Education
3 new Delta varsities for take-off in 2021/2022 session — Commissioner
Delta Government has said that the three proposed universities, that would bridge the gap in the educational needs of the state, would take-off in the 2021/2022 academic session.
Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, Commissioner for Higher Education, told journalists, on Wednesday, in Asaba, that the universities would provide quality education for the people, pointing out that the exigencies of the times made the state government to transform three existing higher institutions, to universities.
“Federal Government, by a deliberate policy, has gradually phased out the HND diplomas,’’ the commissioner said, adding that this created the urgent need to upgrade one of the colleges to university of education, given the poor attraction of students to Colleges of Education, in spite of government’s expenditures to sustain the institutions.
He recalled that the state government, on Tuesday, transmitted an Executive bill to the House of Assembly, seeking to upgrade the College of Education, Agbor, to a University of Education.
“Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, to become a University of Science and Technology, while Delta State University, Anwai Campus, Asaba, to be upgraded to a University of Science and Agriculture.
“We are hoping that for 2021/ 2022 academic session, we shall take off the new universities and gradually phase out programmes that are in the existing institutions.
“It will make for efficient, effective and qualitative delivery of service and funds management,’’ Muoboghare said.
He noted that upgrading the institutions would provide opportunities for qualified Delta youths seeking university admission, but were edged out due to quota system and limited available spaces.
“In 2019/2020 academic session, over 25,000 candidates took Delta State University, Abraka, as first choice.
“Out of this number, over 22,000 candidates qualified and applied for and wrote the post UTME examination, but only 4,854 could find space, leaving the remaining 21,042 candidates stranded and almost hopeless.
“These are the ones, who, in an attempt to avoid staying idle at home, find themselves in various expensive sub degree programmes in the universities, polytechnics and college of education.
“So, we need to provide for qualified and ambitious children and this we are doing through the establishment of new universities, by upgrading three existing tertiary institutions to full-fledged universities,’’ he said.
The commissioner expressed worry that given the over 500 public secondary schools, and a greater number of private ones, turning out Senior Secondary School graduates annually thereby raising the number of admission seekers, could become a recipe for crime.
On funding, he said, no government in the world could fund education 100 per cent, but that the state policy was aimed at making the institutions to gradually become self sustaining.
“The state government currently funds the monthly wage bills of N457.5 million for the three states colleges of education; Agbor, Mosogar and Warri with a total staff strength of 1,895 and student population of only 2,888,’’ Muoboghare said.
He said that the monthly wage bill for the three state’s polytechnics; Ozoro, Ogwashi-Uku and Oghara was N342.2 million, while that of Delta State University, Anwai Campus, was N52.3 million.
“The Federal Government, by a deliberate policy, is phasing out HND programmes from its institutions, meaning that the three polytechnics and the School of Marine Technology, Burutu, would be left with the production of only graduates of ND programmes.
“We decided that one of the polytechnics be upgraded to university to absorb those who will graduate from the Polytechnics, since HND is gradually being phased out.
“We have three Colleges of Education established for the NCE programme, as at then, each of the institutions can boost of 5,000 students.
“Our children are no longer interested in NCE programmes, so, we decided to upgrade one of the colleges of education to university to absorb those from the other two NCE awarding institutions,’’ Muoboghare said.
The Commissioner of Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said that the passage of the bills to upgrade the three institutions into universities was a milestone in the state’s development trajectory.
According to him, the universities would offer opportunities to the people of the state, and to Nigerians seeking admission into any of the institutions.
He added that the government, society and individuals had a role to play in funding education in the state.
By Dennis Udoma, Uyo
Professor of Mathematics Education in the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Amos Awodeyi has decried the decline in Mathematics teachers across school systems nationwide.
Awodeyi said the decline in professional mathematics teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary systems in the State, could turn into a dangerous trend if the situation is not addressed in order for the school system to remain atop and able to produce future Mathematics professionals.
The University Don made this known during the 101st inaugural lecture held at the main campus of the institution on Thursday titled, “The Art of Mathematics Education, Development, Research and Teaching; My Journey So Far.”
Awodeyi, who gave an expose on the subject matter stunned participants; students, teachers, school management with discoveries in the world of Mathematics, and charged the students to develop passion and commitment in learning the subject.
“The starting point towards ameliorating the poor performance in mathematics learning and teaching is retraining of serving teachers on teaching documents.
“Further Mathematics should be made compulsory for all secondary school students who aspire to study science, mathematics and engineering at tertiary level of education.
“Teachers should let the mathematics topics make sense to their students; teach with the knowledge of the goals of mathematics teaching in schools, and focus on the objectives of teaching the topics in the classroom; tools and instructional materials should be handy; students should be engaged with relevant activities in the classroom and take home exercises should generate activities for students,” Prof. Awodeyi advised.
Vice Chancellor and Chairman of the inaugural lecture, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo commended the lecturer for his expertise in mathematics describing him as a great asset to the University.
He extolled Awodeyi’s scholarly ingenuity in Mathematics maintaining that he has paid his last due required of every Processor and inducted him into the “Hall of Fame” of the inaugural lecturers of the institution.
Education
Breaking: Authorities of UNIBEN shut down academic activities indefinitely over students’ protest
The authorities of the University of Benin on Thursday shut down academic activities in the institution indefinitely.
The university in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, attributed the decision to the refusal of the students of to shift grounds on their demands.
The students on Wednesday took to the streets, blocking the ever-busy Benin-Ore Highway to protest weeks of power outage on campus.
The students, who had two weeks until their first semester examination, said the situation was severely affecting their preparation.
The students also called for a downward review of transport fare by the UNIBEN shuttle service, which was increased with effect from July 1.
Reports state that the university was thrown into a blackout by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) following the inability to reach agreement over contentious electricity billings.
The monthly bill was said to have jumped from about N80 million to between N200 and N280 million, forcing the university to resort to power generators as well as rationalisation of power on the two campuses and hostels.
When a correspondent spoke with the protesting students amidst heavy rainfall, they were hellbent on continuing the rampage unless their demands are met.
“Following the insistence of students of the University of Benin to shift grounds on their demands for twenty four hours supply of electricity and more, considered unrealistic by the University’s Senate, the University has shut down academic activities indefinitely.
“Students are to vacate the hostels immediately while all the relevant units of the University are to take note and comply.
“However, non teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the shut down,” said the university’s spokesperson.
By Udodirim Oti, Awka
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Chapter, yesterday marched in protest over unpaid wages, breached agreements with governments and proliferation of universities in the country, among others. During the protest, the members chanted solidarity songs with their leadership for championing their cause and interest while displaying placards within the university premises.
Some of the inscriptions in the placards read: “Stop Suffocating University Lecturers,” “Pay Us Fairly,” “FG, Stop Deceiving Nigerian Lecturers,” “We Deserve Better Pay,” “We Teach, We Deserve Our Pay.”
Addressing the press shortly after the protest march, the Chairman of ASUU-NAU Chapter, Comrade Kingsley Ubaoji hinted that the idea to limit the protest to the premises of the institution was to avoid a situation where infiltrators would hijack it and breach law and order.
Ubaoji observed that the Federal Government under the Bola Tinubu administration is yet to engage fully with the union to address all outstanding issues with ASUU decisively.
Ubaoji who spoke in company of his executives also listed other demands to include Renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, implementation of the Prof. Nimi Briggs Report; funding for the Revitalisation of Public Universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017 and release of the 3½ months of the withheld salaries
According to him, the Union is desirous of release of unpaid staff salaries on sabbatical, adjunct, etc., due to IPPIS, release of third-party deductions, implementation of UTAS in place of IPPIS, implementation of the Reports of the Visitation Panels, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in Federal and State Universities and proliferation of public universities
The others, he noted, were partial payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and non-victimisation of devoted union members and other victories which were made possible by ASUU struggles and strike actions.
The Unionist revealed that the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement has been a recurrent decimal in all ASUU industrial actions since 2009, lamenting that “no government had taken the renegotiation seriously, but during the life of the past administration, negotiation came to a conclusion with the Nimi Briggs Committee.”
“A document was produced, but the minions in the corridors of power refused to pass it on to the then President for his consideration and approval. Since then no tangible outcome has been recorded in spite of the constructive recommendations of the Committee.”
In this respect, he said the union, therefore, was demanding that all renegotiations of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement be rounded off based on the Nimi Briggs Committee resolutions.
He disclosed that the salaries of Academics in Nigeria have not been reviewed since 2009 to the point that, for over 14 years, they have been on a static salary structure despite the country’s increasing inflation rate
He maintained the stand of the Union that “based on the FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of 2012 and 2013 and the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 2017, the revitalisation of our public universities remains a top priority if Nigerian universities and academics would remain competitive.”
The ASUU boss called on the Tinubu-led Government “to do the needful by reversing its decision on the University Governing Councils dissolution,” noting that the “union maintains that the proliferation of public universities without provisions for adequate funding and infrastructure does not augur well for our university system.”
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