By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The National Universities Commission (NUC) says the implementation of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards CCMAS (CCMAS) will begin by September 2023.

The CCMAS document is expected to guide institutions in the design of curricula for their programmes while bringing necessary innovation into the content and delivery of their programmes towards achieving the overall goals of education and training in the country.

Speaking at the Stakeholders’ Colloquium on CCMAS in Abuja on Wednesday, the Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Maiyaki said the document would reposition Nigerian universities to be among the best rated in Africa.

Maiyaki said that CCMAS would make up 70 per cent of the curriculum while the university decides what to include in the remaining 30 per cent.

According to him, the implementation will help sharpen the future of education sector.

”The role and development of the CCMAS is to ensure commitment in advancing of our education and our great nation.

” NUC is primarily dedicated in ensuring quality and global competitiveness of Nigerian universities as well as the graduate we produce.

” The development of the CCMAS went through painstaking process by bringing experts from our universities comprising of professors, regulatory bodies, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and all stakeholders.

‘The CCMAS reflect global initiative that will equip graduates with knowledge and wherewithal that will advance the development of the nation,” he said.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, encouraged universities to make optimal use of the 30 per cent university senate’s input.

Mamman advised universities to ensure that learning outcomes, skills as well as soft skills were acquired, irrespective of the core discipline.

He said that the skills must be readily applicable to the environment of the university, the country in particular and the global community in general.

”There is no better place and time than now to develop a strategy that will guide tertiary institutions particularly universities in their mandate to provide appropriate manpower for the country.

”This is through using a curriculum and applying minimum standards that would guarantee we teach our students in such a way and manner that they would be highly skilled and employable to contribute to national development efforts.

” 70 per cent of the total curriculum is captured in the CCMAS while 30 per cent of the curriculum has been ceded to universities Senates to build in the uniqueness of their various universities.

”This principle allows for a good deal of adaptation that suits not only local peculiarities of the universities but provides universities opportunities to carve a niche for themselves in areas of comparative advantage,” he said.

The minister commended universities who had concluded their work on the 30 per cent component and submitted same for review.

He also urged those who have not to endeavour to do so in the shortest possible time as the next academic session rolls in.

He pledged the commitment of the Federal Government in ensuring that our education system remained nationally relevant and globally competitive.

In a keynote address, Former Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Michael Faborode said the idea of the CCMAS was to promote diversification and differentiation in the system.

This he said was to provide proper conceptual administrative guidelines and a harmonised legal framework for higher education.

Faborode commended the over 70 per cent universities that had already complied with the uploading of their 30 per cent curriculum inputs into the CCMAS.

He said this was the way to go so that universities could be globally relevant and competitive and as well provide the educational needs to the students so they could be employable after graduation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CCMAS was developed in 2018 following the review of the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) –the curriculum guide for Nigerian universities, which had been in use since 2007.

The CCMAS also expanded BMAS from 12 to 17 disciplines to reposition the system to reflect the realities of the 21st century.

The 17 disciplines are Administration and Management, Agriculture, Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Arts, Basic Medical Sciences, Communication and Media Studies, Computing and Education.

Others are Engineering and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Law, Medicine and Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sciences , Social Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Sani Idris

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) says its Higher National Diploma (HND) to a bachelor’s degree Top Up programme, was designed to facilitate career and academic progression of HND holders.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Prof. Idris Bugaje, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday.

Bugaje said that the initiative would ease the suffering of HND holders in the country.

NAN recalls that the NBTE had on Aug. 14 announced the one-year top up programme, which could be applied through: https://topup.nbte.gov.ng, to convert HND certificate to a bachelor’s degree.

The executive secretary said that HND holders have been suffering for decades, adding that efforts were made to remove the dichotomy between HND and bachelor’s degrees without success.

According to him, HND represents the best products of the Polytechnic system, stressing the need for them to progress and study for masters’ degree and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

“Unfortunately, up to today, a HND holder is not allowed to proceed for a master’s degree directly, but in Portugal and some other European countries, it is allowed.

“In South Africa and other places, HND holders are given a route – one additional year for Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) degree and another year for a master’s degree.”

He explained that under the top up initiative, NBTE proposed a two-year master’s degree programme for HND holders but to be run in polytechnics and not in the university setting.

This, he said, was necessary because of the differences in vision and orientations between the HND and degree, adding that a curriculum has been developed for some engineering and environmental programmes.

Bugaje said that the curriculum was taken to the former minister of education for the attention of the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, but it did not scale through.

He said that to keep the hope alive, the NBTE had to find an alternative route for the progression of HND holders, adding that the alternative route was for them to do the one-year top up.

He said that with the initiative, they will be able to get a B.Sc. in addition to HND and also enroll for a one-year masters and go further for a PhD.

“If they follow the route of Post Graduate Diploma (PGD), they will still be looked down upon in the university system.

“After they finish the PGD, master’s and PhD, come back and want to join any Nigerian university, they will ask them, where is your first degree?

“This is a very unfortunate situation and NBTE cannot allow things to continue this way.

“We have to find ways for our products and that is why we developed this top up programme with recognised and accredited foreign universities,” he said.

He said that some of the universities were in Europe, some in Asia, and some in North America, adding that the institutions were highly rated in university ranking.

He expressed optimism that the partnership with the foreign universities, if successful, might attract some Nigerian universities to key in.

“The move is not to allow HND holders to stagnate, noting that HND holders should be joining the polytechnics as assistant lecturers just like their university counterparts.

“At the moment, this is not allowed. This is injustice and NBTE cannot fold its hands and watch, As such, we must find ways to improve, and get the HND holders to progress,” Bugaje said.

He explained that the procedure of the top up includes a “credit mapping”.

He said that the NBTE has uploaded all the content of the accredited HND programmes in Nigeria into a software.

He said that the software was designed to pick the B.Sc. content of the corresponding university, outside Nigeria, match them and find the gaps between the two.

“That’s what we call credit mapping. The credit mapping process will now bring out those specific courses that will require you to meet up with the B.Sc., including laboratory practical.

“This is the arrangement being made and we hope the Nigerian education system will join us in promoting it, so that our HND holders are not left behind in terms of progression,” he said.

Bugaje said that those who enrolled for the programmes would get quality education and the fees was about 10 per cent of what they would have paid if they had enrolled for full time.

He also said that the universities have agreed to split the payment into two and pay per semester.

“The Nigerian system has a lot of prejudice against HND holders, and I hope this will change, because it is not going to help Nigeria.

“It is a colonial attitude and unless we change this attitude, development in Nigeria will stagnate.

“I hope Nigerian universities will buy-into the programme so that we can move this nation forward and stop the prejudice against HND holders,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Philip Yatai

By Angela Atabo

Universal Peace Federation (UPF), an NGO supporting the work of the United Nations in peace education, have trained teachers in FCT to implement peace and character education in schools.

Rev. George Ogurie, Sub-Regional Director, Universal Peace Federation West Africa, and Universal Peace Federation (UPF), said this on Tuesday at the Teachers Training Workshop on Peace and Character Education for Pilot Schools in the FCT.

Ogurie said the workshop, organised by UPF in collaboration with FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB), would hold from Aug. 22 to 31.

He said teachers were selected from 20 pilot schools within the FCT to run a pilot programme with the use of UPF Peace and Character Education materials developed and adapted for Nigerian schools.

“Our aim is to train 120 teachers per state, so if you multiply 120 by 37 that is 36 states plus the FCT, that will be 4440, then add another 120 teachers that will be trained as  state coordinators around the country.

“It will be a total of 4560 teachers that will be trained on character education in order for us to have enough people on ground to spread this message of character for leadership in the country.

“We realised that there is a gap between character and learning, when we graduate from school, we are told that we have been found worthy in character and in learning to be able to receive the certificates of graduation that we received.

“However, when you see practically what’s going on in our country, and I should say in the world in general, there is a gap between character and learning.

“Learning okay, but character is a problem.’’

According to Ogurie, the reason for the problems in the society today is  because the aspect of character is missing in the education system and that is the gap the UPF wants to meet up.

He said that the training would be the first of such an extended workshop aimed at raising competent teachers that would be available to implement peace and character education in the pilot schools.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejo, commended UPF for the initiative, adding that the gesture would go a long way to help the children imbibe good character and peace culture.

Adejo, represented by Mr Fehintola Moses, Chief Education Officer, Federal Ministry of Education Support Services Department, expressed hope that the aim of the project would be achieved.

“This is a great project and I assure you of the ministry’s support,’’ he said.

A representative of Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Esther Omaka, Deputy Director, UBEB, congratulated the teachers for being selected to run the project.

Omaka asked that the gesture should be extended from primary level up till the secondary school level to the catch the children young and build their consciense for good purposes.

Alhaji Leramoh Abdulrazaq, Acting Secretary for Education, thanked UPF for valuing education to contribute greatly towards molding the minds of children.

Abdulrazaq, represented by Mrs Magdalene Uzoanya, Director, Department of School Services, said, “This shows how dearly you value education .

“The easiest way to get to the family is through teachers. Learners value teachers more than their parents, especially at the primary school level.

“So I believe it is not by accident that you are  starting with the teachers because the message is not just going to the grassroots, area councils represented here, but we are  catching them young at the formative years.’’

A representative  of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Tessy Nnalue, Director Orentation and Behavioural Modifications, thanked UPF for equipping children with the tools they needed to become responsible, compassionate and ethical individuals.

A participant, Mrs Glory Imeh, from National Model School, Shepa, Abuja, said the training was top notch and necessary to tackle moral decadence in schools.

“ I am  going to impact the knowledge to my pupils so that they can be of good character anywhere  they find themselves, so I am so happy to be here .

“It is a nice programme and the effect is going to be a very positive one because children seem to do away with their morals today, so by the time this programme is taught to them, it will have a very positive impact on them.’’(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

=========

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Clara Egbogota

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has sworn in 2,227 corps members in the 2023 Batch B Stream II deployed  to Delta for  national service.

Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori declared the three-week orientation course open at the swearing in ceremony held at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Issele Uku.

Oborevwori represented by his Senior Policy Adviser,  Mr Solomon Funkekeme, congratulated the corps members on the successful completion of their academic pursuits which qualified them to be enlisted into the national service.

“You are the leaders of tomorrow. Leadership confers on you the mandate to articulate ideas and policies to achieve set goals and targets in the Nigerian socio-economic space.

“The brief period of your orientation and induction course should be seen as another significant period designed to instill some discipline and the spirit of nationalism and patriotism in you.

“The period is aimed at accelerating national development and unity through inculcation of the virtues of selflessness, humility, sacrifice and dedicated service to the nation,” he said.

He then assured them of his administration’s  responsibility for their welfare, security and general well-being.

“In pursuance of our policy of embarking on a meaningful people-orientated government, I wish to assure you that my administration will always protect you and ensure that you are safe wherever you are.

“My wish is that this one year national service in Delta State should be the finest pages of your memoir,” he said.

Mr Olusegun Alao, the state Coordinator of NYSC, expressed gratitude to the state government for fulfilling its promises to the scheme in the state as regards providing enabling environment for corps members, among other promises.

“ I wish to bring again to the notice of His Excellency some of the problems still confronting the scheme, a combination of which affects the smooth implementation of our programmes.

He listed the needs of NYSC in Delta to include a central office/secretariat, construction and completion of perimeter fencing at the camp,” he said.

Alao said that a total of 2,227 corps members, comprising of 671 males and 1,556 females, were sworn in. (NAN)(nannews.com. ng)

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

An Ibadan-based gapyear school, Erudite Millennium, has broken a new world record in the recently conducted A level examinations by Cambridge International Education.

The co-educational institution made Nigeria proud by emerging the only school in the world to record 100 per cent passes in Cambridge A’ Level after preparing its students for just 4 to 6 months.

The Chief Executive Officer, Erudite Millennium Ltd., Mr Saheed Oladele, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

He said that 237,000 students sat for the May/June Cambridge A’ Level examinations in 135 countries.

He said none of the 21 students his school presented for the 2023 May/June Cambridge A’ Level got a single U (ungraded) in any subject.

He added that the short preparatory period is unique to Erudite Millennium as it shows that spending the UK’s standard 2 years full-time on Cambridge A’ Level may be unnecessary.

Oladele explained that doing Cambridge A’ Level for a maximum of 6 months gave the students an opportunity to invest their remaining time in SAT, fourth industrial revolution programme, IELTS or TOEFL and volunteering within their one gap year in the institution.

He said that the institution was proud to announce that 11 out of the 21 students recorded impressive results in the examination.

According to him, “We at Erudite Millennium Ltd use this medium to thank the Almighty God for the excellent performance our students recorded out of the over 237,000 students that sat May/June Cambridge A’ Level examinations in 135 countries.

”We especially thank God for these blessings. We presented 21 students and none of them got a single U (ungraded) in any subject. This is rare.

‘In this humbling Cambridge season, we produced the celebrated result that got us a British Council’s country best award recently three times this time.

”A student we persuaded to join our A’ Level school in January got 16/16 points within four months at Erudite. She is now in the process of setting tech records through our three months fourth industrial revolution programme.”

He congratulated all the 21 young scholars on crushing the ever-challenging UK’s two-year Cambridge A’ Level programme within four to six months in Nigeria.

Oladele, while speaking further advised parents to give their children a 21st-century gapyear opportunity and not rush them to the university.

”The 14-year old boy, youngest to be admitted to Erudite A’ Level programme, that we spoke about in our interview on AIT got 14/16 points.

”Ahead of our next one month SAT boot camp slated for September 4, he is currently being groomed to blend tech with medicine through Erudite 4IR programme.

”A student who had to go through our Remedial O’ Level Programme first to pass WAEC GCE also got 14/16 points in Cambridge A’ Level within six months.

“If the organisers of Cambridge A’ Level get to know there is a school in any part of the world that recorded 100 per cent passes within four to six months of preparation for the 2023 May/June ‘the unluckiest cohort’ , they will surely be amazed.

”This happened in Nigeria through Erudite Millennium Ltd. Let the whole world know,” he said .

NAN reports that the students who got outstanding performances in the exams include: Abdulmalik Busari who scored Physics A*, Chemistry A, Maths A and Hameedah Uthman who recorded Chemistry A*, Physics A, Biology A.

Also, Nadra Ibrahim-Oladosu scored Chemistry A*, Physics A, Biology A, Ibrahim Fatade scored Physics A, Chemistry B, Maths B and Ajibola Oyinlola scored Physics A, Chemistry A, Biology C.

In the list are also Haneef Aderolu who scored Chemistry A, Physics B, Maths C, Royhan Badru scored Chemistry B, Physics B, Biology B, Abdullah Omotosho scored Chemistry B, Physics B, Biology C and Nabeelah Taofiq scored Chemistry B, Biology B, Physics C.

Others are: Aishah Opeoluwa who scored Chemistry B, Physics C, Biology C and Mus’ab Ishowo who scored Chemistry B, Physics C, Biology C. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Attack

By Angela Atabo

Abuja, Aug. 17, 2023 (NAN) A report released by Save the Children International (SCI) has revealed that about 70 schools were attacked and 1,683 school children kidnapped across Nigeria between Feb 2014 and Dec. 2022.

The report is entitled, “Education Under Attack: Review and Analysis of Attack on Schools, Teachers, and Learners from the Kidnapping of the Chibok Girls, Borno, Nigeria in 2014.”

The consultant who developed the report, Mr Augustine Mamedu, while presenting the findings in Abuja on Thursday, also said that 184 learners were killed while 88 others were injured within the period.

Mamedu added that about 60 teachers and other school workers were also kidnapped; 14 were killed, while 25 school buildings were destroyed.

He pointed out that since the Chibok incident in Feb. 2014 when about 276 girls were kidnapped, the spate of kidnappings has been on the rise.

He added that the reports also revealed a geographical shift in the kidnappings of learners from the North East to the North West and North Central Zones.

He said that between 2014 and 2022, five schools were attacked in North East, 49 in North West, 11 in North Central, three in South South and two in South West.

“The report also showed that 28 schools have been attacked in Kaduna State within the period, with 17 schools attacked in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state alone.

“In Katsina State, 99 schools were closed, affecting 30,870 learners,” he said.

The consultant said that the report recommended increased investment in safe schools and the implementation of the SSD across the country and closure of boarding facilities located in communities with no security posts.

The Country Director, SCI, Mr Famari Barro, called for the full implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) signed in 2015 to protect school children from kidnapping and other vices.

Barro explained that the SSD was a political commitment endorsed by the Federal Government to protect children, teachers and school facilities from attack and use of school facilities during arm conflict.

He said that globally, attacks on education, schools, children, and their teachers as well as the use of school facilities by security agencies during conflict was on the increase.

He recalled that the Nigerian government had taken steps by domesticating the SSD and pledged to mainstream and implement the declaration guidelines.

The country director, however, said that despite the efforts, attacks on education have remained a challenge in the country.

He explained that SCI commissioned the survey to examine attacks on schools, teachers, and learners in Nigeria since the attack on Chibok in 2014.

He said that the move was to find possible solutions from the view of the impacted communities, teachers, and learners.

Barro commended the establishment of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Center (NSSRCC).

“The initiative was a good step in providing a conducive learning environment for conflict-affected girls, boys, and children with disabilities in situations of violence.

“However, until the children in remote villages, who feel threatened by the rate of violence can attend school without fear, there is still much to be done.

“More needs to be done to prevent attacks, but also to support children and their families, especially with trauma management,” he said.

Responding, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr Andrew Adejo expressed the ministry’s commitment to ensuring a safe school for every child through the implementation of the SSD.

Adejor, who was represented by Mr Joseph Achede, Deputy Director, Secondary Education, said that the ministry was working hard to address the problem. (NAN)

Edited Philip Yatai

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has said that the recent Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy had created difficulties in the payment of foreign scholarship tuition fees and stipends.

The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono, made this known at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Engagement on Emerging Issues with the TETFund Intervention in Abuja on Wednesday.

Echono said since the funds allocation was barely enough to service programmes under its Tertiary Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS), the fund was considering suspending foreign scholarships while also considering an upward review of local scholarships.

”The fund at this material time is also discouraging beneficiary institutions from initiating new Benchwork programmes.

”Additionally, there are issues related to scholars not returning to serve their bonds at their home institutions upon completion of their programmes.

”Infact the challenge of scholars absconding has undermine and complicated the TSAS programme and bringing it under intense scrutiny.

”It is for these and other reasons that this engagement was organised. We need to address these challenges and find solutions to ensure the effective and smooth implementation of our scholarship programmes,” he said.

The executive secretary noted that the fund recently signed several MoU’s with some prestigious institutions overseas that include universities in Malaysia, India, Brazil, France and the United States with a view to boosting and enhancing the TSAS programme in the future.

Also speaking, the Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki called on the need to develop new strategies for funding while ensuring sensitivity of the evolving challenging dynamics through qualitative funding.

Maiyaki advised the fund to revamp its monitoring mechanism for quality assurance so as to have a better return on investment on its projects.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Committee on TETFund, Mrs Miriam Onuoha said in making essential infrastructure available in tertiary institutions, there was need to ensure inclusivity especially with Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWD).

“In our physical planning, we must make accessible the building to be accommodating to the needs of PLWD,” she said.

In the same vein, the former Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Peter Okebukola, called for a monitoring and implementation system to ensure that academic calendars of universities were adhered to.

Okebukola who spoke on TSAS, emerging issues and possible solutions, clamour for reduced TETFund oversees scholarships while encouraging in-country training in TETFund strengthened PG programmes.

He said that rather than continuously spending a lot of funds on foreign training, local universities should be provided with state-of-the-art facilities while carrying out accreditation of postgraduate programmes.

”In offering solutions to these challenges, there is need to offer TETFund support to top-rate lecturers from oversees universities to come to Nigeria to join local PG training by Nigerian professors.

”We must send professors (of at least 10 years standing) for capacity building to top-rate overseas universities in carefully selected programmes on return to bolster doctoral education and supervision,”he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

edited by Sadiya Hamza