Kaduna gov slashes tuition fees for state-owned institutions – Newstrends
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Kaduna gov slashes tuition fees for state-owned institutions

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Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani

Kaduna gov slashes tuition fees for state-owned institutions

The state government of Kaduna has declared that it will lower the cost of tuition at all state-owned postsecondary institutions.

The State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, declared that the decrease in the fees is in line with the rise in the cost of living in the nation, particularly in light of President Bola Tinubu’s elimination of the gasoline subsidy in May of this year.

According to a statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mohammed Shehu, Governor Sani made the announcement while speaking to the media at the government house on Monday.

In the statement, Kaduna State University fee was slashed by 30 per cent from the current fee of N150,000 to N105,000.Nuhu while the Bamalli Polytechnic was reduced by 50 per cent from N100,000 to N50,000.

The College of Education, Gidan Waya was also reviewed downward from the current fee of N75,000 to N37,500, which is a reduction of 50 per cent.

For Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences & Technology, Makarfi, the fee for HND Courses was reduced by 30 per cent from N100,000 to N70,000 while for National Diploma, it was cut from N70.000 tp N52000.

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The statement read in part, “On assumption of office on May 29, 2023, we made a solemn commitment to the citizens of Kaduna State to run a people – centred, all-inclusive administration that shall leave no one or any part of Kaduna State behind.

“In response to the public outcry over the current fees being charged by tertiary institutions in Kaduna State and its effect on school enrolment and retention, I directed heads of tertiary institutions in conjunction with the Ministry of Education to obtain relevant information on the extant fees regime in state owned tertiary institutions.”

“This downward review of the extant fees regime aligns with the KDSG’s commitment to offer palliatives to cushion the effect of general rising cost of living in the polity, especially in the wake of recent petrol subsidy removal in Nigeria.

“The welfare of the people remains this administration’s topmost priority and the Kaduna State Government shall continue to take all measures necessary to ensure access to free and qualitative education for every child in Kaduna State from primary to secondary school.”

The development comes at a time where tertiary institutions across the country, public and private, are raising their fees to keep up with rising costs of goods and services.

Recall that Bayero University stated that it had to increase it fees because of the high cost of running a university, stating that it spends N75m on diesel and electricity supply monthly.

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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Education

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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Education

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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