Education
NOA Takes COVID-19 Sensitisation Campaign to FCT Schools

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Wednesday embarked on sensitisation and compliance assessment of COVID-19 protocols for schools in FCT and Nasarawa State.
Some of the schools visited are Government Secondary School (GSS) Mararaba, Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) Primary School, Mararaba, Gurku, Karu L.
G. A.Others are Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Aso Pada, Karu L.
G.A, Local Education Authority Primary School, Nyanya, Government Secondary School (GSS), Nyanya and others.Speaking at the event, the Director General of NOA, Mr. Garba Abari said the agency embarked on the visit to schools to monitor the level of COVID- 19 compliance and sensitise them on dangers inherent in deviance to the adherence directives.
He said that the agency would continue to emphasise on hygiene, social distancing and wearing of facemasks.
“It is always to emphasise on good sanitation because they are children and that way, we minimise the spread of the virus.
“If we observe the protocols and when the children see it, they will adhere to it,” he said.
Abari urged the students to always take responsibility by wearing their facemasks and wash their hands to avoid spread of COVID-19.
“If you don’t want to give your parents and loved ones Coronavirus, always wash your hand, wear your facemask and maintain social distancing,” he advised.
He observed that there were no adequate social distancing in the schools visited in Nasarawa state due to the sizes of the classrooms.
“The way the schools are built cannot guarantee adequate social distancing due to the large number of students.
“We require additional classrooms or they take chairs outside to accommodate them conveniently,” he added.
Speaking also, the Director NOA, Nasarawa State, Dr Priscilla Gondo Aluor said the agency is doing its best to ensure maximum compliance in the state.
She stressed that similar sensitisation programmes are going on in all the L.G.A in the state to sensitise people and schools to control community transmission.
Responding, the Headmaster, LEA, Nyanya, Mr Sam Apollos, said that safety protocols are in place to curtail the spread of the virus in school.
“Right from the gate, you will see that measures are in place and we have isolation centre here, but unfortunately, there is no case of the outbreak.
“Every morning, we are at the gate to ensure that every pupil here enters the school with facemask and we send anyone who fails to come to school with it,” he said.
A Senior Secondary School (SSS 3) student from GDSS, Aso Pada, Maria Ugwu, said she found it uncomfortable to wear facemask but managed to wear due to the virus.
“A lot of students complain of wearing of facemask because once you wear it, the mode of breathing becomes difficult,” she said.
Ugwu also said that the impact of Coronavirus affected her academically as the mock exam she was preparing to write was postponed.
“Even the WAEC registration that ought to have commenced last September was postponed and I don’t know if it will start at the appropriate time,” she added. (NAN)
Education
UNICAL VC Promises to Resolve Dentistry Students’ Crisis

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi has promised that she would do everything humanly possible to ensure that the ongoing crisis in the institution’s Department of Dentistry, is resolved.
Prof.
Obi made the promise in Calabar during a press briefing, stressing that she will resolve the crisis before leaving office.She explained that the problem predates her administration, and pledged to intensify efforts to rectify the crisis.
She added that the crisis was as a result of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)’s refusal to induct 2016 Dentistry students of the institution.She also debunked claims circulating on social media that the institution’s Dentistry programme has lost its accreditation, describing the reports as “misinformation and distortion of facts,” clarifying that the programme remains fully accredited and no students have been directed to transfer to other universities.
“At no point did the University ask Dentistry students to seek transfers to other institutions, nor were they advised to ‘go and learn a trade’ as falsely alleged online,” the VC stated.
“I will feel very bad if I leave without solving this problem and the students are left hanging without knowing their fate. I won’t be fulfilled,” she said.
She reaffirmed the University’s commitment to ensuring all Dentistry students graduate and are duly licensed as dental surgeons.
She noted that the Dentistry programme commenced in the 2013/2014 academic session, and in November 2019, the University secured pre-clinical accreditation from the MDCN and full clinical accreditation was subsequently granted in December 2022.
The VC added that the university’s synergy and partnership with the Minister of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to upgrade its facilities.
“All we asked for is time to engage with other institutions, update the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and follow through on due processes,” she noted.
Speaking further, Obi said that some of the affected students demanded to be transferred to the Department of Medicine and Surgery but said it was not the solution as the department was already saturated.
She urged the affected students to remain calm, noting that the university was doing everything possible to resolve the issues before the end of her tenure.
Education
NUT Reaffirms Commitment to Teachers’ Professional Development in Kwara

From Abdullahi Abubakar, Ilorin
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kwara State Wing has restated its commitment to strengthening the professional growth of teachers across the State, to enhance the quality of education delivered in public schools. Speaking at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop in Ilorin, the State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Yusuf Wahab Agboola, noted that continuous training of teachers remains a vital component of educational reform and improved classroom delivery.
The training, organised in collaboration with the NUT National Secretariat, is targeted at selected teachers and focuses on the “Study Circle Conveners’ Model”—a grassroots strategy for enhancing peer-to-peer learning and participatory leadership within the education sector.
Comrade Agboola explained that the workshop aims to equip teachers with practical skills in collaborative learning, peer engagement, and innovative teaching practices. He expressed optimism that the training would promote professional bonding among teachers and foster collective solutions to challenges facing the education sector.Also speaking at the event, the National Coordinator of the NUT Study Circle Project, Comrade Solomon Igbelowowa, traced the initiative’s roots to 1985 when it was introduced in Nigeria by the Swedish Teachers Association, having recorded success in Sweden and other parts of the world. He commended the Nigerian Union of Teachers for sustaining the project over the years and urged participants to engage fully and make the most of the training opportunity.
The workshop was officially declared open by the National President of the NUT, Audu Amba, who was represented by the 3rd National Vice President, Bashir Oyewo.
He encouraged teachers to approach the sessions with dedication and punctuality.
Education
JAMB Sets 150 Cut-off Mark for University Admissions

By Tony Obiechina Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The decision was reached on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, with stakeholders from various tertiary institutions in attendance.
According to JAMB, 140 was approved as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100.
“The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions),” JAMB announced via its official X account.