ASUU: Appeal court to rule on varsity lecturers strike Friday – Newstrends
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ASUU: Appeal court to rule on varsity lecturers strike Friday

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja will tomorrow (Friday) rule on an application filed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, seeking a stay of execution of the ruling of the National Industrial Court ordering the union to end its ongoing strike.

The three-man panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, stated this on Thursday.

This came after James Igwe, counsel to the Federal Government, and Femi Falana, counsel to ASUU, had told the court that an out-of-court resolution had not been reached.

Falana, SAN, had after the case was called up, notified the appellate court that his client filed an application for permission to formally lodge an appeal against the interim injunction that directed the striking varsity lecturers to return to the classroom.

Though ASUU earlier filed its proposed 14-ground of appeal, however, its lawyer, Falana, SAN, noted that going by the provisions of section 243 (3) of the 1999, as amended, leave of the appellate court would be required for such appeal to gain validity.

ASUU maintained that its proposed appeal against the NIC order, was based on “grounds of law and on grounds bordering on fundamental human rights”.
Falana urged the appellate court to accede to ASUU’s request to enable it to challenge the order he said occasioned grave miscarriage of justice against the aggrieved varsity lecturers.
“This honourable court should not shut out the Appellant and thousands of its members desirous of ventilating their grievances pursuant to section 6 (6) (b) and 36 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended,” Falana stated.
He also said his client was willing to withdraw the application for stay of execution so as to expedite the hearing and determination matter.
Meanwhile, the FG’s lawyer, Igwe, SAN, said he was opposed to ASUU’s application, even as he urged the appellate court to dismiss it for want of competence and jurisdiction.
The FG’s lawyer drew the attention of the court to the fact that the striking lecturers were yet to obey the order of the industrial court that was made since September 21.
He argued that ASUU, being in contempt of a subsisting court order, could not seek any favourable decision from the appellate court.
“As at today, ASUU is in contempt of court. It is illegal for ASUU to remain on strike in the face of the industrial court order.
“Section 18(1) of the Trade Dispute Act does not allow a party in contempt to come before Court of Appeal with the type of ASUU’s application”, Igwe submitted.
He also prayed the appellate court to dismiss ASUU’s request for leave to appeal against the order of the NIC that it had yet to obey, adding that it was late for the application for stay of execution to be withdrawn since all the parties have already joined issues.
After the panel had listened to both sides, it adjourned the matter till Friday for ruling.
It will be recalled that the appellate court had earlier urged both FG and ASUU to explore an out-of-court resolution of the dispute that made varsity lecturers to embark on a strike action since February 14.
The NIC had in its ruling, ordered ASUU to call off the over seven-month old strike action in national interest and for the sake of undergraduates in the country.
It ordered the striking lecturers to return to the classroom, pending the determination of a suit FG filed to query the legality of their strike action.

 

Education

12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools

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Eniola Shokunbi

12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools

A 12-year-old Nigerian from Connecticut, USA, Eniola Shokunbi, has designed an air filter to reduce spread of air borne diseases in the US schools.

The design aims at creating low-cost air filters for classrooms.

The Connecticut State Bond Commission has approved $11.5 million in funding for the design.

Eniola in her fifth grade at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy of Middletown, they were tasked with creating a solution to enhance safety in schools during potential future pandemics.

Therefore, to combat airborne viruses like COVID-19, she developed a simple but effective air filter system.

Design

Shokunbi’s air filter design showcases both innovation and cost-effectiveness. The unit is constructed using a simple combination of components: a box fan, four furnace filters, duct tape, and cardboard.

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This ingenious assembly results in a remarkably low production cost of approximately $60 per unit. This makes it a highly affordable alternative to commercial air purifiers.

Eniola Shokunbi said, “The air goes through all the sides, and it comes out of the top. So it filters in and out.”

With support from scientists at the University of Connecticut, UConn, Eniola’s design underwent rigorous testing.

The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, confirmed that the device effectively eliminates over 99% of airborne viruses, showcasing its potential to significantly improve classroom safety.

The recent approval by the State Bond Commission allocates $11.5 million for the implementation of these air filters across Connecticut schools.

This funding is part of UConn’s SAFE-CT: Supplemental Air Filtration for Education Program, which aims to ensure that every public school classroom has access to these vital air purification systems.

Eniola’s vision extends beyond Connecticut; she aspires to see her air filters implemented in classrooms nationwide.

“A lot of people don’t realize that the only thing standing between them and getting sick is science,” Eniola Shokunbi said.

Also, she emphasized the importance of investing in scientific solutions for children’s health.

12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools

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Minister wants FG to revive Jonathan’s Almajiri system of education

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Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa

Minister wants FG to revive Jonathan’s Almajiri system of education

Alausa made the call when the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund led by its Chairman, Sen. Muntari Dandutse, visited the ministry for an oversight function.

Alausa, who was newly posted to the ministry, decried the high rate of out-of-school children, saying that with enough fund allocation, the menace would be tackled.

“We have up to 20 million out-of-school children.

“I met with the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School, who said that the 20 million was even under-quoted.

“It is about 40 million to 50 million. This is a danger that can consume everybody. We have to make these schools work.

“Former President Goodluck Jonathan built about 137 Almajiri schools during his tenure, but today, it is sad that only a few of these schools are operational,” he said.

Alausa said that there was a lot of infrastructural decay in the schools, adding that with the Almajiri Commission established by an act of Parliament, the ministry would empower the children.

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He, however, called for more funding to achieve the desired goal of ensuring that out-of-school children were taken off the streets.

The minister further said that the ministry would find a way of keeping children in school by making the Home Grown Feeding Programme viable and sustainable.

“We will design the nutrition, we will ensure that the children get good nutrition which will translate into better brain development, and enable us to develop human capital,” he said.

He also said that the nation was churning out graduates that were not employable.

“We have to refocus, and the way we are refocusing is that going forward, we will focus on Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEMM).

“Today, we have hospitals built, infrastructure is there and funded, but we do not have medical personnel to run them.

“We will also focus on technical, and vocational education. We will encourage 80 per cent practical training and 20 per cent theory,” she said.

The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Muntari Dandutse, said that the Senate would collaborate with the ministry to make education a priority in the country.

Dandutse also called on the minister to give attention to the issues of security and power supply to higher institutions.

“Most of the allocation to the universities is going to the payment of electricity bills. We need to work together to ensure that they have an uninterrupted power supply,” he said.

Minister wants FG to revive Jonathan’s Almajiri system of education

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FG reverses 18-year admission entry for varsities, sets new priorities

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Dr. Tunji Alausa

FG reverses 18-year admission entry for varsities, sets new priorities

In a significant policy shift, Nigeria’s newly appointed Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced the abolition of the 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions across the country.

During his inaugural press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, he also indicated plans to review the nation’s education policy.

Despite these changes, Alausa reaffirmed that there will be no reversal of the Federal Government’s recent decision to invalidate over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from certain “fake” universities in neighboring Togo and the Benin Republic.

This move aims to uphold the integrity of the nation’s education system.

Emphasizing the need for practical education, Alausa noted that the current system cannot continue producing graduates without corresponding job opportunities, which has contributed to Nigeria’s rising unemployment rates.

To address this, he announced plans for the federal government to partner with private sector operators to provide training and development opportunities for students, unlocking their potential for future employment.

Additionally, Alausa expressed a commitment to empowering universities of agriculture to adopt commercial farming practices as a strategic approach to combat food insecurity in the country.

 

FG reverses 18-year admission entry for varsities, sets new priorities

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