Education
JAMB Shuts Down Seven Exam Centres in Bayelsa
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has shut down seven examination centres in Bayelsa over alleged violation of rules and regulations guiding the examinations.
JAMB coordinator in the state, Abdusalam Mohammed, announced the development on Tuesday in Yenagoa when he paid a courtesy call on the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state is now left with only four centres to cater for its 24,000 candidates.
Mohammed explained that some of the centres were de-listed for duplicating the Virtual Private Network (VPN) of their router, a development that compromised the data security of JAMB.
He said that others were shut down for charging outrageous sums during registration.
“When the registration exercise commenced, we sent out a monitoring team who found that candidates were charged N5,000 for a service that should ordinarily cost N2,500,” Mohammed said.
On JAMB’s readiness to conduct examination in the COVID-19 era, Mohammed said that the body was training its staff during the lockdown.
“We also sensitised candidates and provided personal prevention equipment.
“In order to reduce the crowd at our office during registration, we set out specific days that candidates could visit us. The intention was to reduce body contact between staff and candidates.
“Before the outbreak of COVID-19, we used to ask candidates to thumb-print documents, but that has been stopped so as to curtail the spread of the virus.
“We have replaced that with a One-Time Password (OTP), which is sent to the candidate. The OTP will verify the candidate and confirm if he or she is the original owner of that particular application.
“In the past, it was difficult to have 20,000 candidates for JAMB, but this year, the number has skyrocketed to 24,000 candidates, meaning that there is an improvement in the enrollment of students in Bayelsa.
“Unfortunately, awareness of our activities is low in Bayelsa. That is why we have come to visit you,” Mohammed explained.
Responding, the Chairman of NUJ, Mr Samuel Numonengi, frowned at the activities of the operators of the examination centres de-listed, saying that their actions were detrimental to progress in the state.
“We cannot stand people jeopardising the future of our children in Bayelsa.
“I want to join you to condemn their actions and encourage parents and candidates to stand up against any form of infraction perpetrated by these individuals that have questionable character.
“In the past, JAMB had a strong synergy with journalists, but that relationship is weak now. So, I want to encourage you to build that synergy so as to educate our people and shore up our fortunes,” he said. (NAN)
Education
Nasarawa to Register Final Year Students for NECO Examination
The Nasarawa State Government said it will pay for the 2024 National Examinations Council (NECO) registration fee for all final year students in public secondary schools in the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule disclosed this on Monday in Lafia, while inaugurating four newly appointed permanent secretaries, as well as the executive Chairman and members of the Nasarawa State Disabilities Rights Commission.
“Our government has taken a decision to pay NECO registration fees for all our secondary school students who are in their finals this year.
”However, there are some who have already paid, they will be refunded.
Sule also said that his administration would embark on the distribution of food items as palliative to all the indigenous students of tertiary institutions.
The governor pointed out that President Bola Tinubu was fully aware of the hardship being experienced by Nigerians, and was working hard through the governors and other agencies to cushion the effects.
“Nasarawa State has just concluded the distribution of food items throughout the state in order to bring relief to the people.
“This week, we are going to all our tertiary institutions to distribute items to the students,” he said.
He added that his administration was working hard to industrialise the state and boost agricultural activities in order to engage the people in meaningful ventures.
“Nasarawa State is currently working on the acquisition of 10, 000 hectares of land in order for us to be able to produce some crops such as rice and maize.
“But more importantly, to engage our people so that we can provide for the people and cushion the effects of the hardships,” he said.
He noted that palliatives were a temporary measure, adding that the government was committed to providing the people a permanent means of livelihood.
Sule charged the new appointees, especially the new permanent secretaries, to shun corruption by imbibing the culture and principles of transparency, accountability, and probity, in line with the posture of his administration.
He further urged them to ensure budgetary discipline and prudence in the management of public resources.
He noted that the inauguration of the executive chairman and members of the state’s disabilities rights commission was in line with the resolve of his administration to give every citizen of the state a sense of belonging.
He said that the coming onboard of the Nasarawa State Disabilities Rights Commission was also in accordance with the National Disabilities Act 2018, which encourages the promotion, protection, and prioritisation of the rights of the people with disability.
“It is also to enhance their productivity through education, health, and other socio-economic activities,” he said.
In his remarks, one of the newly inaugurated Permanent Secretary representing Keffi Local Government Area, Idris Umar-Idris, appreciated Sule for finding them worthy of the appointments.
He pledged that they would not fail in the discharge of their duties.
Education
SSANU, NASU Warning Strike Disrupt Admin, Academic Activities in UNN
Academic activities were partially paralysed at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the Enugu campus following the seven day warning strike by the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).
Thecorrespondents who monitored the situation at the reports that the strike affected some ongoing examinations at both campuses of the university.
NASU, SSANU strike partially disrupts academic activities in UNN, Enugu campus
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Students who were writing examinations earlier were allowed to finish while those who started their afternoon papers were chased out of the classrooms and stopped from writing their exams.
The striking members also closed many offices including Students Affairs and others.
Some of the students lamented the negative effects of the strike in their studies.
Miss Ijeoma Edeh, a 400 level student of the Faculty of Environmental Studies, said the strike if allowed to go on, would affect her seriously.
“Please, government should pay them, otherwise a prolonged strike will spell doom for some of us,” Edeh said.
Another 400 student of the Faculty of Architecture, Favour Obichili, appealed to the Federal Government to resolve their grievances and meet their demands.
SSANU and NASU said the warning strike called by their national Joint Action Committee (JAC) was to protest Federal Government’s failure to pay their members four months withheld salaries during their strike in 2022.
Addressing members during an emergency congress in the UNN, Dr. Linus Akata, Chairman of SSANU-UNN flanked by Comrade Ekene Amu, Chairman of NASU-UNN said the emergency congress was to tell their members about the warning strike declared by JAC.
Akata said that the strike would be total and comprehensive in UNN, in total adherence and compliance to the directive of the national leadership.
He said that all the administrative offices and essentials service sections of the university were already under lock and key,
The union leader warned that the unions would deal decisively with any member found defaulting or sabotaging the seven day warning strike.
“Members are directed to go home immediately after this congress and stay away from work until the seven-day warning strike ends, as any defaulting member will be decisively dealt with.
“This warning strike is total and comprehensive as administrative block of the UNN, offices, works department, University Medical Centre, University Primary School and among others have been shut down till the end of the strike.
“There will be no water and electricity supply from the university hostels, also internet facilities from the university have been shut down for the period as we have directed our members working in these places to go home,” he said.
Akata said that the unions had no apology over the seven-day warning strike as their national leadership had done everything necessary to avert the strike by appealing to government to do the needful.
“SSANU and NASU have written so many letters to government, held several press conferences, led delegations to government officials in a bid to resolve the issue but all to no avail.
“So, at the end of this warning strike, if the government did not meet our demand we will also take directive from our national body on the next line of action,” he said.
Akata urged members to go home and relax till the end of the strike but should report any threat or query for not coming to work from management, head of department or faculty to the union. (NAN)
Education
Adamawa, World Bank to Spend N97bn on AGILE Project
Adamawa Government says it will spend more than N97 billion on the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project.
AGILE is a World Bank assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Education.
Dr Garba Pella, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, disclosed this on Monday in Yola, at the end of the state maiden meeting on the project implementation.
He said no fewer than 24,000 adolescent girls in 100 schools across the state were expected to benefit from the five years project.
Pella said some of the projects to be carried out included rehabilitation of schools, building new schools, empowering girls with skills and empowering some vulnerable parents who used their daughters for hawking.
According to him, the aim is to ensure that the adolescent girls are allowed to complete their secondary school education.
Dr Umar Idriss, AGILE Project Coordinator, also explained that the project “is for learning and empowerment to improve access to secondary education for adolescent girls”.
He said all was being done for successful implementation of the project in the state for the development of education, especially among the adolescent girls.
According to him, the project will help to provide environment onducive for learning as some of the schools were dilapidated, in spite of the commitment of the state government.
“AGILE is here to complement the efforts of the state government by rehabilitation of some schools and construction of the new ones, ” he said (NAN)