FG To Develop App For Student Loan Scheme Application

The Federal Government says it will develop an app for applications into the student loan scheme.  This is according to the Executive Secretary of the Student Loan Scheme Board Akintunde Sawyer who spoke on Monday after the board met with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja. Sawyer said the move is to ensure zero human intervention in the scheme which is expected to start this year. The development came months after Tinubu said the scheme would commence in January 2024. “By January 2024, the new student loan must commence. To the future of our children and students, we are saying no more strikes,” Tinubu said in Abuja during the National Economic Summit 2023, assuring students that the era of incessant strikes is gone. President Tinubu in celebration of June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, signed the student loan bill in fulfillment of the promise he made during his campaign. The bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, now Chief of Staff to the President, provides easy access to higher education for indigent Nigerians through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund. The funds for the programme will be domiciled in the Ministry of Education and will only be accessed by indigent students of tertiary institutions.

Tinubu Mulls Full Varsity Autonomy

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed plans to reinstate the Policy of University Full Autonomy, emphasizing its alignment with the government’s belief that autonomy empowers institutions to progress independently. During the University of Benin’s 48th convocation ceremony, conveyed by Minister of Niger Delta Development, Engineer Abubakar Momoh, the president stated, “University autonomy will shift performance responsibility directly to individual institutions, alleviating uncertainties.” Acknowledging concerns over unpaid salaries, Tinubu admitted, “The government is aware of the issues arising from months of overdue payments, particularly among teaching staff unions due to an eight-month industrial action.” To address this, he announced a four-month salary payment for university workers. Clarifying, Tinubu asserted, “This payment waiver is necessary and does not nullify the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy.” The government also pledged to enhance university conditions by providing vital infrastructure—lecture halls, student accommodations, administrative facilities, and educational resources—through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), aiming to boost staff and student performance. Tinubu affirmed, “As a responsible government, we’ll allocate substantial resources to education and develop sustainable policies transcending this administration.” Highlighting universities’ multifaceted roles in research, technological advancements, skills impartation, and fostering entrepreneurial mindsets, Tinubu expressed commitment to fortify these institutions.

NGF Backs State Of Emergency In Education

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has expressed support for a call of a state of emergency in the education sector. Speaking at the National Conference on the Learning Crisis in Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman, NGF, Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman of Kwara, said resources must be provided for sustainable and promising education. The conference, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund, has the theme: “Scaling Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Nigeria.” Represented by the Vice Chairman of NGF, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Abdulrahman said education is in crisis and a state of emergency should be declared in the sector. He stressed the need to remove all barriers such as gender, poverty, location, disabilities, language and ethnicity, that could hinder children from accessing foundational literacy and numeracy. “We must follow UNESCO standard for education system that is progressive and sustainable, Governors at the various states must commit above 15 per cent above of our budget to education. “I support the call for state of emergency but it must be backed by actions, the resources must be provided and we must look at issues that have mitigated against achieving that sustainable growth. “It is one thing to declare a state of emergency but it’s another thing to put all the resources and elements that will allow us to achieve it. “So, I support putting the resources in place to allow us move fast at it. Our education is in crisis and a state of emergency should be declared in all the sector. We need solid roadmap and I believe it is a collective involvement,” he said.  Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, said learning crisis had been a challenge the education sector is faced with which needs urgent solution. “The consequences of learning crisis are far-reaching and profound as we risk widening the already significant education gap, perpetuating a cycle of poverty, illiteracy, diseases and stifling innovation and progress. “Education is the cornerstone of societal progress and individual empowerment, yet the challenges we currently confront demand our immediate attention, dedication, and action. “In recent years, Nigeria has been grappling with a severe learning crisis that hinders our youth from achieving their fullest potential. “A significant portion of our school-aged population, especially those in underserved communities, face barriers to access quality education. “The factors contributing to this crisis are multifaceted and include inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortage, unequal distribution of resources, outdated curricula, and socio-economic disparities,” he said. Sununu said the country must rise to protect the potential and aspiration of the youths, saying they are the greatest asset and hope for a prosperous future. He expressed the political will of President Bola Tinubu to raise education budgetary allocation from 8 per cent to 25 per cent in the next few years. He said the gesture would be a major breakthrough in addressing the learning crisis issues. In the same vein, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, said the conference was from outcomes of UN General Assembly in September where countries were urged to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4. Munduate said this is to regain ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw unprecedented school closures globally. “For Nigeria, convening a conference on the learning crisis is opportune as government defines its priorities for the education sector in the new Ministerial Strategic Plan (MSP). “Just as Nigeria has galvanised significant support around the out-of-school problem, so too must it give attention to the learning crisis that is in fact fueling the out-of-school problem in Nigeria. “Three out of four children in basic education in Nigeria cannot read with meaning or solve simple maths problems. “When children fail to learn to read in the early years, they fail to read to learn in the subsequent years. Failure to learn begins to alienate children from the curriculum and their peers. “This contributes to the staggering drop out rates each year between the first and last year of primary school,” she said. She, therefore, called for serious attention to the learning crisis saying learning is not just important for education outcomes, it is key to finding a higher paying job, for achieving better health outcomes and for navigating community and social life. Also, the Chief Education, UNICEF Nigeria, Saadha Panday-Soobrayan, said the learning crisis in Nigeria begins in early childhood education, saying only half of the children are developmentally on track in early childhood. She said that learning gaps persist across the life course and most severe in the north part of the country. According to her, by the end of grade nine, only 74 per cent of pupils demonstrate foundational literacy and 69 pee cent foundational numeracy. She, therefore, said that all hands must be on deck to finding a lasting solution to the country’s learning crisis.

NSCDC Deploys Undercover Agents To Schools

The Commandant General (CG) of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC), has ordered the immediate deployment of undercover agents to schools and host communities to enhance security in schools nationwide. The CG gave the order on Friday in Kaduna at the closing ceremony of a five- day capacity building on Safe School Response. No fewer than 200 NSCDC personnel and other stakeholders from the seven states in the North West attended the five-day programme. The capacity building was organised by the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC). Audi said that the Corps would partner with the Ministry of Education in each state and Local Education Authorities for the successful implementation of the directive. According to him, the capacity building is to strengthen the resilience of relevant stakeholders including vigilante groups, retired security personnel, host communities and serving personnel of NSCDC. He explained that the programme was to imbue in them all strategies and knowledge on how to provide protection for schools and host communities from violence and attacks. Audi who was represented by ACG Training and Capacity Building, David Abi, said that the NSSRCC was a critical component of the implementation strategy of the National Plan on Safe Schools. He said that the plan was developed by government to mobilise synergy among security agencies and relevant stakeholders towards schools’ protection. The CG acknowledged the rising cases of attacks and violence on schools in Nigeria and its attendant negative impacts, including increasing the rate of out of school children in the country. “The strategic plan is based on the whole-of-society approach with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as the lead agency. “The Corps is also hosting the headquarters of the Centre, saddled with the responsibility of coordinating safety and security response for schools and host communities in collaboration with all security agencies and other relevant stakeholders. “The Centre is the first of its kind in Africa; available records indicate that no other country has this kind of facility with the sole responsibility of providing safety and security prevention and protection measures for schools and host communities.” He CG said in view of the recurring attacks and violence in schools in the country, the task ahead of the centre was enormous. “It requires effective synergy and collaboration from all stakeholders including the Federal, State and Local Governments. “It is also pertinent to state that the Standard Operating Procedure of the Centre provides for creation of state coordinating centres and local government response centres for effective and seamless operation. “It is for this singular fact the I respectfully present on behalf of the centre, the request for the kind consideration for allocation of an existing structure within each of the state capitals in the North-West to serve as the safe school coordination centres,” he said. The CG told the participants that the task ahead of them was enormous. “Be reminded that aside being ambassadors of the centre, you are equally the foot soldiers who are in direct contact with the members of schools and host communities,” he said. He charged them to ensure that the knowledge gained from this training was put into effective practice in the discharge of their duties. “Furthermore, members of the vigilante groups and private guards’ company must be ready to collaborate and work in harmony with security agencies to facilitate effective protection of our schools.” Also, the General Officer Commanding (GOC)1 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Valentine Okoro, said that the national plan for safe schools was a programme developed by government to mobilise synergy among security agencies. The GOC, represented by Brig.-Gen. Henry Yanet, Commander 51 Signals, said already, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, had directed enjoined army units and formation to work with other security agencies in protecting the civil populace. In his remarks, Kaduna State Governor, Sen. Uba Sani, reiterated the state government’s commitment to partnering with all security agencies to enhance public safety. The governor was represented by the Administrator, Kaduna Capital Territory Authority, Mr Samuel Aruwan.

Ezekwesili hails JAMB’s sanctions on Mmesoma for UTME result fraud

Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, has voiced her support for the sanctions imposed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Mmesoma Ejikeme for falsifying her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result. This comes after the Anambra State Committee of Inquiry set up by Governor Charles Soludo confirmed that Mmesoma, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, manipulated her result using her phone. Ezekwesili had previously called for a thorough investigation into the fraud allegations following JAMB’s decision to withdraw Mmesoma’s result and ban her from taking the examination for the next three years. However, in a Twitter post on Saturday, Ezekwesili expressed her support for the sanctions, stating that she had reviewed the report of the Anambra State Committee and was satisfied with their investigation process and findings, which allowed Mmesoma a fair hearing to gather all the relevant facts. Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Mmesoma’s result, with JAMB asserting that her score of 249 was manipulated to 362, Ezekwesili emphasized the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation to establish the truth of the matter. She expressed her contentment that the process provided Mmesoma with a fair hearing, as indicated by the Anambra State panel report, which was signed by the Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu. Below is the full statement by the former Minister titled: “Mmesoma and @JAMBHQ Saga” “I have just read the report of the Committee set up by Anambra State Government to investigate and report their independent findings on the Mmesoma and JAMB Saga. “I am satisfied with the process and findings of their investigation which gave Mmesoma a fair hearing to enable the Committee to gather all facts. “It was necessary to have independent evidence that the result Mmesoma laid claim to publicly was not only fake but that the forgery was personally orchestrated by her. “There are usually syndicates at the centre of perpetration of exam malpractices in Nigeria but it appears not to be so in Mmesoma’s case from the facts of the Committee’s report. “Mmesoma’s action has consequences. I, therefore, support the sanctions imposed by JAMB as a deterrent to all who participate in the systemic exam malpractices within our educational system. “I also recommend sustained counseling for Mmesoma by the family, school, and church to support her as she reflects on this tragic episode and makes a decision to embrace values and rewards of effort while eschewing dishonest gain for the rest of her life. “I do hope that the lessons of this case will help all our pupils, students, parents, guardians and the public at large renew a collective commitment to uphold Exam Integrity in Nigeria as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s Values and Reward System for our children and youth. “I wish to thank JAMB for their good work and encourage the Registrar and his team to continue with their critical service to our country and people as we all join them to sustain raising of awareness on Exam Integrity.”  Obiageli “Oby” EzekwesiliFormer Minister of Education