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Tag: Students

  • Hope for Nigerian students as FG releases N15.89b to varsities to end ASUU strike

    Indications emerged that Nigerian varsities may reopen soon, with the Federal Government making concessions to the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    The concessions will be tabled before the union’s leaders on Monday at a meeting to be convened by Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige.

    The Minister has reached out to the ASUU leadership for the “robust feedback session” with the hope that the union will return to the negotiation table.

    Recall that the aggrieved university lecturers on November 4, last year, began a strike to push the implementation of the 2017 Memorandum of Action.

    The Memorandum was a follow-up to the 2009 FG-ASUU Agreement.

    ASUU National President Biodun Ogunyemi attributed the strike to “the insincerity of government in meeting our demands”.

    The demands are:

    • payment of shortfall in salaries of universities;
    • waiver/ government fiat to set up Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company;

    (NUPEMCO);

    • revitalisation funds for varsities; and
    • payment of earned academic allowances for lecturers, senior staff and other workers.

    But on Monday, the Federal Government succeeded in addressing the demands of the lecturers and other unions.

    “One of the conditions met by the Federal Government was the release of N15.89billion to universities on New Year’s Eve( Monday) for the payment of shortfall in salaries of universities,” a source said.

    “The cash is expected to hit the account of all the institutions on or before the close of work today (Wednesday),” he added, pleading not to be named.

    “The government has also set aside N20billion as revitalisation funds for varsities. The National Universities Commission( NUC) has been directed to work out the modalities for allocating the funds to all institutions.

    “On the demand for the setting up of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company

    ( NUPEMCO), the government has directed the National Pension Commission (NUPEMCO) to issue a licence for the company’s take-off.

    “Funds have also been set aside for Earned Academic allowances for lecturers, senior staff and other workers.”

    Replying a question, the source added: “This agreement was inherited by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, but despite the lean resources available to the government as a result of the fall in oil prices, we have done our best to meet ASUU demands.”

    Ngige said: “We have gone far in considering the demands of the lecturers. We have substantially met the conditions.

    “I am meeting with ASUU leaders on Monday where all steps taken by the government will be tabled before them. This is a responsive and transparent government, we have done our best to meet the conditions.

    “In fact, officials from the Ministry of Budget and National Planning will be at the next meeting with ASUU leadership where they will be briefed on facts and figures.

    “We are hopeful that the actions taken by the government will be acceptable to ASUU for our schools to reopen.”

  • Strike: You might stay longer at home if…ASUU tells Nigerian students

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that the ongoing strike by its members may be prolonged as no concrete resolution has been reached in the negotiation with the Federal Government.

    The union called on parents and students to show understanding over the development so as to save Nigeria’s university system from collapse.

    ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.

    NAN reports that university lecturers had on November 5 embarked on a strike, demanding the implementation of the 2009 agreement it entered into with the Federal Government.

    The lecturers are also calling for full implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) agreement with the government in 2017; improved working conditions and welfare package; and upgrade of facilities in universities across the country.

    According to Mr Ogunyemi, the strike is not to short-change the students, parents and other key stakeholders but to save the country’s university system from collapse.

    “We want to call on our students and parents to show understanding with our struggle as we are in this together.

    “The whole essence of this struggle is to ensure that our students get worthy and deserving certificates that they will be proud of anywhere they may find themselves in the world.

    “The struggle is to ensure too that we save Nigerian universities from going the way our public primary and secondary schools have gone.

    “Today, most parents are sending their children and wards to private primary and secondary schools around the country because of the perceived or alleged falling standards.

    “We do not want our universities to go the same way because a lot of our parents may not be able to afford the private university fees,’’ he said.

    The ASUU boss added that there was an urgent need for both the federal and state governments to reconsider their approach toward the development of universities to avoid an outright collapse in the near future.

    “The sad thing now is that the World Bank is giving funds to some private universities to thrive over public universities.

    “Unless Nigerians rise to the occasion and join ASUU in putting pressure on both the Federal and state governments to pay adequate attention to our universities, secondary and primary schools, we may be facing a total collapse of our educational sector, ‘’ Mr Ogunyemi said.

    He noted that university students might be staying longer at home as no concrete resolution had been reached with the Federal Government so far.

    Mr Ogunyemi said that representatives of the union met with the Federal Government on November 26 but that the meeting ended in a deadlock.

    “We met on Monday in order to reach an agreement on the key issues we are agitating for but nothing tangible came out of the meeting.

    “Rather than come out with firm commitment on what to do about these demands, they were appealing to us to go back to the classrooms while they tackle the issues; and to us they have missed the point.

    “We were told that the negotiation will continue on Friday, November 30 but up till now, as we speak, I have not received any notice of meeting to that effect,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the ASUU first met with the federal government on November 15 to deliberate on the issues.

     

  • Strike: Students’ hopes dashed as ASUU, FG meeting end in another deadlock

    Another meeting between the federal government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ended on Monday night without an agreement.

    The meeting which started at about 5 p.m. at the Federal Ministry of Education was to find a lasting solution to the ongoing strike by the university lecturers.

    The union embarked on the strike three weeks ago over the poor funding of Nigerian universities and non-implementation of previous agreements by the government.

    Speaking with journalists after Monday’s meeting, the National President of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, said negotiation is ongoing and the meeting would continue at a later date.

    “All I can say for now is that negotiation continues and the meeting has been adjourned to a later date,” Mr Ogunyemi said.

    The union leader had on Sunday said there were two basic conditions that could make ASUU suspend the ongoing strike. One was the implementation of the 2017 agreement between both parties; and the other the disbandment of the federal government negotiation committee headed by senior lawyer Wale Babalakin.

    Meanwhile, Aminu Suleiman, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education Services during an oversight visit to the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu, expressed deep concern over the continued strike by ASUU.

    According to a statement issued by the spokesperson Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, Mr Adamu told his guests that the federal government was determined to “confine the strikes in education sector to the dustbin of history, adding however that funding remains the greatest obstacle”.

  • U.S. Consulate supports Robotics workshop for 303 teachers, 187 students [Photos]

    For the second consecutive year, the United States Consulate General in collaboration with RoboRave International, a U.S.-based tech academy, has concluded a week-long robotics workshop for 303 teachers and 187 students.

    The participating students and teachers were from 29 public and private schools across Lagos, Ogun, and Edo states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

    RoboRAVE International Director of Global Programs Russ Fisher-Ives and RoboRAVE North America Director Brian Montoya facilitated the series of workshops in Benin, Lagos, and Abuja from October 21-27.

    Throughout the training, students were taught the basics of programming a robot to perform various tasks while teachers learned various aspects of implementing an integrated approach to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

    Speaking at the grand finale of the workshop held at the Zone Tech Park in Gbagada, Lagos, U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Russell Brooks, explained that the workshop was designed to stimulate the interest of the participating students in math and science, as well as careers in the STEM fields.

    Mr. Brooks discussed the importance of STEM education to Nigeria’s future prosperity and economic competitiveness. According to him, developing robotics skills can place students on a track to future careers in computer science and artificial intelligence.

    “The U.S. Mission in Nigeria is committed to supporting programs that provide youth with access to quality technological learning opportunities. We are also passionate about building teacher confidence and capabilities in the areas of robotics and STEM,” Brooks said.

    The robotics workshop supports the U.S. Mission’s goal of promoting STEM education in Nigeria as a driver of sustainable economic growth.

  • Again, Nigerian students soar at world robotics

    Nigerian teenagers, who raised the country’s flag at the 2018 First Global Robotic Olympiad (GRO) in Mexico, won two bronze medals at the competition involving 187 countries.

    The Nigerian team won the medals in the Outstanding Support and International Journey categories.

    There were 20 categories of awards at the event which ended on Sunday. The competition began on Aug 13.

    The challenge was on Energy Impact. Competitors were to solve problems related to energy with the use of robotics.

    Mrs Remi Willoughby, National Coordinator of the GRO, told NAN on telephone from Mexico that there were 193 teams from 187 countries at the competition.

    Willoughby described Nigeria’s victory as an attestation that the Nigeria child was making progress in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics.

    The five teenagers, aged from 15 years to 17 years, are from secondary schools in Lagos. They are four females and a male.

    They are Anjolaoluwa Olowokere from Lagoon School; Iroaganachi Udodirim, Queens College; Samuel Mbah, Osezele Comprehensive Senior Secondary School; Tochukwu Anyigbo, Lagoon School; and Daberechi Onyeacholem, Greensprings School Lekki.

    Mr Faisal Jarmakani, Managing Director, Aramex and Doculand Nig., sponsors of the team, had at a press conference in Lagos to announce the competition, said that the teenagers were building the foundation blocks for a technology-advanced Nigeria.

    “Without any doubts, we will soon join other countries of the world where science and technology have become the backbone of economic development.

    Three Nigeria students had in July won gold for proper documentation of processes on engineering note at the 2018 World Adolescent Robotic Competition in China.

    The students – Tawakalitu Giwa, Oluwaseun Omotayo and Ayomide Adetunji – also won the “Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli’ Award for Courageous Achievement at the event organised by the China Association of Science and Technology.

    The challenge was on Water Problem.

     

  • JUST IN: Herdsmen invade seminary, shoot catholic priest, injure students

    JUST IN: Herdsmen invade seminary, shoot catholic priest, injure students

    There was pandemonium again on Monday as gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked a minor seminary in Jalingo, Taraba State capital.

    Two Catholic priests were reportedly shot and students of the seminary beaten to a stupor. Some cars were also destroyed.

    While the persons injured were said to be receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, it was not yet clear if people were killed.

    The Director of Caritas Nigeria, an agency of the Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Bassey, revealed this in a WhatsApp message to our correspondent.

    He said, “Please Frs, pray for us. Our minor seminary in Jalingo has just been attacked by the Fulani, some students are injured, some cars destroyed, two priests beaten and one shot on the leg. They are currently receiving treatment at FMC.”

     

    Details later…

  • 100 secondary students trafficked to Libya from Edo state

    No fewer than 100 students of Idogbo Secondary School, Benin, have been trafficked to Libya in the last four months.

    This was disclosed in Benin yesterday during an advocacy programme by the Senior Special Assistant to Gov Godwin Obaseki on Human trafficking and illegal migration, Mr Solomon Okoduwa.

    Okoduwa said this fact was disclosed to him by some teachers in the school, concerned about how the institution has become the harvesting ground for traffickers.

    Okoduwa said government will not allow the evil to continue to thrive in the state.

    Government will step up its campaign against trafficking, he said, and the state Task Force Against Human Trafficking will be on the trail of the human traffickers.

    He warned the students to be wary of the antics of the traffickers who are bent on deceiving them into embarking on the dangerous journey.

    “Henceforth, report anyone who tells you to travel to Europe. They are simply taking you through Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea and you may eventually end up in Libya.

    “The number of students that have been trafficked from your school in this short period is overwhelming.

    “The truth is that many of them might have been imprisoned there or facing one challenge or the other.

    “Taking the route of Sahara Desert and other illegal routes is hellish.

    “Many died of hunger, many were drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in search of greener pastures.

    “Worst still, the families of those people that died on their journey were made to pay for the travel expenses, when unknown to them their loved ones have gone to the great beyond.

    “If anyone tells you to travel abroad through Libya, tell him or her capital ‘NO’. If you must travel for any reason, travel the right way.”

     

  • Over 20 students injured, hospitalized as police invade Osun Poly

    Over 20 students injured, hospitalized as police invade Osun Poly

    There was panic on Friday at the Igbajo Polytechnic, Igbajo, Osun State as police officers from the Igbajo Police Station invaded the institution.

    No fewer than 20 students were reportedly injured and subsequently hospitalised.

    According to a report by The Punch, the students, who were writing their exams, were tear-gassed around 10am on Friday.

    When news spread that one of the victims had allegedly died, our correspondent learnt that the students went into the town, attacked and burnt down Igbajo Police Station.

    A student of the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a simple situation that was badly managed by the police led to the riot.

    He explained that three students were still in a coma, adding that two others were unaccounted for.

    He said, “There has been a misunderstanding between the management of the school and the rector. The rector has also been facing hard times from the students, who have refused to allow him take any courses.

    “So, the difficult times probably made the rector to deploy the police in the school on Friday. Whereas in Igbajo Polytechnic, we have never had exams with such heavy security presence; we are non-violent.

    “Many students were scared when they saw policemen from the Igbajo division laying siege to the school on Friday, while they were sitting their final papers.

    “The exams were going on when the policemen saw some students wearing black clothes; they were coming into the school compound. The policemen challenged the students, who ignored them. The next thing the police did was to fire tear gas directly at the students. It was a terrible situation. We have a lot of asthmatic patients in the environment and many of them are always with their inhalers. Immediately the gas went off, many of them fell down.”

    He explained that there was confusion as students ran helter-skelter.

    The student noted that after some time, the student leaders mobilised and got vehicles to take the injured students to hospitals, adding that news later spread that one of them had died.

    He said the undergraduates fought back by throwing stones at the policemen, who retreated.

  • Students strip naked in class over discrimination [Photos]

    Students strip naked in class over discrimination [Photos]

    Students and their teacher were left confused after a Cornell University New York, senior Letitia Chai, delivered her honours thesis after stripping down to her bra and underwear in the class to protest against oppressive beliefs and discrimination.

    At least two dozen of the students also undressed in solidarity.

    Students stripe naked in class over discrimination [Photos]

    Chai removed all her clothes except for her undergarments during her “Acting in Public” presentation Saturday as a demonstration against her professor, Rebekah Maggor, who questioned her attire during her talk about refugee relocation.

    “When I got up to start, my professor said: ‘Is that really what you would wear?”

    “Your shorts are too short.”

    Chai, who said she was filled with “rage and disbelief” after the incident, took to her Facebook to write about the confrontation.

    She recalled wearing a “long-sleeve blue button-down shirt and denim cut-offs,” which she alleges her professor told her was “inviting the male gaze away from the content of my presentation and onto my body.

    “An international male student agreed with the professor.”

    Chai said Maggor tried to justify her question by explaining she was addressing her from the point of view of a concerned mother, to which Chai replied, that her mom “is a Feminist, Gender, Sexuality Studies professor” who would’ve been proud of her for her outfit.

    In the class syllabus, students’ “dress” is one of the course requirements.

    “For your performances, dress appropriately for the persona you will present,” the syllabus reads, “For example, how would you dress for a specific job interview?

    “How would you dress when introducing a famous speaker at a particular conference? How would you dress to give a speech at a protest rally?”

    The students in the class, while still supporting Chai, wrote a joint letter defending the professor’s comments, but nevertheless, the faculty will undergo “training in diversity, equity, and inclusion” as a result of the exchange, according to an email Chai posted on Monday.

    Maggor and Chai refused to comment further on the issue.

  • 300,000 Benue Students out of School over herdsmen attacks

    No fewer than 300,000 children in Benue state are out of school due to incessant attacks by herdsmen, says Secretary of the Benue State Teaching Service Board, Prof. Wilfred Uji.

    Uji, who decried the persistent killings in the state during a press briefing on Tuesday in Makurdi, said the crisis had seriously affected the educational system, especially the primary and secondary school system.

    “Two-hundred thousand of the figure are secondary school students and 100,000 are primary school pupils, which cut across three local government areas,” said Uji.

    Uji named Apa, Agatu, Makurdi, Okpokwu and Ogbadibo as places where pupils had left over fear of being attacked.

    He said, “I was in my office when some of them (teachers) walked in and showed me threat letters and once this kind of letter is written to you, you better take it seriously or the next day, you find yourself in a different form,” he said.

    “The future of our children is under attack and education in Benue State is under attack and has been compromised completely due to the situation we find ourselves in. In the herdsmen and farmers’ crisis, the isolated targets are usually the schoolchildren.

    “If this crisis is between herdsmen and farmers, why the attacks on educational facilities, much the same way like the fight you find in the North-East. There is a connect between the Boko Haram attacks in the North-East and the attacks by Fulani herdsmen in the North-Central in terms of killings and destruction of properties. It is my firm belief that somebody somewhere is trying to destroy the educational standards of Benue.”