By Philip Yatai

The World Bank, Adolescent Girls Initiative and Empowerment (AGILE), is to construct 90 Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), 69 Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) and renovate 69 others in Kaduna State.

AGILE Project Coordinator in the state, Mr Habibu Alhassan, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) In Kaduna on Wednesday.

Alhassan explained that the five-year project was designed to ensure that the girl child, aged 10 to 20 years was enrolled, retained, and supported to complete senior secondary school education.

He said that the construction of the new schools and the renovations of existing ones was to create additional learning space and make available spaces conducive and comfortable for the girl child to learn.

He added that the project would also provide a form of scholarship to support girls that were prevented from attending schools due to hawking and other commercial activities at home.

This, according to him, will enable the parents to allow such girls to enroll in school, remain in school, complete secondary school education, and become useful to their self, their family, and their community.

He also said that the project would equally empower the girl child with livelihood and life skills to enable her live well in the society.

He said that although the goal was to improve secondary education opportunities among girls, the boy child would equally benefit from the project.

“We are still at the preparatory stage. The Work Plan has been developed and undergoing review, while the Project Implementation Manual is being developed by the National Head Office.

“Project Appraisal and other relevant documents had also been developed.

“We have just finished going round the three Senatorial Zones of the state to get the buy-in of critical stakeholders and domesticate the National School-Based Management Committees Manual.

The project coordinator said that the state government has fulfilled all required conditions to participate in the project.

“One of the conditions was the state government’s commitment to recruit teachers that will teach in the newly constructed schools.

“You may be aware that the state government is currently concluding recruitment exercise of 7,600 qualified secondary school teachers, more than the about 2,000 teachers required by the AGILE project.

“The state government has also committed to paying any compensation that may arise due to expansion of school spaces and has also provided office space for the Project implementation Unit.

“Gov. Nasir el-Rufa’i has also allocated N47 million in the 2021 Budget to ensure smooth take-off of the project,” he added.

NAN reports that the 500 million dollar’s project (N190 billion at N380 to a dollar) will support access to secondary education and empowerment for adolescent girls in seven states namely Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Plateau and Ekiti.

The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri had in 2020 explained that the AGILE project would use secondary school as a platform to empower girls through education, life skills, health, and education.

Chaudhuri added that other areas would include nutrition, reproductive health, gender-based violence awareness and prevention, negotiations skills, self-agency, and digital literacy skills.

“Specifically, the project will benefit about 6.7 million adolescents and 15.5 million direct project beneficiaries which will include families and communities in participating states.

“The project entails building more than 5,500 JSS and 3,300 classrooms for SSS, as well as improving 2,786 JSS and 1,914 SSS with safe, accessible, and inclusive infrastructure.

“About 340,000 girls will receive life skills training in safe spaces, which will help them navigate challenges in life. This will incorporate health and key information on climate change, safety, and gender-based violence awareness.

“To help girls thrive in the digital economy, 300,000 girls will receive digital literacy training and offer half a million girls from the poorest households’ financial incentives to support their retention and completion of secondary school,” he said. (NAN)

By Zainab Garba

Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday urges members of staff of organisations to maintain loyalty and dedication to duty.

He said this was a necessary prerequisite to attainment corporate objectives and progress within any small or large organisation.

At the opening ceremony of the National Youth service corps (NYSC) 2021 Batch `A’ pre-mobilization workshop in Nasarawa, Oloyede said that Nigerians organisations had lost out due to staff attitudes.

The JAMB registrar explained that organisations like the defunct Nigeria Telecommunication Limited and National Electrical Power Authority were brought on their knees due to disloyalty by some members of staff.

He advised the management of the NYSC scheme to be diligent and meticulous in the certification of credential of corps members before mobilising them.

He also said that institutions of learning have a great role to play in ending these acts of illegal certification of students for NYSC mobilisation.

Director General of the NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Shuaibu, said the pre-mobilisation workshop was an avenue for stakeholders to review challenges in past mobilisation exercises and profer workable solutions.

He warned that foolproof measures have been put in place to ensure that only qualified graduates are mobilised, adding that any unqualified person caught would face the wrath of the law.

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state, represented by the commissioner for youths and sports, Mr Othman Adam, commended the NYSC director general for the successes recorded by the scheme.

He said the successes had made it endearing to Nigerians through visibility and relevance of the scheme in the state, especially in areas of health, education and rural infrastructure.

By Dorcas Elusogbon

The authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife in Osun, has fixed March 15 to March 19 as the new dates for its 2020 post UTME online screening.

Mr Olarewaju Abiodun, the university Public Relations Officer, made this known on Tuesday in a statement in Ile-Ife.

Abiodun said, “all candidates that registered for the 2020 OAU Post UTME screening are hereby notified that the exercise will now hold online.”

According to him, it will start from March 15 to March 19.

He said that the screening details in respect of guidelines, date and schedule for each candidate would be available on the university admission’s portal (https://admissions.oauife.edu.ng) from March 9.

“Candidates are advised to update their contact details on the university admission’s portal by providing valid and active email addresses and phone numbers, as the details will also be sent to the email addresses provided.

“Candidates should note that registration for this exercise closes midnight Thursday March 4, 2021,” Abiodun said. (NAN)

By Gabriel Yough

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) Taraba State University Chapter, on Tuesday declared an indefinite strike after its meeting.

The chapter Chairman, Dr Samuel Shikaa, said this while addressing journalists shortly after the meeting.

Shikaa said the union resolved to embark on the industrial action to demand compliance to an agreement the state government and the university management signed with the union.

He listed some of their demands to include, the commencement of their contributory pension scheme, prompt payment of their Earned Academic Allowance( EAA), among others.

“Taraba State University has no pension arrangement and you can quote me anywhere.

“Families of some of our colleagues that have died only received paltry sums for burial rites which to us are not terminal benefits.

“And to some others who left this institution to other universities, they have nothing to benefit.

“Our members are ready to commence deduction from their take home for the contributory pension scheme but we also want government’s commitment that their percentage of the contribution will be honoured.

“The EAA allowance for excess workload since 2013 has accumulated and has not been paid,” he said.

Responding, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, said 75 per cent of the demands by members of ASUU had been met.

Tenebe explained that the strike was unnecessary and urged members of the union to call off their demonstration for the sake of the students, while they continued negotiation with the management of the institution.

He also dismissed claims that the government was not ready to comply with its part payment to the contributory pension scheme.

“Ever since the MoU was signed with ASUU, the management and government went into action and I can tell you that 75 per cent of their demands have been met.

“ASUU has been demanding the commencement of the contributory pension scheme and when I came in as Vice-Chancellor in 2017, they brought up this demand which was part of the MoA.

“I went further to present a memo to the governing council of this university in 2018 and the council acting as an independent body and regarded as the sole employer of labour in universities by government regulation, approved that we can start that contributory pension scheme.

“This means that every member of staff that keys into this pension scheme will contribute 7.5 per cent of his basic salary while the government will also contribute 7.5 per cent which will be sent to the administrator of a pension for saving till when the employee retires.

“After that approval, I informed all the members of staff of this university through a circular that the governing council has approved the commencement of the pension scheme and we went further to appoint a desk officer from the registry for the pension scheme.

“We also invited some pension administrators who came to create awareness and also did some marketing of their companies to staff for them to fill their forms and submit to the school management for the commencement of the pensions scheme.

“Since 2018, they have failed to produce their pension administrators and their account numbers for management to utilise and in fact, this university wanted to be used as a role model for other institutions in this state,” he said. (NAN)

Veronica Dariya

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and heads of various tertiary institutions in the country have agreed to conclude all 2020/2021 admissions by June 15.

The board made the disclosure in a statement signed on Sunday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dr Fabian Benjamin,  in Abuja.

It said that public universities would conclude admissions a month  before private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

According to the JAMB,  heads of institutions and itself reached the agreement at a virtual meeting on Wednesday (Feb. 24) during which issues concerning admissions process were discussed.

”All admissions in the nation’s tertiary institutions for the 2020/2021 Academic Session would end by June 15.

“The decision was collectively taken at a virtual meeting with heads of tertiary institutions in the country on 24th February, 2021,” it said.

The board said that the meeting was  aimed at knowing the level the institutions had reached on the 2020/21 Admissions scale.

JAMB added that the essence of the interactive session was to forestall an endless admission regime generated by disruptions to daily life occasioned especially by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said that  the meeting was also to enable the board to put necessary machineries in place for the 2021/2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry Registration.

According to him, only 30% of institutions has  commenced admissions into the 2020/2021 Academic Session.

“Stakeholders collectively agreed that all public universities would be expected to finish  admissions on or before 15th May, while private universities would complete theirs at the agreed date of June 15.

“This, also includes all IEIs, polytechnics and colleges of education.

“The decision on the chosen deadlines remains sacrosanct and binding on all institutions.

“The board will not tolerate breach of the collective decision reached,” it said.

JAMB said that it would announce, in a week’s time, the commencement date for the sale of application documents for the 2021/2022 Academic Session.

JAMB also urged all institutions to adhere strictly to advisories issued to them on inter- university transfers, intra-university transfers, foreign inter-university transfers and fresh foreign candidates.

It also advised them to adhere to advisories on change of programmes and institutions and other essential processes relating to admission.

According to the board, the adherence is to avoid  bickerings that could endanger the future of candidates and their subsequent mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps.

It said that transfer of candidates within institutions locally or internationally was  acceptable but must  follow due process.

JAMB said that as a responsible organisation and gatekeeper, it would not allow the process to be circumvented to allow unqualified candidates to gain access to the country’s institutions.

“JAMB would not be a party to any improper transfer or breach of set guidelines.

“Adequate measures or checks must be done to verify if such candidates meet minimum requirements or possess the prerequisite qualifications to be in the institution in the first instance.” (NAN)

By Ali Baba-Inuwa

Beyond Community Care Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) says it plans to enrol 100 Almajiri pupils in conventional schools.

Igwe Dennis Ezebuilo, Chairman of the board of the foundation, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Ezebuilo said the foundation would sponsor the education of the pupils up to primary six to take them off the streets and safeguard their future.

He said the gesture was aimed at complementing government’s efforts aimed at addressing street begging.

”The foundation is made up of few individuals who believe in rendering services to the society. In essence we are just trying to give back the society what we got from it.

“Our main target is to help uplift living conditions of the people, especially the downtrodden.

”We have been in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Abuja, trying to provide help by donating food and non food items.

”We have also provided scholarships to indigent students to enable them further their education,” Ezebuilo said.

He said that the membership of the foundation cut across the six geo-political zones of the country.

“We believe in the unity and oneness of Nigeria that is why we came together as a group to form the foundation towards touching lives.

“We have members from the North, West and South, our objective is one- touching lives and making positive impact in the society,” Ezebuilo said.

He said the foundation had acquired a mighty structure in Abuja to serve as its secretariat for smooth operation.

”We have just acquired a building in Lugbe on Airport Road, Abuja to serve as our secretariat,” Ezebuilo said.

He said that the foundation had provided a scholarship to one Miss Chidera Wisdom, an amputee student of Government Secondary School Garki, Abuja to enable her complete her studies.

“Wisdom whose right leg was amputated at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu had her hopes of writing the 2021 WAEC and NECO examination restored after foundation came to her rescue.

“Officials of the foundation led by the Project and Media Director, Mr Timothy Nwachukwu, visited the home of Wisdom on fact finding and verification.

“Thereafter, the foundation offered a scholarship and cash for the payment of her examination fees to enable her register and write the exam with the promise to sponsor her to the university as long as her results are good,” he said. (NAN)

By Abbas Bamalli

The Kano State government has directed the immediate closure of four tertiary institutions in the state, following security challenges in some neighboring states.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Hajiya Mariya Mahmud-Bunkure, announced this in a statement issued on Saturday in Kano.

She listed the affected institutions to include: RMK College of Advanced and Remedial Studies, Tundun Wada and School of Environmental Studies, Gwarzo.

Other affected institutions, according to the commissioner, are: School of Rural Technology and Entrepreneurship Development (SORTED), Rano and Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Dambatta.

She advised students of all the affected schools to vacate their campuses as soon as possible.

According to Mahmud-Bunkure, the dates for the reopening of the school will be communicated to the students later by the state government.

The commissioner noted that most of the schools were located along borders with neighbouring states, while some were on highways where they could be target of attack. (NAN)