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UI to Adopt Online Teaching for the Rest of Second Semester Due to COVID-19 –Registrar

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The management of the University of Ibadan (UI), on Monday, proposed moving teaching and learning, for the rest of the second semester, online due to rising COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country.

The university’s Registrar, Mrs Olubunmi Faluyi, disclosed this in a statement made available in Ibadan by Mr Tunji Oladejo, Director of Public Communications, in the office of the Vice Chancellor.

“It is clear that going fully online or adopting a blended approach to teaching is one of the steps to take to ensure the safety of all staff and students, given the increasing rate of infections being experienced in Nigeria and on our campus.

“Management commends all departments engaging in virtual/blended teaching since the commencement of the 2020/2021 Session.

“All departments are urged to immediately take advantage of existing arrangements and commence virtual/blending teaching.

“The Directorate of Information Technology and Media Services (ITeMS) and the ERTC are on the ground, available to provide technical support,” the registrar said.

Faluyi said the university had earlier requested faculties to identify courses to be taught online and those to be taught physically, for the rest of the second semester.

“The Emergency Remote Teaching Committee (ERTC), in its proposal to the Committee of Provosts and Deans (CoPD), at a meeting, held on the 11th August, 2021, had noted and recommended thus:

“As more cases of COVID-19 are being announced nationwide. These call for caution and proactive actions, which should take into consideration, in the main, the review of the mode of teaching and learning in the second semester and, as a consequence, provide a safe way to undertake pedagogical activities on Nigerian university campuses.

“With the daily rising cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and with several cases within the main campus and the College of Medicine/UCH campuses, the ERTC considered a proposal of blended teaching for the second-semester in the university.

“The blended learning model should be officially decided in terms, either of availability of sections of the student population for online or physical encounters or the categorization of courses as online or physical.

”This neutralizes the choice of location or keeps all students, in principle, in physical presence within and/or around the campus,” she said.

Faluyi said the proposed platforms and tools to be used, according to the ERTC, include: LMS, Zoom, YouTube Gsuite accounts, Telegram fora, Solution clinics, which should be maintained for use by students and staff in all cases.

“Google meet, which is practically free, should, in addition, be encouraged for lectures, since all academics have access to Gmail accounts.

“Firm decisions and systematicity should be applied on the preference for the operations of blended learning to ensure effectiveness,” she said.

She noted that the management had decried the poor compliance with COVID-19 protocols by the entire university community and emphasised the need to ensure strict compliance through the university’s COVID-19 Committee.

“If the situation worsens on campus, full online engagement should be mounted for all courses as was done in the first semester, exempting only departments and units with special needs, on the condition that evident strict compliance with the protocols will be observed.

“Bigger Zoom rooms for courses, with more than 1,800 students, should be purchased and added to the existing pool”, Faluyi added.

The registrar enjoined everyone to take personal responsibility for his/her safety by obeying all COVID-19 safety protocols.

“If we do this, there will be no cause for panic on our campus,” she said.

Faluyi also disclosed that arrangements were ongoing to make vaccines available for all staff and students, as soon as possible, the details of which would be provided as more progress is made, she said. (NAN)

Education

UNICAL VC Promises to Resolve Dentistry Students’ Crisis

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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.

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Education

NUT Reaffirms Commitment to Teachers’ Professional Development in Kwara

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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.

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Education

JAMB Sets 150  Cut-off Mark for University Admissions

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Joint Admission and Matriculation Board
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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.

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