Education
FCE Okene Lecturers Draw Battle line With Management
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Lecturers of Federal College of Education, Okene , Kogi State under the aegis of College of Education Academic Staff Union (COESU) have said the battle line has been drawn between its members and the management of the school over shabby treatment and non – payment of some entitlements.
Addressing newsmen shortly after holding an emergency Congress at the college auditorium, the branch chairman of COESU, Comrade Frank Dele Owa flanked by the secretary, Dr Ismaila Oricha Azeez decried the way management of the institution has been treating members and said the lecturers will not resume classes even when the national body resolves it’s lingering problems with the federal government
Comrade Owa specifically mentioned that Congress had resolved that unless the management paid 21 months outstanding arrears for Peculiar Earned Academic Allowance ( PEAA )owed old staff and four months owed new staff, the members will not return to class.
The union also ordered the management to pay all the outstanding arrears on sabbatical leave to its members especially that of 2015, which is one month and that of 2016 which is two months
He also said Congress frowned at the way management refused to release it’s members for the annual sabbatical leave which it said was antithetical to intellectual growth and industrial harmony and urged it to rescind the decision immediately.
Dele said it was appallingly discouraging that the federal government has consistently neglected Colleges of Education in the country in terms of funding, infrastructural development and bearing of over head costs saying these have actually contributed to the low quality of education in the country.
He alleged that the federal government has been manipulating academic staff salary with “the imposition of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and the unilateral stoppage of payment of academic staff on sabbatical leave, imposition of non=negotiated Personal Income Tax, to overdeduction of payable amount of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS)”.
He said other impropriety which the IPPIS has engendered is the non-remittance of third-party deductions especially for staff cooperative societies and the statutory union check-off dues [in contravention of ILO Convention and its own Laws.
The branch chapter which said the non release of the check off dues to the various chapters of the union was a ploy to weaken union activities, also joins its national body to appeal to the federal government to release the ₦15 billion palliatives it promised the union since 2018.
It will be recalled that the COEASU president, Nuhu Ogirima while addressing newsmen last week claimed that the federal government failed to release the outstanding N441 billion resulting from the received needs assessment of the federal colleges of education.
The COEASU president regretted that many correspondences sent to draw the attention of the federal government to attend to the demands of the federal colleges of education in the country had failed.
According to him, the development has left the union with no option than to begin a series of actions, which will lead to full blown nationwide strike as soon as schools reopened.
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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