By Henry Oladele

Every 16 minutes, a teacher in a particular classroom commits not just grammatical errors but verb group-related errors, a professor of English Grammar and Applied English Linguistics, has said.

Prof. Roseline Adejare of the Department of Language, Arts and Social Science Education, Lagos State University (LASU), said this after delivering LASU’s 107th Inaugural Lecture at the Ojo Campus of the institution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture had the topic: ‘‘Is, Was, Choose One: Exploration into the World of the English Verb and Other Aspects of English Grammar”.

NAN reports that verb group-related errors involve mistakes with verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and the use of auxiliary verbs.

Adejare said: “The standard is getting lower, and there is a reason for it.

“We do not teach grammar any longer, and there are no qualified people to teach grammar because nobody studies grammar.

“In the study that I have conducted, I tried to establish a link between teachers’ competence in the language of instruction and standard of education.”

According to the professor, verb is central to the clause and central to meaning realisation.

“If you don’t know the verb, you don’t know the language.

“Teachers are not adequate, those teaching them in the university, when they go for research, they go and do social and discourse analysis.

“They leave grammar out because they think it is difficult, and when you don’t know the grammar of a language, you don’t know that grammar in that language.”

She said there was need for the review of English Language programmes in tertiary institutions to embrace more descriptive grammar courses aimed at ensuring better equipment of teachers.

“It is important that linguists begin to focus on grammatical research because grammar is fundamental to language.

“Since acquisition of adequate grammatical knowledge is a condition for effective communication, the Bachelor of Arts English programme should be reviewed.

“This is to embrace more descriptive grammar courses,” Adejare said.

She also urged that departments of English Language with excellent grammar programmes should train competent personnel to handle them.

“These will ensure that English Language teachers are better equipped, English curriculum planners are adequately exposed, and the English course book, which teachers and pupils so heavily rely on, are free of fundamental errors,” she said.

In her lecture, Adejare defined language as a human vocal noise used systematically and conventionally by a community for the purpose of communication.

“This shows that language is convention, and both spoken and written.”

Adejare said that the use of English Language in Nigeria was fraught with difficulty.

“This makes utterances like: It is, it are, it was… choose one’, possible and which makes accurate description imperative,” she said.

The professor urged that Language Acquisition and Development should be made compulsory.

“The requirement that doctoral students mandatorily register and pass eight units of courses in the cognate department to upgrade their knowledge of the language is unquestionable.

“However, English Education students routinely avoid grammar and phonology because of their perceived difficulty; consequently, they end up ill-equipped.

“This should be addressed,” she said.

She added that students should be mandated to undertake qualitative research.

The Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, and other management staff of the university were at the inaugural lecture. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola

By Patience Aliyu

The University of Jos has organised its maiden annual research day to honour outstanding researchers within the institution.

Speaking at the event in Jos, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, the Vice Chancellor of the university, said that the event was organised by the Research and Development (R&D) Office of the institution.

The vice chancellor was represented at the event by Prof. Aboi Madaki, the Provost, Collage of Heath Sciences of the institution.

Ishaya, who noted that quality research is at the core of the institution, promised to support and fund result-driven research in various fields.

He said that the institution would also use the event to honour some of its members of staff for promoting quality research.

Similarly, Mr Samuel Godongs, the Director General, Research, Planning and Documentation, Plateau Government House, urged government to adequately fund research in the country.

“Advanced countries spend between six to eight per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on research and development.

“But those in the lower pockets of developing countries spend less than one to two per cent which is recommended.

“But in Nigeria, we spend 0.2 per cent which is far below even countries like South Africa, which has increased its research and development steadily.

“So, we do have a long way to go, and as we are doing that, we have to look at the different kinds of research that we have.

“A lot of the research that we do is within the bracket of basic research; that is research for just fundamental or basic knowledge that very often end up in books that gather dust on the shelves,” he lamented.

Also speaking, Dr Salihu Bakari, the Director of Research and Centre of Excellence, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), said that research innovation is a key instrument for human transformation.

He, however, insisted that research in the university, which requires huge financial support, should be geared towards solving societal problem.

“The fundamental role of research and innovation as an instrument of human transformation and structural development requires huge financial and intellectual investment to realise the objectives.

“However, research in our universities should be innovative and geared towards problem-solving; there must be deliberate efforts to ensure synergy between academia, industry and government to achieve the fundamental goals of research and innovation.

“No nation can rise above the quality of its education, and by extension, its capacity for research and innovation.

“Innovative research capacity is directly related to human capital development, global competitiveness and national development.

“Hence, funding research and innovation should inevitably be a priority of any nation that desires to achieve its developmental aspirations,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among those honoured during the event were Prof. Hwayward Mufuwai, the former vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Patricia Lar, the Acting vice chancellor, Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja.

Other awardees included Prof. Chris Piwuna, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Dung Sha, the former Director of Research, National Institute for Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, among others. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Editted by Abdulfatai Beki/Polycarp Auta

By Tayo Ikujuni

Professor of Educational management at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Akinrotimi Oyetakin, has called on government to consider increasing educational budgetary allocation to 20 per cent.

Oyetakin made the call while delivering the institution’s 42nd inaugural lecture titled ‘Cost Explosion and Expenditure Implosion of Tertiary Education: Equilibrium Heresies in Motion’.

The education management expert equally stressed the urgent need for legislative action to rescue Nigeria’s underfunded educational sector.

Oyetakin, while seeking the creation of a dedicated emergency relief agency for the sector, urged the Federal Ministry of Education to spearhead a coalition with other stakeholders to rescue the sector.

He emphasised that a legislative bill should be sponsored at both federal and state levels to increase annual budgetary allocations to education.

According to him, it is important to remove parasites plaguing the educational sector.

The education management expert advocated for “an urgent need to establish the Education Emergency Relief Agency of Nigeria (EERAN)”.

“The agency shall carry out functions on emergency management of educational institutions in Nigeria, which is currently facing fierce terrorism and natural attacks.

“The vote given to education, though, seems to be increasing, but it does not measure up to the cost.

“The cost is flying, the expenditure is also flying, but the height is quite at equilibrium, and that is erosive over the years.

“I have recommended that to curb this erosive, which I tag a super parasite and super viruses, that have affected the educational system, government at all levels must increase budget provision to the educational sector.

“If government increases the budget allocation to at least over 20 per cent on an annual basis, it will cushion the problem we are experiencing today.

“Government is spending money. It is not sufficient enough to back up the financial requirement of higher education.

“If this is done by the government based on all the recommendations I have provided, I believe this super parasite and super viruses shall be solved, and we shall have good services delivering tertiary education in Nigeria,” Oyetakin stated.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, applauded the lecturer for his scholarly contributions to the university.

Ige stressed that “the inaugural lecture is a significant academic engagement that reinforces the university’s commitment to scholarly research”.

“This lecture contributes to sustaining a vibrant academic culture within our community.

“The lecturer’s scholarly contributions have greatly enriched the university. He has successfully supervised 17 postgraduate students, including four Ph.D candidates,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannnews.ng)

Edited by Ayodeji Alabi

By Aisha Gambo

The Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROOSC) project, an initiative of the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, has taken its ‘Back-To-School campaign’ to Unguwan Shanu, Kaduna North LGA.

The campaign, which was inaugurated on Tuesday, is aimed at sensitising communities to ROOSC project, while encouraging parents and caregivers to return their children back to school.

The campaign team, which included stakeholders from the ministry, development partners, religious organisations and the media, began with a courtesy visit to the Village Head of Unguwan Shanu.

While speaking, the Project Coordinator, Project Monitoring Unit, ROOSC, Mr Ezra Angai, stated that it was an intervention designed to make quality education inclusive and accessible to all children.

“As part of the project, 102 new schools will be built and 170 existing ones including learning centres will be renovated.

“A key feature of the campaign is the Catch-Up Programme, a nine-month remedial education initiative aimed at children who have never been enrolled or who dropped out of school.

“It offers foundational literacy, numeracy, and life skills to help reintegrate these children into mainstream education or vocational training,” he said.

Similarly, the ROOSC Project Director, Save the Children, Mbursa Emmanuel, commended the community leaders for their support, saying that they were key to ensuring the success of the project.

Emmanuel stated that livelihood support for families, a key barrier to school attendance, was not covered under the project, adding that discussions were ongoing with the government and partners to explore solutions.

Kabir Lawal, Director of the Social Mobilisation Department at the State Universal Basic Education Board, said that the campaign would be a recurring activity embedded in the state’s education budget.

“In our annual budget, we have made provisions for this type of campaign, and it will now be conducted at the beginning of every academic session.

“Beyond this, we are training School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) and deploying Social Mobilisation Officers to intensify grassroots advocacy across communities,” Lawal said.

In his address, the Village Head of Unguwan Shanu, Alhaji Nura Ibrahim, commended government’s efforts in ensuring that out-of-school children were returned back to school.

He also urged the government to take more decisive actions against poverty, saying that it was one of the root causes of educational exclusion.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ROOSC project was initiated by the Kaduna State Government under its Ministry of Education, with Save the Children and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as the implementing partners.

The project targets 200,000 out-of-school children while supporting the teachers and learners with 500,000 teaching and learning materials. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The United Support for Science and Mathematics Project (UNSSM-Project), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged the Federal Government to invest more in Science and Mathematics education to boost national development.

Mr Kelvin Veakpe, Project Facilitator of UNSSM project, made the call at its Innovators Day programme at Coronation Preparatory Academy, Kuje, Kuje Area Council, FCT, Abuja.

The Innovators Day featured the award of ambassadorial honours in Mathematics to 104 students.

Veakpe said the Mathematics Ambassadors were selected from schools across the FCT.

He said it was aimed at demystifying mathematics and inspiring a new generation of innovators through strategic mentorship and competition.

Veakpe said that while UNSSM project and similar organisations were doing their bit in promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), there was need for the government to drive such programmes.

“The government should focus more on sciences because our life itself revolves around sciences.

“I think it is very important for the government to look into this because some of the challenges we are having today as a nation is because we are not calculating enough.

“When you are talking about calculation, it entails sciences and mathematics.

“The government should key into this type of programme and provide avenues for children to showcase their talents and skills,” he said.

He said that the programme included assessing the students with school-based tests, an inter-school contest, where top performers would be rewarded with N2.5 million, among other prizes.

He said students who emerged as ambassadors could also benefit from a free six-week summer training on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills such as coding, robotics, artificial intelligence and website design.

“We celebrate our ambassadors on the assembly ground in the presence of their parents during what we call the Innovators Day.

“This motivates both the learners and their peers to aspire higher,” he said.

Mr James Arlloo, Head of Coronation Preparatory Academy School, said no nation could develop without the application of science.

Arlloo also said that the application of science and mathematics broadens the learning scope of children.

“A government that does not encourage school towards ICT or sciences is doing more harm than good to the nation,” he said.

The school head also tasked the government on providing tools to support learning the teaching and learning of STEM in both government and private schools.

Omolola Olorunfemi, a Grade 3 pupil, said she was happy to be a Mathematics ambassador, adding that she would put in more effort in her studies, especially in Mathematics for more recognition.

Omolola Olorunfemi (middle) receiving her certificate
of recognition as Mathematics Ambassador

Mrs Agnes Udom, a parent, said she would support her child physically, mentally and in anyways she could to ensure she succeeded more in the future.

Udom urged parents to encourage their children to learn Mathematics.

UNSSM Project is an NGO dedicated to promoting Science and Mathematics education.

It inspires young minds through competitions, mentorship programmes, STEM initiatives to foster innovation and critical thinking.  (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Uche Anunne