Education
Africa Must Take Education as Priority–Okorocha
By Jude Opara
The senator representing the Imo North in the Nigerian senate and former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha has called on African countries to make deliberate efforts to educate the orphans and other children from very poor families.
Okorocha equally asked the African Union (AU) to take advantage of the initiative and encourage member nations to design a framework that would cater for the education of vulnerable children who are victims of such factors like civil wars.
Speaking on Thursday when he received the Ambassadors of the Republic of Congo and South Sudan, Jacques Obindza, and Paul Molong Akaro in separate visits to the Okorocha’s Foundation in Abuja, the former governor said children from poor homes have a lot to contribute to the political and economic development of Africa if trained.
The businessman who owns Rochas College of Africa, and has been partnering with the Republics of Congo, South Sudan and other well-meaning individuals to provide free and quality education for the underprivileged children in Africa said training of responsible children from poor homes would impact positively on the continent.
“The major problem of Africa is illiteracy and poverty. So we are coming in to change the story. We have over 14 million out of school children who have been left unattended to as a result of poverty.
“We are advising African nations to adopt Okorocha’s Foundation to enable the helpless children fulfil their dreams. The AU should come and see what we are doing and see how they can support this venture.
“We have over 25, 000 children in our Foundation across Nigeria and Africa. So the Foundation is a uniting factor for Africa. The children here talk Africa and think Africa. So we want to strengthen this relationship,” he said.
Earlier, the Ambassadors Republic of Congo Obindza and his counterpart in South Sudan, Akaro in their separate remarks, said the two countries would sustain ties with the Okorocha Foundation for the socio-political and economic development of the African continent.
They expressed satisfaction with the quality of education the Rochas Foundation is rendering to the children adding that their home countries will continue to partner with the Foundation to help the less privileged children in their countries.
They equally called on other African countries that are yet to do so to key into the activities of the Rochas Foundation insisting that it is a partnership worth engaging in.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has re-scheduled the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination into Federal Unity Colleges and the entrance examination into Federal Government Academy, Suleja.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday by Azeez Sani, acting Director, Information and Digital Communication of the council.
Sani stated that the common entrance examination earlier scheduled for April 20, 2024, would now hold on June 1, 2024.
He also said that the entrance examination for Gifted and Talented Children into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, earlier scheduled to hold on May 4,
2024 would now hold on May 25, 2024.
He added that the rescheduling of the two examinations was due to low enrollment of candidates.
He enjoined candidates, parents, guardians, schools and relevant stakeholders to take note of the new dates.
Sani said that registration of candidates would continue till the new dates of the examinations. (NAN)
By Eddy Ochigbo
No fewer than six Nigerian Universities have been selected to benefit from the 15 Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme Projects funded by the European Union (EU) with €27 million under the flagship Youth Mobility for Africa.
Permanent Secretary, of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs.
Didi Walson-Jack, who signed the agreement at the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education in Brussels, said Nigeria would also benefit from the regional Team Europe Initiative on Opportunity-driven Skills, Vocational Education and Training in AfricaUnder the initiative, the European Union would spend €27 million, allocating €1.
8 million to each of the Projects in the education and healthcare sectors in Africa.These Projects, which are to be facilitated by various Universities, aim to enhance learning mobility opportunities for Students, Trainees, and Staff across the Continent, focusing on developing high-level green and digital skills.
The participating Universities include the University of Lagos, the University of Port-Harcourt, Ebonyi State University, the Federal University of Technology, and the University of Nigeria.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the police have warned candidates preparing for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) against patronising fake websites.
The two bodies gave the warning at a joint news conference in Abuja on Saturday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said there were several fake websites created by unscrupulous individuals with the intention of misleading candidates.
He urged candidates to be wary of their tactics, saying the fake web sites were designed to deceive innocent candidates into providing personal details such as registration numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers.
“Both JAMB and the Nigeria Police Force condemn these fraudulent activities and hereby reiterate the readiness to safeguard the interests of candidates and maintain the integrity of the examination process.
“We urge parents, guardians, and all stakeholders to ensure that candidates print their UTME Notification Slips only from the Board’s approved website: www.jamb.gov.ng.
“Candidates can print their slips from the comfort of their homes or visit any of the over 700 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide,” he said.
Adejobi explained that the force was familiar with the tactics employed by fraudsters, especially during the annual assessment and admission exercises.
He, therefore, said that both organisations was actively sensitising candidates and the public about these deceptive practices.
“Any candidate who visits these fake sites will definitely have unreliable information and thereby miss out in the forthcoming exams.
“Candidates are advised to print their UTME Notification Slips before Friday, 19th April, 2024, to access vital information about their examinations.
“Any website other than www.jamb.gov.ng offering UTME slip printing services is fake and designed to defraud candidates,” he said.
He also called on candidates to beware of web sites offering ‘live’ questions and answers, as they were false and deceptive, saying that accessing such materials was prohibited.
He further said the board was partnering with the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) to address online scam-related issues seamlessly.
He assured candidates and the public of the force firm dedication to ensuring a fair and transparent examination process.
He also stressed that the Inspector General of Police had ordered the NPF-NCCC to go after scammers and fraudsters who engage in cyber related crimes and create phishing sites/portals.
On his part, the JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, pledged the Board’s commitment to continue in playing its role
He, therefore, urged candidates to ignore any unsolicited messages noting that they were from elements who aim at defrauding candidates.
The 2024 UTME is scheduled to commence on Friday, April 19, and end on April 29. (NAN)
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