ASUU asks CJN to resign, threatens mass protest

 Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysious Katsina Alu

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has advised the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Kastina-Alu, to immediately resign from office or be forced out.

The union said this would pave way for a thorough investigation into allegations of possible abuse of office levelled against him by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Salami.

ASUU National President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, made the appeal in an interview in Abuja on Monday. He urged President Goodluck Jonathan to advise the CJN to resign or initiate the process to ease him out of office.

He said if the President failed to do so, he should be prepared for mass action by ASUU and civil society groups until the CJN vacated office. Awuzie noted that before now, prominent legal practitioners had warned that the judicial system had been compromised hence the need to sanitise it.

“What we are saying is that you know before now, some eminent jurists had said that the judiciary was corrupt, that something was wrong and it needed to be sanitised.

“They said it needed cleansing but we took it lightly. But the recent revelation or allegation by the President of the Appeal Court, Justice Isa Salami, that the Chief Justice prevailed on him to compromise the Sokoto governorship election was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“For that, the Academic Staff Union of Universities calls on the Chief Justice that while the allegation is pending, he should resign immediately as the Chief Justice of this country and then take necessary measures (to clear his name) if he feels he is innocent,” he said.

Awuzie said the mere mention of the allegation should have compelled Katsina-Alu to resign, “because that temple (the Supreme Court) if it is desecrated, then its implication for our democracy, the ordinary man and the judiciary itself is that it has been compromised and jeopardised.”

Awuzie said the issue had gone beyond the intervention of the National Judicial Council, the Nigeria Bar Association or any other body in the judiciary as the Supreme Court represents the last hope of the common man.

Awuzie said, “So what we are saying and I want to state that the National Judicial Council cannot hoodwink us or the Nigerian people by just telling us that the two of them should sheath their swords and that the President of the Appeal Court should withdraw the case in court.

“They cannot tell us that they have appointed three new Supreme Court justices; that is begging the question! It is leaving the substance and pursuing shadow.

“The substance is, there is an allegation hanging which the man (Salami) has made, which has not been denied. We should have sorted it out first before talking about appointing more people to the Supreme Court because it could also mean that we are appointing and sending more people who will now get desecrated by the same influence.”
Source:Punch

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Pandemonium in Ibadan schools over alleged food poison scare

Pandemonium broke out in public schools located in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Thursday, as news spread that the state government was feeding pupils with poisoned food.

The scare became more pronounced when those spreading the news alleged that the poisoned food were meant to sacrifice pupils for fetish purposes ahead of the April general election.

As the news spread, parents and guardians in their thousands besieged schools in the state capital demanding the release of their children and wards.

Confusion reigned in some schools where school authorities who got wind of the news quickly locked school gates against irate and panicking parents and guardians.

Unconfirmed report stated that some pupils who were fed with bean cake (akara) and noodles in an unnamed school collapsed shortly after eating the meal and were rushed to a hospital.

At the Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, hundreds of parents engaged the teachers in a showdown while insisting that their children be released to them.

A teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that he heard that a pupil died in one of the schools in Orita Aperin, after eating the fetish food.

He said that all their pleas to the irate parents, that such food had not been brought to the school fell on deaf ears.

One of the parents who identified herself simply as Dupe, said she was in the market when her landlord called her and told her to quickly go to the school to withdraw her son.

Panicking parents were also seen rushing out of St. Brigid’s School, Mokola, with their weeping children.

The rumour spread to other schools like Salvation Army Primary School, Yemetu, Islamic Mission Schoool, Beere and other schools at Mokola and Sango areas of the state capital.

At Salvation Army and Islamic Mission Schools, parents threatened to destroy the school gates in their desperate bid to take their children home before the schools’ closing time.

At the Wesley College, Elekuro, parents were seen in large number protesting the failure of the school authorities to release their children to them.

It took the intervention of the men of the Oyo State Police Command to restore normalcy to the school.

The development forced the state Commissioner for Education, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, to embark on emergency visits to schools in the metropolis with a view to calming down the parents.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olatunji Ajimuda, called on any of the victims to report at the nearest police station.

The state government has since attributed the rumour to those it described as politicians who have failed in their bid to gain political relevance.

The government’s position was contained in a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Public Communications, Mr. Dotun Oyelade.

The statement read, “It has been brought to our notice that some miscreants and misguided characters are peddling rumour around the city of Ibadan that some people are to be sacrificed for fetish reasons.

“Government is shocked that people can go to any length to blackmail and cause confusion in order to gain political advantage. Our people just want to fend for their daily bread without such deliberate harassment.

“Such lies are wicked because Oyo State is peaceful and our poor parents and their children are being unnecessarily traumatised by those few who have volunteered to work for reckless and desperate politicians,” Oyelade said.

Also, the state commissioner for education, said that the government would ask security operatives to investigate the authors of the rumour with a view to apprehending them.

Adeniran stated that the state government was not feeding any pupil whether in primary or secondary schools with any food whatsoever.

The commissioner added that the rumour was the handiwork of political opponents who knew that they could not win election through legitimate electoral process.

He said government had banned selling of food by the accredited school vendors in public schools with immediate effect.
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Abia lecturers call off strike

Relief came to students of Abia State University (ABSU),Uturu on Thursday as the staff unions of the school suspend their four month old strike after signing an agreement to that effect with the state government. The agreement also signal what could be an end to the closure of universities across the five eastern states by protesting workers.

Chairman of the joint unions of the ABSU and its ASUU chairman, George Chima who confirmed the suspension, said the staff have reached an agreement with the state government to resolve other outstanding differences.

He said the unions have accepted the conditions given by the state government, which he said were favourable to them, while the modalities for the payment of the outstanding arrears of salaries from 2008 are being worked out.

ABSU, along with other state owned universities in the South East, had embarked on an indefinite strike to press for parity in salaries with their counterparts in the federal universities following an agreement between the federal government and the unions to pay an enhanced salary structure for university workers.

The Chief Press Secretary to Abia State governor,Theodore A Orji, Kingsly Emereuwa also confirmed that the agreement that led to the suspension of the strike has been signed but he did not give details.

The last meeting between the striking staff and state officials last month ended with Mr Orji threatening to sack the lecturers if they refused to return to work. He said all those dissatisfied with the conditions of service at the institutionS should quit and not continue to frustrate efforts of his government.

Making concessions

The governor, who said federal institutions are there for lecturers who feel they can no longer stay in ABSU, called on the school's staff to make concessions towards resolving the strike in the interest of the students.

The governor said he has promised to pay 100% of the agreement reached by the unions with effect from January next year.

As part of efforts to resolve the impasse, participants at the meeting, including parents, students and the university management arrived at the conclusion that the striking staff should call off the strike and accept the state government's offer.

They equally agreed that the new wage increase will require an increase in fees paid by students, but it will be minimal so that the parents can afford it.

The return to work by the staff unions will put pressure on their colleagues in other states institutions in the East to follow suit.

Source:234next.com

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2010 Educationwatch award: Lecturer urges improved funding for education

L-R Third prize winner in the Educationwatch essay competition for education students in tertiary institutions, Miss Fatimoh Zahara Yusuf; second prize winner, Mr. Olaogun Taiwo; and the overall winner, Mr. Charles Agbana, during the award presentation ceremony in Lagos.
The 2010 Educationwatch Award held in Lagos, with a professor from the Federal University of

Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Agwu Ukaoha, canvassing for the massive funding of the nation‘s education sector as a way of reinvigorating national development.

The Education award was floated in 2000 by Educationwatch magazine, Nigeria‘s first education magazine, and some professors, to reward distinguished Nigerians who have contributed to the development of the education sector.

At the 2010 award presentation in Lagos, the chairman of the award committee, Prof. Ukaoha, advised the nation‘s leaders to wake up from their slumber and take the education of the citizens more serious.

This call, he said, became imperative because investment in a nation‘s human capital would birth national development.

He said, ”Any country that wants development in its ramifications should depend basically on its sound educational development, as human capital development will lead to national development”

According to him, a nation that desires socio-economic and political development should invest massively in robust education.
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Plateau to renovate 170 primary, 5 secondary schools

Chairman of the State Universal Primary Education Board, Mrs. Serah Ochekpe, has said that the Plateau State Government is to renovate about 170 primary schools across the 17 local government areas of the state.

Ochekpe, who disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Jos on Monday, said that 10 of such schools would be renovated in each of the 17 local government areas of the state.

She said that she has been assured by the state governor, Mr. Jonah Jang, that the project would be the priority of his government in the next few months, adding that the process of inviting tenders would soon begin.

Ochekpe said that similarly five secondary schools are to be renovated and equipped in each of the three senatorial zones in order to lift the standard of education in the state.

She added that the renovation of the schools was in line with the administration‘s 10-point agenda and the state of emergency it declared in the education sector. The SUBEB chairman also said that some international agencies have been on tremendous assistance in training teachers and infrastructural development.

”On the inception of this current administration, they had to now work in arrears to provide funds for the development of infrastructure, the training of teachers, procurement of instructional materials and others related activities that would strengthen the delivery of education in the state,” she said.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011210115221 Read more...

Applause for rector over varsity status for YABATECH

The Federal Government has commended the Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Dr. Margaret Ladipo, for her contribution towards the ongoing implementation of government policy on the transformation of the college to a university.

This was contained in a statement signed by the institution‘s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kunle Adams after the inauguration of the Ministerial Implementation Committees on the Transformation of YABATECH and Kaduna Polytechnic to City universities of technology by the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa‘i in Abuja.

According to the statement, Rufa‘i described the rector as a dogged fighter, who has contributed immensely to the efforts being made to convert the polytechnics to universities.

Rufa‘I, who inaugurated the committees in Abuja, said the committees were to come out with workable document that would guide the ministry in ensuring the implementation of the government policy.

The committees, she said, were expected to incorporate issues such as staffing, facilities, equipment, student admission, transition, funding, accreditation as well as resource inspection.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011210111784 Read more...

Ogun begins education curriculum to fight HIV/AIDS

The Ogun State Government has commenced the implementation of Family Life HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) curriculum to combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS among youths in the state.

Speaking during a five-day training workshop for teachers on the implementation of FLHE in secondary schools on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Alhaji Olusegun Solarin, said the objective of the training was to keep participants abreast of the contemporary developments in the Family Life HIV/AIDS.

He added that the curriculum was also to promote sexuality education and the need for the youth to rationally plan for the future.

The workshop was organised by the state government in conjunction with United Nations Population Fund.

According to Solarin, ”It should be noted that taking full responsibility over one‘s urges is a learned habit which should be encouraged among the youths and the adolescent. More importantly, control of the spread of HIV/AIDS shall be emphasised during the training due to the prevalent rate of HIV/AIDS among the youths of 15 -29 years.The reason being that many of them engage in risky behaviours such as drug abuse, initiation into cultism, indiscriminate sex and so on.”

He stated the need to intensify the campaigns against the spread of the disease among youths, most of who are students in secondary schools by equipping them with skills that will prevent them from engaging in activities that will predispose them to the virus.

”This training would equip you with the concept of human sexuality which is the totality of our being as males and females. You will also be informed on values and value verification, self esteem, goal setting, assertiveness, negotiation and decision making and other important areas of human sexuality,” he stated.

He appealed the train-the-trainer participants to ensure that the knowledge acquired in the workshop is impacted to other teachers and students.

He expressed hope that the workshop would go a long way in moulding the attitude, interest, emotions and total beaviour of young people and in consequence reduce the prevalence of the scourge,

Solarin added that a reduction in the spread of the HIV virus or even total eradication of the epidemic would enhance a good quality of life for the people and make the society a better place for all.

The Director of Education Support Services of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Julius Adeneye, in his own remark, described the training as the second of its series in the 6th Country Programme (6CP) that started in January 2009.

He disclosed that the present workshop was organised for 20 teachers of English Language, Biology, Social Studies and Basic Science selected from five schools in three local government areas of the state
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011210145092 Read more...

VC canvasses review or engineering curriculum in varsities

Vice-Chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Dipo Kolawole
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Dipo Kolawole, has advocated the review of the engineering curriculum in the nation‘s universities.

Kolawole said that the review should be done with a view to ensuring that the Industrial Training Fund and the universities integrate their training of engineers to such an extent that the needed skills are imparted to students.

This was contained in a statement issued by the university after an orientation programme organised by the ITF for engineering students of the institution.

Kolawole, who was represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development) Prof. Adekunle Adegun, at the occasion, noted that when this would reduce resources engineering firms spend on retraining of employed fresh graduates.

”When the graduates get to industries to work, there will be no need for retraining them since they would have got a good training in their various institutions,” he said.

He added that a well prepared curriculum is very imperative, for future development.

The Area Coordinator of ITF, Mr. Jacob Akhaguri, stated that the purpose of the orientation was to prepare the students for participation in the Students Industrial Work Experience scheme.

Meanwhile, the Faculty of Law of the institution has regained its accreditation withdrawn over two years ago by the National Universities Commission. Kolawole, who said this added that the NUC had written to the institution to begin programme in law after meeting the accreditation requirement of the NUC.

The VC said that the feat was accomplished through hard-work and the provision of both quality lecturers and infrastructure provided for the faculty of law.

He also expressed gratitude to the Alumni Association of the university for the construction of the Faculty‘s moot court and the state government for its support, during the struggle to regain the accreditation.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011210104029 Read more...

Lecturer advocates overhaul of postgraduate studies in varsities

The Dean, Postgraduate Studies, University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Prof. Bene Willie Abbey, has called for the reorganisation of postgraduate schools in the nation’s university system, with a view to enhancing them to meet the goals of national development.

Abbey’s position‘s was contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Mr. Omololu Adegbenro, after the former delivered the Second Annual Lecture of the School of Postgraduate Studies of FUTA.

In the lecture titled, ”Re-Engineering and Re-positioning Nigerian Post Graduate Schools to meet the Goals of National Development,” Abbey posited that PG schools must rise to meet the demands for change in all areas of their operation in order to contribute to the nation‘s search for development.

According to her, some of the mechanisms of re-engineering and re-positioning postgraduate schools for national development, include, review of curriculum, university-industry linkage and creation of entrepreneurial university culture.

Abbey, however, concluded by calling for adequate funding of PG schools either through government or private sector.

She also suggested that industries and universities should work together as business partners, since industries need new technologies and universities are the source of such technologies.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, FUTA, Prof. Adebisi Balogun said an Annual Lecture of the School of Postgraduate Studies is an opportunity for an appraisal and deep reflection.

The Vice-Chancellor stressed that the choice of Professor Willie Abbey for this year‘s Annual Lecture is unique and suitable since the Lecturer is a Dean of Postgraduate School in a sister University.

Prof. Abbey had earlier praised the relentless efforts of the University at attaining and maintaining lofty heights during a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101121095896 Read more...

OAU Lecturers reject ICPC report on double pension deductions

Obafemi Awolowo University
THERE appears to be no end in sight to the disagreement between members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Branch and the university’s authorities over alleged double deduction of workers’ pension.
The lecturers had months back petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC  alleging among other things, that the management of the OAU has been making double deductions of pension contribution from employees’ salaries since the introduction and implementation of the new contributory pension scheme since July 2004, that the deductions made were neither remitted to the appropriate quarters like Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, that employees’ pension contributions have been deducted at source by the Budget Office of the Federation before releasing the net amount, thus making it unlawful for another deduction by the university management and that the university management should stop further illegal deductions of pension contribution from staff salaries and refund of the ones already made.
The ICPC investigated and gave a clean bill of health to the university management on the issue of double deductions, but as the school’s authorities to refund to the Sub-Treasury of the Federation, STF, N687.185,868.70, that it (ICPC) identified as unspent funds.
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CBN sponsors degree programmes at Ibadan varsity

Olufemi Bamiro, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) plans to collaborate with the University of Ibadan in starting new programmes at the institution, Olufemi Bamiro, the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the premier institution, has said.

Mr. Bamiro, who spoke during the congregation of the awards of Post-Graduate Diploma and Masters Degrees of the University, held at the Trenchard Hall yesterday, also stressed the fatherly role played by the institution to other universities across the country, noting that the University of Kaduna has requested the University of Ibadan to help train its first 46 degree holders for Masters programmes.

He said the CBN will be joining hand with the university, “to develop human capital in three key related disciplines-Banking and Finance, Accountancy and Economics’’, while NEMA will be sponsoring a programme in Disaster Risk Management.

He said that the university will accede to the request from Kaduna in accordance with the stipulated requirements of the programmes the students applied for, adding that the premier university must always be ready to play such a leadership role each time it is necessary.

The university, this year graduated a total 2,432 candidates, comprising eight M.Phil. holders, 36 Masters holders in Public Health (MPH), 1,634 Academic Master Degrees, 514 Professional Degree of Master and 240 candidates for Post-Graduate Diplomas.

Expanding knowledge

Mr. Bamiro charged them all to ensure that they impact positively on the various sectors of the economy as they go out to apply the knowledge acquired in the university.

“As agents of development, contribute your own quota to the vital development issues facing our nation state and the world. It is a known fact that Nigeria is experiencing serious political and economic problems which is further compounded by the on-going globalization of the world economy,” the VC charged.

He noted that the situation of Nigeria as a developing nation calls for partnership among the university, government and the industry, saying the university has the central responsibility of developing human resources on the needed skills to achieve the developmental goal of the nation.

“The tripartite elements of knowledge, information, innovation coupled with technical change are the drivers of economic development. This implies a central role for our universities and in particular, University of Ibadan as knowledge workers,” Mr Bamiro said, as he pledged the readiness of the University to take up the challenge of conducting basic researches to expand the frontier of knowledge and applied researches for innovations in the industrial sector of Nigeria.
Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5643992-147/cbn_sponsors_degree_programmes_at_ibadan.csp Read more...

Battered but undaunted, the story of Crescent varsity’s best student

Miss Fatimah Ajagbe

She lost her father in her second year at the university and her retired teacher mother could not afford to sponsor her education at the Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State. But undaunted by the enormity of her predicament, she proved remarkably resilient and emerged the best graduating student of the Islamic-faith-based university. Segun Olugbile captures the winning strategy of Miss Fatimah Ajagbe in this report. Beyond the rigours of paramilitary exercises that members of the National Youth Service Corps go through in orientation camps, the three-week programme usually offers corps members lots of fun. The fresh graduates meet new friends from various tertiary institutions across the country. They learn to eat new food, hear new songs and engage in relationships, depending on what their interests are. But in spite of all of these, the camping time, as well as the entire service period, is a time of anxiety for many of the corps members who take time to remember the rate of unemployment in the country.
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Commissioner warns against scrapping education colleges

Mr Onoja suggested that what is needed to improve teacher education.

The Kogi State commissioner for education, Sylvester Onoja has called on the federal government to be careful with phasing out Colleges of Education so as not to destroy the education sector.

Mr Onoja, who was the first northerner appointed principal of the famous Kings College, Lagos said frequent changes of policy have impacted negatively on the education sector as no fewer than 45 ministers had, since independence 50 years ago, headed the ministry of education and introduced different policies.

The commissioner said these changes had all but damaged the sector and called on the federal government to be careful in matters of education.

While advising government not to scrap Colleges of Education, Mr Onoja suggested that what is needed to improve teacher education is an improvement in the quality of entrance requirement, curriculum, teaching personnel and facilities as well as the quality of decision making process.

Orphans

The commissioner lamented the absence of a regulatory body for secondary schools in the country, as against other organs of education and called on federal government to establish a commission for secondary schools to regulate its curriculum and activities as, according to him, “secondary schools in the country today is an orphan”.

Mr Onoja commended federal government’s plan to establish more federal universities in the country, stressing that this would further reduce the problem of admission been experienced in the country.

The Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi had, while inaugurating the technical committee on the establishment of six new federal universities, hinted that the government was thinking of either phasing out Colleges of Education or upgrading them to degree awarding institutions.

Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5642459-146/story.csp

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UI pledges improved learning environment

Olufemi Bamiro, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan

The University of Ibadan has pledged it continued effort in ensuring improved teaching and learning environment for its staff and students.Olufemi Bamiro, Vice chancellor of the institution, disclosed this at the weekend while presenting certificates to the first set of graduates for this year's convocation programme of the university held at the Trenchard Hall.

The professor of Engineering noted that the university's curricula is designed ‘to ensure that students acquire the capacity for deep inquiry, critical thinking and problem-solving, have the opportunities, as part of their classroom experience, to benefit from the research activities and findings of their teachers'.

He informed that introduction of post-UME examinations to the admission process has helped reduce incidence of withdrawal for poor academic performance, adding that the overall good performance recorded from this year's graduands is a product of the efforts at weeding out the shaft from the grain through the post-UME.

The university graduated a total of 1,499 students at the weekend from faculties of Arts,Science, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health, Technology and Law as it kick-started four-day 2010 graduation ceremonies.

Among these were 55 with First Class and 371 Second Class Upper Division Honours degrees, spread across faculties, while 77 others obtained Diploma Certificates from affiliated institutions.Mr.Bamiro, whose tenure as the UI vice chancellor end December 1, admonished the graduands to consider the certificates obtained from the university as a springboard and a call to greater challenges and aspirations in life.

The 2010 graduation ceremonies and founder's day of the university, which commenced last week, continues today as graduands from some faculties will also receive their certificates at the Trenchard Hall.

Falling standards

Ade Adefuye, professor of History and ambassador of Nigeria to the United States of America, presented the convocation lectures last Thursday.

In the lecture, entitled, "Higher Education in Nigeria: Foreign Policy Dividend",Mr. Adefuye said the falling standard of higher education in the country is a reflection of the challenges facing the nation.

He urged members of the academic community to seize the opportunity of the renewed interest of the federal government on the sector to play their own part in salvaging the situation.

He also beseeched the ex-students of the institution to find ways of repositioning the university to ‘continue flying its flags rather than expend precious time trying to defend its sliding rank among other universities'.

Mr Bamiro, in his speech at the lecture, had lamented the dearth of manpower in the institutions of higher learning across the country,describing it as one of the major roots of lack of development

Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5642442-147/ui_pledges_improved_learning_environment_.csp

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Stem education has little to do with flowers

Stem Education
If you want to talk about bolstering United States of America science and math education, I‘ll gladly break out my virtual pompoms and go rah. Who wouldn‘t? Our nation‘s economy, global allure and future tense all depend on the strength of its scientific spine.

But mention the odious and increasingly pervasive term ”STEM education,” and instead of cheerleading gear, I reach for my ... pistil. In my disgruntlement, I am not alone.

For readers who heretofore have been spared exposure to this little concatenation of capital letters, or who have, quite understandably, misconstrued its meaning, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, supposedly the major food groups of a comprehensive science education.

Aficionados pronounce STEM exactly as you‘d imagine - like the plant part, like the cell type, like what you do to a tide and I wish I could do to this trend, but it‘s probably too late. Go to any convention, congressional hearing or science foundation bagel chat on the ever ominous theme of ”Science in the Classroom, and why can‘t our students be more like Singapore‘s when they take international tests anyway?” and you‘ll hear little about how to teach trigonometry or afford all those Popsicle sticks needed for the eighth-grade bridge-building competition, but you‘ll be pelted by references to STEM.

A new report from the President‘s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology offers many worthy ideas for improving science education, like creating a ”master corps” of the nation‘s finest science teachers who would in turn train others; but the STEM word keeps thudding up its pages like so many gristle nubs in a turkey burger. It‘s greasy-peasy: Collapse down education, and you‘ve got a buzz phrase to rival phys ed.

As even those who use the term admit, it is deeply, serio-comically flawed. For starters, it is opaque and confusing.

”Everybody who knows what it means knows what it means, and everybody else doesn‘t,” said Eric Lander, co-chairman of the president‘s advisory council and head of the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
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Minister blames falling standard of education on govt’s negligence

 Dr. Kenneth Gbagi
ABUJA—Minister of State for Education, Dr. Kenneth Gbagi, has attributed the dismal state of education in Nigeria to successive governments’ lip service and negligence.
This year’s total budget (capital & recurrent) to the Ministry is N271.1billion, but the implementation status is just 27.73%, just few weeks to the end of the last quarter of the year.
Last year’s budget was even less, it was N224.6billion, and yet it was not 100 percent executed, provoking the Minister of State to regret that several decades after the country signed the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, protocol, budgets for education remained far below the 26 percent minimum set by the United Nations’ agency.
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My fears over skewed world order, by VC

Prof Mimiko
The structural imbalance between the developed and developing nations in many international institutions came to the fore recently at the 233rd Lecture Series of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (AAUA), Ondo State, Olufemi Mimiko, who delivered his inaugural lecture on the occasion, lamented that the inherent lopsidedness had weighed heavily against the Third World countries.
The lecture, held at the Oduduwa Hall of OAU, was titled: Swimming against the Tide: Development Challenge for the Long-disadvantaged in a Fundamentally Skewed Global System. Mimiko, a professor of political science, mentioned the International Monetary Funds (IMF) and World Bank as two of the global organisations.
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When headmaster gave me ride, my leg entered his bicycle’s spoke and...- Peter Adinma Dunkwu, Former President, U.I Alumni

HE retired in the Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Education in the old Bendel State in 1975. He was deployed to the Inspectorate Department after spending decades teaching Mathematics in schools such as the famous Government College, Ugheli and numerous secondary
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As graduates continue roaming the streets

Blue-collar jobs require physical rather than mental exertion. Hmm. What’s so wrong with how you do the work as long as you get the job done? Why should the way you do the job matter, you are trying to earn a living aren’t you?

I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed of, society does not just understand that what is important is how much money you take home at the end of the day’s work

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Lagos, Harvard Kennedy School sign MoU on education

 Harvard Kennedy School.
Lagos State Government on Friday said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the United States for the conduct of executive education programme for the state.

It said the move was aimed at strengthening the capacity development of the state.

The state Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, disclosed this during a meeting with top management staff of the ministry.

The Commissioner stated that the plan for the programme was finalised at a recent meeting in the US between representatives of Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the state government.

According to him, the overall objective of the programme is to strengthen the capacity of Lagos State as a strategic driver of development through science and innovation.

He stated further that the programme had been divided into three parts, adding that the first part provides the conceptual underpinnings of an innovation led development strategy, while the second part presents the critical elements of regional innovation systems, underscoring the need to foster linkages between government, academia and business.

Sanwo-Olu also added that the last part outlines institutional innovations that need to be introduced to enable Lagos State to strengthen its role as a strategic economic actor.

He also disclosed that the programme, which is supported by Ford Foundation and Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association, will have participants from the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government, the House of Assembly, local governments, the business community, the civil society and the academia.

Present at the MOU signing meeting were Sanwo-Olu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Administration and Strategy, Moji Rhodes, and board member of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Parent body, Mr. Yemi Cardoso.

Those who represented the school include Juma, Senior Director Strategic Market and Programme Development, Ammy Capman, and Programme Director, HKS, Christie Mcqueen.

Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101026045242 Read more...