Education
Parents’ Assistance Required in doing Children’s Homework – Stakeholders
Some parents and teachers in the South-South have justified parents’ assistance to children in doing their take home assignments, saying it is not transfer of responsibilities from teachers to parents.
The parents who made the justification during a survey carried out by newsmen in the region, said the practice helped parents monitor whether or not the teachers did their work well
They also said it helped in boosting the bond between parents and children as well as enable them to monitor the performance of thier children.
A Calabar-based teacher, Mrs Margaret Ada, said that parents assisting their children and wards do take home assignments helped to create bond between the students/pupils and their parents.
“Teachers are not transferring their responsibilities to the parents by giving them take home assignments as some people think.
“The practice ensures that parents get really involved in their children’s education. Some schools have realised that some parents have no knowledge of the activities of their children in school.
“Education is a collaborative effort between teachers, parents and children. Parents just have to be involved and that is why assignments are given,” she said.
She however noted that some parents felt the assignment were sometimes far above the understanding of the child.
According to her, in such situations parents can call the attention of the teachers and this helps to boost the bond among the parties.
A parent, Mr David Akpan, said that take home assignments, no matter how difficult, was part of the teaching techniques to help students/pupils understand better.
“It is necessary for the parents to assist the children in their take home assignments. It is only a lazy and irresponsible parent that sees it as a burden,” he noted.
In Yenagoa, a parent and teacher, Mr Jonathan Epegu, said ideally such assignments were designed to ensure that children recalled what they were taught in school and make them do the assignments on their own.
“Parents are supposed to supervise their children and not do the assignments. The education of children should involve parents as well as teachers,” Epegu said.
She however said that at times, students were given take home assignments beyond their range of knowledge.
“I agree it happens. My children bring such assignments that are beyond their scheme of work,” she said.
According to Mr Maduabuchi Eziukwu, some teachers ‘overload’ children with assignments on a daily basis and over burden parents who are increasingly finding it more difficult to eke out a living.
“I only assist when children have difficulties because when you do the assignments, the children do not learn anything.
Eziukwu however said that parenting required a lot of commitment and advised that parents should create time and have interest in the educational development of their children.
Some teachers in Benin told newsmen that take home assignments were meant for students and pupils to master the topics taught in class.
Mrs Blessing Emmanuel, a teacher at a private school in the Edo capital, said no teacher would give students assignment on topics not treated in class.
“I understand the fact that some parents see the assignment given to their wards as bulky whereas it is not, she said.
For Mrs Treasure Emokpahe, a teacher, assignments are given to students to ensure they comprehend the topic very well.
She said that giving assignments to pupils and students was never a ploy to shift responsibility.
In Asaba, the proprietor, African Elite International School, Mr Ikenna Okafor, said that development of children was meant for both teachers and parents.
Okafor said giving children alignments to do at home did not amount to transferring responsibilities to parents.
“It helps the child to play less and study at home. It also helps parents to find out if the teachers are teaching their children job well.
“It helps parents find out whether their children are serious with their studies and makes the children to open up to their parents about their teachers’ bad behaviours.
“When both teachers and parents join hands together to help the child, you will find out that the child is always the best,” he said.
Also Mrs Chibuzo James, a parent said: “Every responsible parents should be able to show love to his or her children by assisting them to do assignments.
“By so doing he or she will even know how much teachers is doing in the life of his or her children.
“That a parent assists the child does not mean the teachers are transferring their duties to them,” she added.
Also, Dr. Bassey Bassey, a parent in Uyo, said that parents should be involved in the academic development of their children in order to monitor what their children and wards do in school.
“If everything the children do starts and ends with teachers, then parents will not know much about the education of their children and wards. It means they don’t keep tap on what their children do,” he said.
Bassey said if assignments were not given to children, because of their short attention span, their mind would be moved away from academics.
He said that giving of assignments did not mean transfer of responsibilities to parents, but a way to keep children busy at home.
“It is not true that some teachers have made it a habit to give students or pupils take home assignments and expect parents to solve them,” Bassey said.
Contributing, Mr Patrick Titus said children did not really need to learn from the four walls of classroom alone but also from home.
He said that parents helping their children do assignments was not out of place, adding that both teachers and parents should join hands in academic development of their children.
He noted that take home assignments helped boost the bond between children and parents.
Also speaking, Miss Iquo Uwa, a teacher at Royal Academy School, Eket, advised that assignments should be done in exercise books in which notes on the affected topics were copied.
She said that by so doing pupils could do such assignments on their own without parents assisting them.
Uwa however, said that there was nothing wrong in parents helping children to do assignments.
“It is not dodging responsibilities by teachers but parents being involved and knowing what their children are taught in school,” Uwa said.
Meanwhile, a lecturer in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Dr Williams Wodi, says absence of monitoring and evaluation of teachers is partly the reason many teachers now outsource their scholarly responsibilities to parents.
According to him, the current trend of teachers presenting students with homework to be assisted by their parents is wrong.
He said: “In those days, zonal supervisors visited schools at least once in a month to know whether teachers are properly trained and to find out what students are taught.
“But in the absence of monitoring and evaluation, what we have masquerading as teachers nowadays are mostly auxiliary teachers who do not know classroom management procedures.
“They (teachers) simply load pupils with all manner of homework, sometimes flog them for not doing their homework and chastising the parents for not assisting the children.
“So, what teachers do now is to transfer their responsibilities to parents because they don’t understand what is expected of them.
“This is so because some teachers are not properly equipped and trained, and as such, they shift their responsibilities to parents,” he said.
He also blamed poor remuneration of teachers in the country for such “transfer of responsibilities.”
“Teaching profession in Nigeria is among the least paid whereas in a country like Finland teachers earn more than politicians, including the country’s prime minister.
“Until there is proper monitoring and evaluation, proper procedure for teaching teachers classroom management and how to evaluate students, we will continue to have what we have now,” he noted. (NAN)
The Federal Government has approved N4bn for the payment of allowances to Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement.
The approval follows outcries from the beneficiaries who had lamented that they were being pushed into forced labour and prostitution due to prolonged hardship occasioned by the nonpayment of their allowance by the Federal Government.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed that the fund, representing part of the N8bn budgeted for the programme this year, had been released as the first tranche to address outstanding payments owed to the scholars.
“The Federal Ministry of Finance has approved N4bn to pay the first tranche, and I am working with the Minister of Finance to settle the remaining N4bn. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, they will receive all their allowances for 2025 and 2026.
According to him, efforts are ongoing between both ministries to ensure that all outstanding payments are cleared, with the balance expected to be released within four weeks.
The development follows a disturbing viral video from affected students across countries, including Russia, Serbia and Venezuela, who said delays in stipends spanning over a year had left many struggling to survive, with some resorting to menial jobs while others claimed female students had been forced into prostitution.
The outcry comes barely a year after the Federal Government terminated the scholarship programme and promised to ensure that current students are funded to complete their studies.
In 2025, the minister cited inefficiency and misallocation of national resources as reasons for terminating the programme, following similar complaints from previous beneficiaries.
The programme, established through diplomatic partnerships, had enabled Nigerian students to study in countries such as China, Russia, Hungary, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Serbia.
He explained that the scheme had become unsustainable, noting that the government planned to spend about N9bn on just 1,200 students in 2025.
However, the minister assured that all current beneficiaries of the scheme would continue to receive full government support until they complete their studies and return to Nigeria.
Despite assurances that current beneficiaries would not be affected, several students said they had not received stipends for over two years, leaving them stranded.
In the viral video, about 16 Nigerian scholars in Russia appealed to the government for urgent intervention, describing their situation as dire.
One of the students, a fifth-year medical student in Rostov, said many had been pushed into extreme conditions to survive.
A student leader in Russia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development recently, lamenting that the rising cost of living and currency challenges had worsened their situation.
She added that restrictions on student work permits in some countries further limit their ability to earn income.
Another student in Venezuela described the situation as abandonment, noting that scholars from other countries receive regular support from their governments.
He said, “It is only Nigerians that are abandoned. Other countries like Mozambique, Burkina Faso, and Brazil, send delegates to check on their students and pay them, but no one comes from Nigeria.
A parent of an affected scholar, who spoke anonymously with our correspondent, said relevant government agencies had been engaged to facilitate the payment.
“The situation requires prompt attention. These children were sent abroad through a government programme. There have been delays in stipends despite repeated appeals to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and other agencies.”
The Federal Government had earlier, in January, dismissed claims that Nigerian scholarship students in Morocco were abandoned, following a viral video that showed some students facing hardship, including homelessness and lack of medical support.
The video, shared on X by activist Martins Otse, featured interviews with Nigerian students in Morocco who alleged they had gone for years without receiving financial support despite being beneficiaries of government scholarships.
Reacting, the Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, insisted that no student on a valid Federal Government scholarship had been neglected.
Alausa was quoted as saying that all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship Programme before 2024 had received payments up to the 2024 budget year in line with government obligations.
The statement noted that any delays in outstanding payments were due to fiscal constraints and were being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
The Federal Government has approved exemption of candidates seeking admission into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme with a minimum of four credits from sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Minister of Education, Dr.
Tunji Alausa, announced the policy on Monday in Abuja, at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).The event also featured the 6th Edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit (NATAP-M) awards.
Alausa said the decision followed consultations with stakeholders aimed at expanding access to teacher education and strengthening enrollment in Colleges of Education (CoE) nationwide.
He explained that eligible candidates would, however, be required to register with JAMB for proper screening, verification and issuance of admission letters through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
According to him, the exemption is part of deliberate reforms to harness the admission capacity of colleges of education, particularly within local communities.
“Accordingly, candidates seeking admission into the NCE programme, who possess a minimum of four credit passes, will no longer be required to sit for the UTME.
“However, it is imperative to emphasise that such candidates shall mandatorily register with JAMB, and their credentials shall be duly screened, verified, and certified for the issuance of admission letters thr“In recognition of this reality, the Federal Ministry of Education, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, has taken a deliberate policy position.
ough CAPS, in accordance with extant regulations.”
The minister added that the exemption would also apply to candidates seeking admission into National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses.
He said the measure was designed to ease pressure associated with UTME, while encouraging participation in critical sectors essential to national development.
He reiterated that admissions conducted outside CAPS remained illegal and would not be recognised by the government.
He also warned that institutions violating established admission procedures risked sanctions, including suspension of operating licences where applicable.
Alausa reaffirmed the government’s position on 16 years as the minimum admission age into tertiary institutions, noting that the decision aimed at maintaining inclusivity and academic readiness.
He noted that the federal government was implementing wide-ranging reforms in the education sector focused on access, quality, governance and accountability.
He commended JAMB for deploying technology-driven solutions that enhanced fairness and credibility in the admissions process.
He added that efforts were ongoing to deepen inclusion for Persons living With Disabilities through application fee waivers and targeted support initiatives.
“This initiative is not only humane but also a powerful affirmation of our national commitment to equity and equal opportunity.
“The increasing participation of candidates with disabilities in our examinations and admissions processes is clear evidence that when barriers are removed, potential is unleashed,” Alausa said.
The minister further disclosed that the government was advancing digital transformation in education through expanded computer-based testing and integration of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies into curricula.
He said the federal government had equally achieved progress in stabilising the university system, following successful renegotiation of agreements aimed at ensuring uninterrupted academic calendars.
Alausa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating examination malpractice through strengthened verification systems and enhanced collaboration among relevant agencies.
He urged stakeholders to uphold integrity and fairness in admissions decisions, noting that outcomes of the policy meeting would affect millions of Nigerian youths seeking tertiary education opportunities.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has intensified measures to protect the integrity of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE, as 1,959,636 candidates sit for the examination across Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
The Head of WAEC National Office, Amos Dangut, disclosed this during a news conference at the council’s national office in Yaba.
Dangut said that WAEC has strengthened its serialisation technology by ensuring candidates receive differently arranged questions, thereby reducing malpractice and preserving the integrity of examinations nationwide.
He said WAEC has equally strengthened its question serialisation system to ensure that candidates receive differently sequenced questions, reducing opportunities for collusion and malpractice.
He noted that the adoption of the computer-based examination has increased significantly this year, following its successful introduction in 2025 and strong support from the Federal Ministry of Education.
Dangut explained that several schools in neighbouring countries offering the WAEC syllabus also opted for the computer-based format, reflecting growing regional confidence in the system.
“This year, more schools have chosen the CB-WASSCE option due to its seamless nature, alignment with global best practices, and the success of last year’s edition,” he said.
The official noted that the examination, which began April 21 with practical papers, is scheduled to end June 19, adding, “It’s covering a period of eight weeks and three days”.
Dangut revealed that the 2026 entry figures include 958,564 male candidates and 1,001,072 female candidates, noting an increase in female participation when compared to previous years.
He also confirmed that about 29,000 senior secondary school teachers, nominated by various ministries of education, are serving as supervisors for the conduct of the examination nationwide.
“The council decisively addresses examination malpractice. Penalties will be meted out to erring candidates, supervisors, and schools, as approved by the Nigeria Examinations Committee,” he added.
On security, Dangut acknowledged ongoing challenges in some parts of the country but assured that the council is working closely with the Nigeria Police Force, state governments, and other security agencies to ensure smooth conduct.
He warned candidates, parents, and schools against engaging rogue websites and malpractice syndicates, stating that offenders would be tracked and prosecuted in collaboration with the law enforcement agencies.
According to Dangut, results will be released 45 days after the final paper, and certificates issued within 90 days, including access to digital certificates via its official platform.
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