Education
FCT Schools Record 95 Per Cent Return of Exit Classes Students
About 95 per cent of students in the exit classes of the secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), resumed on Tuesday, in preparation for the 2020 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Majority of the teachers and students said they were happy to resume after lockdown, which lasted for about five months, due to the ravaging Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mrs Essien Enewan-Okon, Principal of Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3 in Abuja, said that 90 per cent of students in the school’s exit classes have resumed.
“They are all in their classrooms, very happy and we teachers are equally happy to resume; we thank God and the FCT Administration, who have made it possible for us to resume.
“As a government school, we are fully prepared for resumption because the FCT Secondary Education Board gave us all it takes to resume, starting from hands sanitizer, buckets for hand washing to face masks.
“The entire school premises was fumigated, we washed our classrooms and created the two meters distance required for desk spacing in all our 11 classrooms before resumption,” she said.
The principal also said that the school on resumption began by giving the students orientation on the new normal and how to go about their lives in school and at home.
“We even told them the type of food they should eat and pray to God that they should comply with the protocols,” she said.
A student in the school, Daniel Boluwatife said that she was excited to come back to school because the uncertainty of whether or not Nigerian students would be writing the 2020 WASSCE was very disappointing to her.
Also, Michael Oyegoke said, “I am excited to come back to school because there were a lot of distractions at home than in the school environment”.
On whether the teachers would be able to cover their syllabus within the two weeks preceding the WASSCE, both teachers and students were optimistic.
Mrs Felicial Ogbuegebe, head of sciences department in the school said that before they went on lockdown, there was only two weeks remaining before the WASSCE.
“We had covered our syllabus and we were doing revision before the lockdown came.
“All we need to do now is to revise with the students because staying at home for this long, they must have forgotten one or two things.
“Every safety measure has been put in place before the school resumed; so all the teaching staff are joining our hands together to teach the students, especially the sciences – Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
“All the teachers are now involved in preparing the exit class; this time it is not a time for a teacher to say that he teaches only SS 3 or SS 1 classes.
“Whatever class you teach, we are all involved with the SS 3 class now to make sure that they get whatever they need to get before their exams, ” she said.
An optimistic Nuralhuda Mohammed, a female student told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “my expectation for WASSCE is that, it will not be hard for me because I have read over and over during the lockdown, so, I am good to go.
“Since my teachers have all covered all their schemes of work and I am not new to the school environment, I have nothing to worry about,” she said.
In another vein, Malam Tamim Yusuf, the chief administrative officer of the Muslim Community Centre, owners of Fau-ad Lababidi Islamic Academy and four other institutions in Abuja, said that, the school was in full compliance with the government directives for resumption.
“In compliance with the directives of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, it is only our SS 3 students that have resumed.
“We decontaminated the entire school premises and an inspection was carried out by the Department of Quality Assurance of the FCT Education Secretariat on arrangement of classrooms.
“They were satisfied with our compliance, so they issued us a certificate for having satisfied all the requirements.
“Today being the first day of resumption, we organized a general orientation both for students and teachers.
“The orientation is in two phases: a medical doctor came from the National Hospital Abuja to give a talk generally on the COVID-19 protocols and an Imam gave another talk on what the Qura’an says about the pandemic and human responsibility.
“Right from the gate, no one is given access to the school premises until they have washed their hands and had their temperature taken; our classes are compliant in terms of social distancing,” he said. . (NAN)
The Federal Government says it has no plan to slash scholarship students’ allowances as recently projected in the media.The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stated this during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Abuja on Friday.
Report says that there was a report that the ministry, through the Federal Scholarship Board, announced a slash in allowances of foreign scholars stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria among others.
The slash in scholars’ allowances under the federal government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship (BEA) was attributed to the economic crises.Mamman said that there was no slash in scholars` allowances but rather an adjustment due to Foreign Exchange fluctuations (FOREX).“We want to clarify what has been in the media on allowances paid to scholars under the Bilateral Scholarship Agreement.“We want to place it on record that the ministry and the Federal Government for that matter have not slashed the allowances due to students.“What happened is some adjustments in the amount due to them because of FOREX fluctuations, and as soon as we get the balance we have applied for, we will pay them.“But for now, what is in the budget is what we can pay. So, there is no slash, we will even be happy to increase, so this is what has led to the adjustments,” he said.(NAN) By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Ahead of the Federal Education Sector Games (FEDUGAM) slated for Bauchi, the Federal Ministry of Education has unveiled the mascot for the 4th edition named “FEDUGAM-Bauchi 2024,” at a ceremony held in Abuja.
Speaking during the unveiling, the Minister of Education, Prof.
Tahir Mamman, represented by the Minister of State, Dr. Tanko Yusuf Sununu, expressed profound gratitude to attendees for their unwavering support and dedication to advancing the education sector.In a statement by the Director Press and PR, Folasade Boriowo, the Minister noted that FEDUGAM serves as a cornerstone for fostering camaraderie, sportsmanship, and community spirit among educators, administrators, students, and staff.
“The newly unveiled mascot embodies the values of physical fitness, teamwork, perseverance, and fair play, and is set to inspire participants throughout the games” the statement stated
Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, reiterated the importance of the games in promoting unity, friendship, fitness, and mental alertness among the Ministry and Agency staff.
She expressed gratitude to everyone involved in organizing the event and encouraged participants to compete with integrity and enjoy the games.
Chairman of the FEDUGAM Steering Committee, Omotayo F. Adeyemi, welcomed attendees and thanked the Minister and other dignitaries for their presence despite their busy schedule.
He harped on the mascot’s significance in representing the spirit of the games and thanked the organizing committee for their relentless efforts.
Adeyemi called for widespread support from ministries, agencies, corporate organizations, and partners to ensure the success of FEDUGAM Bauchi 2024.
FEDUGAM Bauchi 2024 is scheduled to take place from August 3-10, 2024, at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi State.
The event aims to celebrate educational achievements and foster unity within the sector, with the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, His Excellency Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, graciously hosting and supporting the event.
“As the games approach, the entire Ministry stands united in support, echoing the spirit of the mascot unveiled today. Let us come together to celebrate our shared achievements and work towards a brighter future for our education sector,” the statement added.
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
The Executive Chairman of Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Associate Professor Hyginus Banko Okibe has flagged off the 2022/2023 Agricultural Education training programme for head teachers, teachers, and pupils at Independence Layout Primary School, Enugu.
Professor Okibe emphasized the importance of agriculture for economic development and growth, stressing that the country’s major problem is hunger due to people not engaging in farming activities anymore.
He noted that schools should be exposed to agricultural skills and technology; he however announced that there will be an agricultural trade fair, where produce from all schools will be showcased.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Dr. Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, in a keynote address, highlight the importance of agriculture, stating that without it, there will be no life.
He disclosed that 12,000 bags of fertiliser will be distributed to registered farmers in the state and noting that non-farmers will not receive farming inputs and fertilisers.
Ubru reiterated that agriculture occupies an important space in the Governor’s vision and manifesto as one of the developmental areas for reviving the economy.
He said that Enugu State has introduced dry season farming with solar pumping machines and embarked on three-cycle rice production, making it the largest producer of cassava in the country.
He further disclosed plans to establish agricultural processing industries in the three senatorial zones of the state.
Dr. Amaka S. Ngene, Executive Chairman of STVSMB and former Permanent Member of ENSUBEB, appreciated the guests and emphasized that the agricultural education training programme is child-centered, aimed at making agriculture a future career or hobby for the pupils.
She enumerated the objectives of the training, including the provision of requisite skills for self-employment.
Hon. Nwakaego Ajah, Permanent Member 3, thanked the Executive Governor of Enugu State, the Executive Chairman of ENSUBEB, and UBEC for the initiative in making Agricultural Science more practical-oriented at the Basic Schools.
She urged the learners and teachers to take the training serious and also promote their dignity in labour.
The event featured lectures on food crops, planting, and care, and the distribution of farm inputs and plants to various schools.
The highlight of the occasion was the decoration of Dr. Amaka Ngene by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation.
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