Education
Benue Varsity Shut As Students Protest Over Graded Point
From Chris Gaga, Makurdi
Management of Benue State University has directed the shutting down of the University with immediate effect.
This followed Monday’s closure of the University’s entry gates by protesting students who were expressing concerns over their grading point.
In seperate Press Statements signed by the Registrar of the University, Dr(Mrs) Mfaga Modom said all attempts to stop the students from blocking the gates failed.
It directed the students to vacate the campus immediately.DAILY ASSET reports that students of the University on Monday barricaded all entry gates of the school protesting a revert to 5 – Point Grading System as recommended by the National universities Commission(NUC).
The students who were in their large numbers carried placards with varying inscriptions like; “No 5 points no school”,
“We want peace not war”, “Aluta Bomb, no 5 points no school fees”, “We want to meet with NUC”.
The Spoke person of the students, Comrade Kingsley Obora said they were demanding immediate implementation of the 5 – point grading system as directed by the NUC.
“The protest today is simple. Students are tired of dialoguing with management concerning the issue of 5 Grading Point System, because we have used almost a year to dialogue with management on this issue. And we felt this is the only avenue for management to hear us, that is why we are here today, to call on management to hear our cry. If we don’t do this, then most of the students will be withdrawn for no just cause.
So we are saying management should revert to the five point grading system that other Universities are grading on already,” Kingsley said.
The students expressed fear that if they were graded on 4 point system, majority of the students will be withdrawn because of poor CGPA.
” Four point grading system only have advantage for first class. In 4 point grading there is no pass degree. As it stands, so many people have been withdrawn. If you go to Economics Department, over 100 students have been withdrawn, Sociology have already sent their children home. If you go go to Sociology, the least person has 0.37 CGPA on 4 point grading system, where as when you convert it to 5 Point, that person will be on 1 point which is pass degree. All we are asking for is go back to 5 Point grading point,” One of the Department leaders, Moses expressed.
But in a swift reaction the Benue State University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Msugh Kembe through a statement signed by the Registrar said management was aware of students grievances and has already complied with NUC directive by reverting to 5 Point grading System with effect from 2018/2019 academic session.
It noted that the closure of the University gates by students on account of the issue was unwarranted.
“Management of Benue State University is aware of the grievances of students, especially as it relates to the Five (5) Point Grading System. It is in recognition of this that the Benue State University Senate constituted a Committee to consider the appeal by the students for the recalculation of their previous results from Four (4) Point Grading System to Five (5) Point Grading System and submit its recommendations.
“The Committee requested and received memoranda from the Universuty community including the Students; met severally and its report is to be considered at the forthcoming meeting of Senate scheduled for Thursday, 5th September, 2019.
“Students must acknowledge the fact that the University had already complied with the directive by the National Universities Commission (NUC) by reverting to the 5 Point Grading System with effect from the 2018/2019 academic session.
“In the interim, the University Management met the students and informed them of the efforts of Senate and appealed for their patience to enable the Committee to complete the assignment. Management also, through the Dean of Students issued a circular informing the students of its efforts.
“Management wishes to reiterate that it can only consider their appeal when the report of the Senate Committee is received.
“Management wishes every student to note that it cares for their academic success and will never deliberately distort their academic performance and results,” the statement reads.
The University Management appealed to students to be law abiding and respect constituted authority, policies and properties of the University and allow due process to prevail.
In 2013, the NUC directed all Universities to adopt a 4 point grading system. NUC however, instructed four years after that 5 point grading point be reverted to.
The Federal Government has re-established a seven-member renegotiation committee to address the 2009 agreements with university-based unions.Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, at the committee’s inauguration in Abuja on Monday, gave them a three-month deadline to conclude negotiations.
The committee brings together representatives from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU). Others are Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).Mamman stated that President Bola Tinubu’s government aimed to improve the education system and maintain peace on campuses.He noted that renegotiations began in 2017 but were delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.He said that the previous committee, led by Prof. Nimi Briggs, produced a draft report covering significant areas.The minister urged the reconstituted committee to work diligently and produce realistic agreements addressing the challenges facing the Nigerian University System (NUS).Committee Chairman, Dr Yayale Ahmed, appealed to the government to support universities in achieving global competitiveness and to consider lecturers’ salaries as investments.ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, thanked the government and expressed hope that the new committee would succeed where previous ones failed.He emphasised the unions’ readiness to renegotiate, provided the government worked towards a stable academic calendar.(NAN)
The Federal Ministry of Education has announced that the new curriculum for basic education will commence across schools in Jan. 2025.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, at a stakeholders meeting on the implementation of the new curriculum.
Mamman said new curriculum for senior secondary education would also commence by Sept.
2025.He said the new curriculum would address problems of learning crises and employability.
According to him, the new skills acquisition to be introduced would have multiplier effect by equipping students with 21st century skills.
“In the last one year, we have worked with stakeholders to develop a skills framework that will inject skills right from the latter part of basic education to secondary education.
“The whole idea is that, by the time children finished, they should have a minimum of two skills so that they can have a productive life,’’ he said.
The Minister said the meeting was conveyed to discuss the modality and as well tidy some aspects of the curriculum, while also giving timeline for implementation, support, monitoring and evaluation.
He said the next three months would be used for preparatory stage. including preparing teachers guide in using the curriculum.
When asked on the difference between the new scheme and the 6:3:3:4 system of education that also infused skills, he said the problem was the inability to implement the policy.
“The major justification for what we have done has been the inability to implement the 6:3:3:4 system from inception
“The minimum academic standard of 1993 shows a reason for 6:3:3:4 and the Act outlined clearly the learning trajectory of schools in Nigeria.
“It was envisaged that by the time learners finished basic education, they would have acquired skills. Unfortunately, we departed from it,’’ he said.
The Director of Curriculum, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Dr Garba Gandu, said the new curriculum would provide prerequisite skills and training for global competitiveness.
Gandu said the curriculum is competency and digital based, as it also aligned with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and (STEAM) methods.
The new curriculum includes 15 newly introduced trade subjects for basic education.
The subjects are, basic digital literacy such as information technology, vocational entrepreneurship skills such as building and construction, plumbing and tiling.
Others are hospitality such as hair styling, make-up and services such as construction, GSM repairs, satellite and CCTV installation and maintenance and garment making, among others. (NAN)
The Zamfara Teachers Service Board said the recent disengagement of the 109 contract teachers by the state government was not based on ethnic, tribal or religious reasons.
The Chairman of board, Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu-Anka, stated this while speaking to newsmen in Gusau on Friday.
The state government recently announced the dismissal of 109 contracted teachers over failure to abide by the government contract policy.
“You know, the disengagement of the teachers was not on ethnic, religious or tribal reasons, it was for the interest of the state.
“You know Gov. Dauda Lawal declared a state of emergency on the education sector of the state.
“The state government embarked on massive infrastructural investment on education across the state,” Aliyu-Anka said
He said that the provision of qualified and regular teachers was necessary to achieve the government’s policy.
He said that some of the teachers had abandoned their contracts and they were teaching at private schools while still collecting salaries from the government.
Aliyu-Anka said, “The board recommended the termination of the contracts of teachers who did not abide by the rules and regulations of the state.
“Many of the disengaged teachers were not attending schools to teach, leaving volunteers to teach the pupils.”
The chairman stated that the volunteer teachers were more qualified and they were not receiving salaries from the state government.
He said,”Considering the roles played by the volunteers in our schools, the state government plans to recruit 2000 teachers to fill the gaps by the disengaged teachers.” (NAN)
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