TheNewsGuru

Tag: Schools

  • Norway to ban full-face hijab in schools

    The Norwegian government on Monday proposed a bill to ban the full-face Muslim hijab in all schools, from nurseries to universities says it prevent the effective flow of communication between students and teachers

    “We do not want clothes covering the face in nurseries, schools and universities,” Minister of Education and Research Torbjorn Roe Isaksen said in a statement, adding that ‘these clothes prevent good communication, which is important for students to receive a good education.

    It was also stated that when the bill is passed employees who insist on wearing a veil would risk losing their jobs, and students could face expulsion from the university.

    The bill was proposed by Norway’s minority government, a coalition of the center-right Conservatives and the populist Progress Party, who all believe the bill, which is expected to be passed in the spring of 2018, would find opposition support for the move.

    However, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria have all imposed restrictions on wearing full-face veils in public places.

    Source: BBC News

  • Ogun to shut down unapproved private schools

    Ogun to shut down unapproved private schools

    The Ogun Government has commenced clamp down on illegal private nursery, primary and secondary schools operating in the state.

    The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota, made the announcement on Monday during a monitoring exercise tagged “Operation praise or shame.”

    Speaking during the exercise conducted in Ogun Central District, the commissioner directed proprietors of schools to regularise their operation within 30 days or be shut down.

    Mujota said the exercise became necessary following discovery that most of the schools were operating without authorisation of the ministry.

    She said that any school shut down would remain shut until necessary regularisation was carried out.

    “The exercise is basically to root out all unapproved private schools that are operating without the authorisation of the ministry.

    “The schools were closed down because they can’t operate without approval/authorization,’’ she said.

    She urged owners of private school not to wait until the government wield the `big stick’’ before paying all necessary dues and levies.

    She advised parents and guardians to enrol their children in government approved schools.

    Mujota ordered the closure of a Tutorial College operating inside a filling station on Ijoko road, off Gas Line area in Ado-Odo Ota LGA.

    She chided the owner of the college for putting the lives of the students at risk.

    She advised the students to stay away from the college until it relocated to a more befitting place and complete necessary registration formalities with the government.

    Also speaking, Mr Bayo Adeyemi Special Adviser to the governor on Education, said the “Praise or Shame” exercise was not aimed at witch-hunting anybody, but to sanitize the system.

    He said that it was criminal offence for any school closed down to re-open without necessary authorisation from the government.

  • Kwara Government shuts three schools over exam malpractices

    The Kwara State Government on Friday shut three schools in the state for involving in examination malpractice.

    This was disclosed by the State’s Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Musa Yeketi, in a chat with newsmen in Ilorin.

    Yeketi listed their names as Topklass Secondary School, Kilanko, Ilorin, Banwo International College, Ajase-Ipo and AJVIC College, Amoyo near Ilorin.

    He explained that the schools were shut because they registered external candidates for the West African Examination without duly informing the ministry.

    According to the commissioner, the Banwo International College registered over 200 external candidates, which far outweighed its facility and the number of students in the school.

    “The management of the college never consulted our ministry for approval.

    “Also, two other schools in Amoyo and Kilanko, registered external candidates without due consultation,’’ the commissioner said.

    He alleged that at one of the schools, the ministry discovered that while some candidates were already writing the essay part of a particular subject, others were still on the objectives.

    “When we raised a question on this, the management could not give a tenable explanation,’’ he said.

    Yeketi warned that the present administration would not give room for examination malpractice or non-compliance with statutory requirement in the education sector.

    He recalled that some schools were closed about two months ago for failure to register or due to the substandard environment.

    “Those schools still remained shut.’’

    He, however, said the schools would be reopened when they fully complied with the directives of the ministry.

  • Establish more schools for better performance, WAEC advises FG

    Establish more schools for better performance, WAEC advises FG

    The Head, West African Examinations Council International, Mr Adelowo Maliki, has advised the Federal Government to open more schools to accommodate millions of school-aged children roaming the streets.

    Maliki told the newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos that building more schools and equipping them with latest facilities and professional teachers would help in improving the state of education in the country.

    He explained that WAEC, as an examination body, did not feel that it was enough just to set tests for students and end it there.

    “Our main task, aside conducting examination, is also to research into education-related issues and seek ways of coming up with solutions.

    “We have realised that some of the key challenges are inadequate schools, ill-equipped schools, and lack of professional teachers.

    “The development is a major challenge in our effort to move forward as a nation.

    “One of the ways we try to give back to the society, as our corporate social responsibility, is by noting these challenges and organising seminars that will benefit the teachers and students.

    “This is mainly handled by the research unit of the council.

    “We organise monthly seminars for these people as we want them to have feedbacks on what we are doing for them,” he said.

    Maliki said that the seminars were mostly targeted at the teachers at the secondary school level.

    He said that the seminar was supposed to be taken round the country, but due to paucity of funds, was concentrated more in Lagos.

    In addition to the need for the more public schools across the country, Maliki said government should recruit more teachers and improve their welfare.

    “Building more schools entails recruiting more qualified teachers and putting in place improved welfare package for them.

    “I say this because another challenge facing the sector currently is the huge distraction facing the teachers.

    “Just like the students, there are so many things competing for their attention, especially in the face of the current economic recession.

    “These teachers are human and attend the same markets like every other person.

    “So, if what they get is not enough to cater for their basic needs, then what is available becomes the next option for them,’’ he said.

     

    NAN

  • Convert mosques into primary schools – Emir Sanusi tells Northern Governors

    The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi yerterday urged governors of Northern states to convert mosques into primary schools.

    Speaking during the Kano Educational Week programme, he stressed that mosques were not initially meant for prayers alone.

    The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, disclosed that historically mosques were used for marriages, leadership trainings and for academic activities.

    Sanusi appealed to northern state governors with many mosques to return to the practice so as to save money for other needs.

    The Emir recalled how he travelled to Morrocco and saw mosques being used as lecture hall for university programmes.

    According to the Monarch, if the idea was adopted, funds allocated to building schools could be used to train teachers and provide welfare and other teaching instruments.

    He said, “I was in Morocco sometimes ago and I asked to see their universities. They took me to mosques where I saw each serving as classrooms teaching Computer Science and other subjects.”

    Accordingly , the commissioner in charge of information, Kano State, Mohammed Garba, pointed out that the advocacy was a welcome idea, which falls within the tenets of the Islamic religion.

    According to the commissioner, the whole essence of the Islamic religion was rooted in the Arabic word ‘Ikrah’, which means ‘read’ and provision of knowledge.

    “This was one of the messages sent to Prophet Mohammed and by implications, it means that all should read and understand better and as such using the mosque for learning would be a step in the right direction.” He noted

  • Kwara Govt. blames parents for poor attendance in schools

    The Kwara State Government has expressed displeasure over poor attendance and absenteeism of students in all government schools across the state.

    The State Commissioner of Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Musa Yeketi, stated this while responding to the questions from newsmen on schools’ resumption on Wednesday in Ilorin.

    Yeketi attributed the low turnout of students and pupils to the negligence of parents and guardians.

    According to the commissioner, it has become usual behaviour of students not to abide by the directive of the ministry to return to the classroom after holiday.

    He, however, urged parents and guardian to corporate with the ministry and teachers in order to bring the best out them and guide against any forms of absenteeism.

    Yeketi said the ministry has given the teachers directive to go ahead with teaching in the class in spite of the poor turnout.

    He called on both the government and privately owned schools to work in line with the school academic calendar, noting that any school that failed to conform to the calendar would be sanctioned.

    The ministry gave directives that school must end all academic activities by Dec. 7 and resume by Jan. 2.