Education
NYSC warns corpers against night travel, bans religious gatherings, others
The National Youth Service Corps has warned prospective corps members against night travel as they prepare to move to the various camps across the country on Tuesday January 9 for their orientation programme.
Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, gave the warning during a sensitisation webinar for the 2020 Batch B Stream II corps members on Friday.
The NYSC said all orientation camps nationwide would be reopened next Tuesday, amid cautious measures against COVID-19 spread including suspending religious gatherings.
Ibrahim urged them to avoid actions that could put their lives at risk.
He advised the prospective corps members to break their journey if they would travel a long distance before getting to their states of deployment.
He said the scheme would not hesitate to decamp anyone who failed to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols while in camp.
“Please don’t travel at night and don’t endanger your security; kindly stay safe. If you are sick, let us know and don’t jeopardise the orientation course. We will not hesitate to decamp anyone who fails to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols,” he warned.
The NCDC DG, Ihekweazu, also said the government could not stop all activities because of COVID-19.
He said, “We have got to find a way to continue moving forward with certain aspects of daily life in a controlled way, mitigating risks as much as possible.”
He said measures had been put in place just like in November 2020 to ensure that NYSC camps were safe.
Dr Oyeladun Okunromade, NYSC Camp Safe Reopening Project Lead, specifically said all forms of religious gatherings on its orientation camps had been banned.
The sensitisation programme with the theme, ‘Protecting the health of the Nigerian Youth: Safe Reopening of NYSC Orientation Camps’ also had in attendance the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu.
Okunromade said corps members would resume with 200 daily and would be tested for COVID-19 on getting to the NYSC camps.
Those testing positive for the virus would be isolated at approved NCDC health facilities while those negative would be allowed on camps, she added.
The NYSC official warned that corps members who failed to resume at their allotted dates risk resuming with the next batch.
She said corps members were required to fill certain forms on the NYSC website to book their resumption dates.
“There won’t be any form of religious gatherings in camp. We encourage virtual activities,” she said, adding that corps members were required to come on camp with their face masks and other personal protective materials as the NYSC would not provide those.
Okunromade also said, “Maami market has been significantly reduced in line with the new normal. There won’t be any sitting down with friends to dine at the market but there will takeaways.”
Education
12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
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
Education
Minister wants FG to revive Jonathan’s Almajiri system of education
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
NAN
Education
FG reverses 18-year admission entry for varsities, sets new priorities
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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