groaned while trekking long distances.

The students called for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai.

The protest was supervised by Divisional Police Officer of Sango, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Akinfenwa, who ensured that hoodlums did not hijack it.

Led by SUG President UI, Babatunde Badmus, the students in a communiqué read during the protest, complained about unnecessary establishment of more tertiary institutions in Nigeria while the available ones suffer neglect.

They also called for modernisation of decayed facilities and obsolete style of teaching in tertiary institutions in Nigeria in the best interest of the future of the nation and Nigerians.

“While politicians like Chief Obafemi Awolowo spent so much on education our president today, is non-chalant to the extent that he takes pride in jetting out while pressing national issues that need his attention arise.

Ruqayyatu Rufai should resign if she lacks the clue to the problem in the education sector.

“They take their children out of the country to private universities and cripple public universities in order to deprive other children of the masses right to education.

We shall resist this attempt,” the student union leader said.

Academic Staff Union Agrees To Call Off Strike

2013-07-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

ASUP has agreed to call off strike at the meeting organized on Tuesday by the Joint Committee on Education of the National Assembly, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has agreed to call off the strike as soon as possible, once their demands are met.

The meeting sought to resolve the confrontation between the Federal Government, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and ASUP. Rukayat Rufai, the Minister of Education, and Chukwuemeka Nwogu, the Minister of Labour and Productivity were present at the meeting.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Uche Chukwumerije called the unions to end this impasse which has grounded tertiary institutions across the country.

The President of ASUP, Chibuzor Asomugha stated that the polytechnic lecturers would do all within their powers to end the strike in the nearest time.

“Our meeting with the Senate Committee on Education was successful. There was an agreement to meet our demands in the next two weeks as the request will be presented to President Goodluck Jonathan for his approval,” he said.

Mr Asomugha noted that the Senate, asked the union to call off their strike and give the Senate some time to convey their demands to the President.

However, Mr Asumogba stated that he cannot unilaterally end the strike based on government’s promise.

He added ASUP will decide when to finish the industrial action “after our NEC meeting slated in two weeks.”

ASUP demands waiting for presidential approval include implementation of the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure, the Consolidated Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS), package, the appointment of the governing council and the issuance of the White Paper on same.

FG To Sanction Schools Awarding Honorary Degrees To ‘Undeserving Personalities'

2013-07-11T02:43:00.002-07:00

Federal Government has warned that Universities who continue to award honorary degrees to ‘undeserving personalities’ will be severely sanctioned.

This is a warning the Federal Government gave to Vice Chancellors and the Governing Councils of Nigeria on Monday.

According to the Minister of Education Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai who made the announcement in a meeting with Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, the issue of such degrees is "an embarrassment to government.”

Minister said that President Goodluck Jonathan and she were not able to attend the ceremonies due to the lack of coordinated calendar for convocation ceremonies, and directed the Vice-Chancellors to streamline convocation ceremonies so that many universities’ ceremonies will not overlap.

Prof. Rufai noted that many private and state universities were yet to establish effective governance structures in their schools.

She also recalled the FG’s dismay over the ongoing establishment of universities and running of programs bypassing the laid down criteria for the establishment of universities in line with globally acclaimed practices.

The Minister warned, “I therefore urge the perpetuators of this illegal act to discontinue henceforth in view of its negative consequences on university education vis-à-vis graduate output.

On this note, let me reiterate the Federal Ministry of Education’s support to the Standing Committee on the closure of illegal universities.”

Minister kept on warning the Vice-chancellors against mobilization of part-time students and students from unaccredited programs for the National Youth service scheme (NYSC), which is designed exclusively for graduates from recognized universities with accredited programs.

The universities breaching this rule will also be sanctioned, she added.

Prof. Rufai also directed universities to ensure that degree results were released on time to enable the early mobilization of qualified students for NYSC.

In light of upsurge of insecurity, Prof. Rufai urged university authorities to consult with the local governments as to facilitate internal security on campus.

Finally, Minister announced that NUC would sanction universities for charging above the approved N2, 000. 00 for the upcoming post UTME.