Education

FG, ASUU trade blame as strike enters 50th day

Published

2 years ago

April 5, 2022

The Minister of State for Education, Mr Emeka Nwajiuba, has said striking university workers including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions are mean and wicked for shutting down universities across the country.

This is just as the ASUU’s strike enters its 50th day on Tuesday (today).

The unions are currently on strike over failure by the Federal Government to honour the various agreements reached with them.

Nwajiuba, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said it was an act of wickedness for the unions to go on strike for entitlements that the government would still give them.

The minister said, “We are negotiating with the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education and the same thing ASUU is asking for is the same thing they are asking for but they are willing to continue working.

“The only place we have a suspension of work is the ASUU, SSANU and NASU on account of things they believe are owed them. We believe every union is entitled to make these requests. The government has agreed with them. Government is only releasing money as they have it.

“The renegotiation committee has always been constituted; the only departure is in the willingness of ASUU, SSANU and NASU to continue working while the same entitlements are on.

“The others have same demands but are willing to continue working while they get their entitlements. We have consistently said if you disrupt academic programmes because of one entitlement you are supposed to get, you will eventually get the entitlement but our children would have lost the time they are supposed to learn, you are just being mean. There is no point disrupting everybody’s life, those people can’t regain their lives but you can regain yours, because you haven’t gotten it everybody else must lose something.

“The strike has not produced the money they are asking for, if the money was there they would have been paid the day they started the strike.

“Government has heard them, they are not wrong but the same way government has said they will get the money, for every strike they have embarked on they still get their money but human beings have lost times.

They are not only being wicked to the government but they are wicked to the human beings that constitute Nigeria.”

In his reaction, the National President, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, wondered why the Federal Government had refused to meet the union’s demand.

“I will not honour people like Nwajiuba with my response. If the government wants the children of the ordinary Nigerian people to have good education like their children who are schooling abroad, they would have resolved the problem within one week.

“Ask Nwajiuba why the Ministry of Education has refused to meet with the ASUU?”

Also, ASUU chairman, University of Lagos, Dr Dele Ashiru, described Nwajiuba’s statement as callous and provocative.

“This is the kind of reaction you get from those who became ministers of the Federal Republic based on quota system. If the minister knows that ASUU would eventually get what it wants why wait until the system is shut down?

“Is it sane for the conditions of service of a worker to remain the same in the last 12 years? The remark by the minister is therefore, to say the least, provocative, callous and insensate.

“As for ASUP and COEASU, if they are comfortable with empty promises from an insensitive ruining elite, good for them.”

Osodeke had earlier told The PUNCH that despite the strike entering its 50th day, the government had not done anything new.

“They have not done anything new, there is no new update as we speak. However, one thing is certain and that is the fact that our ultimatum still stands. The extension of the warning strike will elapse by May 14 after which the NEC will meet on the decision to take,” he said.

Meanwhile, the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination/Direct Entry examinations are set to commence on May 6, 2022 amidst the ongoing strike.

On the impact of the strike on the 2022 admission process, the spokesperson for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Fabian Benjamin, said, “It is not the duty of the board to meddle into admissions of institutions. We conduct the examinations and the schools conduct the admissions. However, the strike will have an impact on everything. Even the person who is on strike is feeling the impact.”

PUNCH

Education

22 Zamfara varsity students, staff members released after six months in captivity

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Trends Admin

22 Zamfara varsity students, staff members released after six months in captivity

Twenty-two abducted students and staff members of the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, have finally been released after six months in captivity.

The victims, comprising 15 students and seven workers of the university, were abducted from the university in September 2023.

They were received on Monday April 15 in Abuja by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The captives were released in three batches, with the last batch returning home on Sunday April 14.

Ribadu said the rescue operation was coordinated by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.

He urged them not to allow their experience to break them, but should rather make them stronger.

He said, “On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing anyone of them or paying any ransom.

“This is yet again a success story in our efforts to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity.

“We have so far released over a thousand of such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.

“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months, to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.

“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions, and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.”

National Coordinator, NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, recalled that those rescued were abducted from the school on September 22, 2023, at about 0230hrs.

He said the bandits armed with various weapons attacked three off-campus students’ hostels at Sabon Gida in Gusau and kidnapped a number of female students alongside some male artisans.

Others, he said, were a private security guard and a protocol officer of the university.

He added that the bandits ransacked the hostels, and carted away foodstuffs, mobile phones, laptops, ATM cards, cash and other valuables.

According to him, the abductees were subsequently herded on motorcycles and foot to a location through a town in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.

Laka said, “Search and rescue was conducted by a combined team of law enforcement agencies and the abductees were subsequently released in three batches, after 207 days in captivity.

“The first batch was rescued on March 15 while the second batch was rescued on April 12 and the last batch was rescued on April 14.

“All the abductees were profiled at the NCTC while the ONSA Medical Team examined them and administered minor treatments on the bruises sustained by 3 of the abductees.”

Education

Oromoni’s death natural but avoidable, coroner rules

Published

3 days ago

April 15, 2024

Trends Admin

Oromoni’s death natural but avoidable, coroner rules

Sylvester Oromoni died of a natural cause and not due to any action by his school, Down College, or accused five students of the college.

This is the verdict of a coroner, Mikhail Kadiri, who presided over the matter on Monday during a seven-hour magistrate court sitting in Ogba, Lagos.

The judgement coming after a two-year inquiry, affirmed that the 12-year-old died of sepsis emanating from an infection of the lungs and kidney due to an ankle injury.

The coroner however said his death was an avoidable case of parents and medical team’s negligence.

Sylvester Oromoni Junior who was a student of Dowen College in Lekki, Lagos, died on November 30, 2021.

The coroner cleared the five students of the college accused in the case, ruling that they played no part in the death of Sylvester and should not have been involved in the matter.

He also advised parents not to take their children’s health with levity.

The magistrate also called for better cooperation between the police and medical team and that the police must exercise caution before making arrests in the future.

Education

2024 UTME: What students need to do before, during JAMB exam

Published

5 days ago

April 13, 2024

Trends Admin

2024 UTME: What students need to do before, during JAMB exam

The 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB)/Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) exam will hold between April 19th and 29th, 2024.

As a student planning to sit for JAMB/UTME exam, you should be done with the registration by now which was extended to April 11.

In this article, there are practical steps to follow before and during the UTME exam which will help you excel.

1. Know the cut-off mark

You should be aware of the required JAMB cut-off mark and choose the desired score for your respective course and school. To achieve a high score in JAMB, it is pertinent to determine the average JAMB cut-off mark needed for your desired course and institution.

This score can be determined from the normal JAMB cut-off mark for JAMB (140), which will qualify you for post-UTME and merit admission. It is essential to research and write down this average score to determine the minimum mark you should work towards.

Knowing this would help you to put your mind into the exam by setting clear goals for yourself that you want to meet the cut-off mark for JAMB or surpass it.

For example, if you want to study mass communication, and target 320 in JAMB, you can accomplish that by setting your mind on scoring 80 in English, 80 in Litertaure-in-English, 90 in Government, and 70 in CRK/IRK depending on your subject.

2. Have a study plan and reading timetable

Another practical guide to help you excel as a student sitting for UTME is to improve your learning by creating a study plan and reading timetable for yourself.

3. Go through JAMB past questions

It is essential that you go through JAMB past questions to help you familiarise yourself with the patterns in order to study efficiently. Since objective questions can be determined from the provided alternatives, they are simpler to prepare for.

As a student writing UTME, you must understand the typical formats in which they pose questions. This might assist in determining where to concentrate more, for instance, if JAMB has assigned more questions in courses like physics or chemistry that involve calculation than theory.

Geometry, trigonometry, statistics, matrices, and differentiation are among the topics covered most frequently in mathematics, according to computer analysis of previous problems. Lexicography and structural questions are more prevalent in English language classes, whereas organic compound questions consistently rank well in chemistry classes.

You must know all these patterns by going through JAMB past questions for at least the last 15 editions.

4. Study according to the JAMB syllabus

It is expedient to know that studying according to the JAMB syllabus is one the best practical steps to help you excel in writing UTME. Every exam has a specific topic, and the examiners anticipate that candidates will be familiar with relevant material.

Examiners ask forty questions on each topic, except for sixty in the English Language. Use exam-focused texts and previous question research methods under the JAMB syllabus to maximise your study time.

5. Solve at least 10 years of JAMB past questions

To succeed in the JAMB exam, you must study the syllabus several times, modify your study schedule according to the period you have left, and be dedicated to excellent studying.

Since JAMB has been administering exams since the 1970s, its question bank ought to have run out by now. Having known this, you will succeed in the exam by reviewing and solving at least 10 years past questions as you prepare.

In achieving this, use reliable sample questions, read textbooks and past questions, and make sure you understand the questions’ solutions if you want to succeed. You must concentrate on understanding the answers to the questions and consult textbooks for any questions you are unsure of.

6. Practice at least one timed JAMB CBT Software test daily for two weeks before the exam

A timed test lets you practice your accuracy and speed and is comparable to the actual JAMB exam. To get ready, choose a previous year and complete four topics’ worth of JAMB prior questions. Try to finish in the two hours that JAMB allocates for the exam. It would be an advantage for you if you select years that you have not experienced.

7. Be mentally fit for the exam

The most important thing you have to be sure of is being mentally ready for the JAMB exam.

You should shrug off all stress and doubts, and wear confidence as you prepare for the UTME exam.

See yourself as confident, well-prepared, and successful as you play out the exam scenario in your head. This can be accomplished by finding a peaceful area, closing your eyes, and acting out the entire exam day, from arriving at the exam center to gathering your materials, writing the exam, and departing.

Breathe deeply and slowly while listening to it in your head until you feel at ease. This is an optional step, but the only reason to do it is to prepare your mind to take the exam with composure when it comes around. This aids in confidence-building and stress management as tests get closer.

Finally, make sure you have all the writing materials for your JAMB UTME ready. If possible, do not use them for preparations, but make sure you have tested them to ascertain they are in good shape. Also, it will be advisable if you have spare materials to make everything double.