Soyinka, who spoke in a keynote address at the grand finale of the Lafarge National Literacy Competition (LNLC) held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos yesterday, said he was glad seeing pupils from some northern states in the finals of the competition.
He urged the teachers to keep doing their best to educate children in their care, calling for support from other parts of the country.
Soyinka said: “I was so delighted as I moved up here and I saw representatives of the beleaguered states in this nation. I saw Nasarawa; I saw Gombe and I saw Kano. These states and others, including Kaduna and Benue, are at the forefront of the literacy struggle because they confront one of the most determined enemies of reading; of literacy; of enlightenment that we have ever experienced in this nation. And it is a battle, which is still ongoing. And when I see representatives, especially young representatives of those states in a kind of event that has to do with literature, literacy, education generally, I say to myself the battle not only is not lost but will be won.
Unity Schools are not really what they used to be – Wilbert
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Agilent Wireless Limited, Mr. Lawrence Wilbert, who was recently elected President-General of Unity Schools Old Students Association,USOSA, discusses his plans for the body with emphasis that the objectives behind the establishment of the institutions are still germane today. Wilbert, who sits on the board of other companies including GenielNG Communications and Potters and Law also relishes his experience as a student of one of the unity schools in the 1980s.
Unity schools: I’m an engineer and into Telecommunication System Integration. I did further training in Telecommunication and Computer Networking. I attended Federal Government College, Ugwolawo, Kogi State.
Bullying: Children point finger at adults
Research among 1,001 children aged 11 to 16 by the Anti-Bullying Alliance suggests worrying numbers of children see adults setting a bad example.
Children in that age group highlighted adults who behaved poorly to each other face-to-face, online or in the media.
Some 97% said they would like to see more respect shown between grown-ups.
The survey is published ahead of the annual charity push against bullying, Anti-Bullying Week, which begins on Monday, November 12.
It comes after many reports of a bullying culture in numerous high-profile workplaces in England, including the Palace of Westminster
‘Show respect’
Martha Evans, director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, said: “Children look to parents and other grown-ups for a blueprint of acceptable behaviour.
“If a considerable number of children say they see adults bullying and being disrespectful to each other, we have to ask whether grown-ups could do more to act as role models to children.
400 million girls will be excluded from employment by 2030 – UN
United Nations Special Envoy, Gordon Brown, has warned that an impending global education crisis with wide and persistent divide could exclude 400 million girls from employment by 2030.
He made this known in a statement by the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, Education Commission, where youth activists worldwide recently met in New York with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss education funding.
Brown said, “The human faces behind these statistics are the most heartbreaking. In Nigeria, girls living in poverty bear the greatest burden. Many of them drop out of school and get married early. They are left without skills for the modern economy and won’t have much hope for the future.”
Full article : http://punchng.com/400m-girls-will-be-excluded-from-employment-by-2030-un-warns/
Three varsities to begin degree programmes in herbal medicine
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories, Rev. Anselm Adodo, has said that his company has made a deal with three Nigerian universities to introduce degree and certificate courses in Herbal medicine.
Speaking during a press briefing held last Wednesday, Adodo disclosed that the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, was in the process of introducing a Bachelor’s degree programme in Herbal Medicine.
“This is historic and a significant step towards boosting herbal medicine research and development in Nigeria,” he said.
He said that while Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State was planning to introduce a higher certificate programme in Herbal Medicine, the University of Ibadan had already approved and commenced Masters degree and PhD programmes in African Traditional Medicine at its Institute of African studies.
Full article : http://punchng.com/three-varsities-to-begin-degree-programmes-in-herbal-medicine/
I love to solve problems – Student who developed retina-rectifying technique
Bashir Dodo, the award-winning Nigerian student at Brunel University, London who just developed a new technique for improving retinal disease diagnosis, shares his experience in this interview with CHUX OHAI
How did you come about the idea to develop a technique for improving retinal disease diagnosis?
There are many methods for the diagnosis. However, they usually follow a complicated framework towards the development of the algorithms. Our method stands out due to its simplicity, speed and accuracy. When I was a child, I noticed that my mother used to like crossword puzzles and riddles.
This has helped in developing this algorithm, which is all about logic and reasoning. We take some principles of perceptual grouping, such as similarity, differences, continuity and discontinuity, which forms the basis of image segmentation algorithms. The idea was that if segmentation is based on these principles, then utilising them as guidelines to develop more efficient methods is a good way forward.
Full Article : Punch
Govt alone cannot fund education in Nigeria – Senate
The Senate Joint Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) and Health on Monday in Abuja called for increased private sector participation in the education sector.
Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko made the call during a public hearing to investigate the outbreak of epidemic which affected 39 students and led to the death of three students of Queens College, Lagos in 2017.
He said: “It is so sad that we believe that government alone should take full responsibility of education in the country.
“The society particularly the private sector has a role to play to make the education sector grow.
Source : Dailypost
Parents and guardians to place high premium on the education
Obi Nkebakwu spoke at a send-forth in honour of the immediate past head teacher of Ojeokpa Primary School in UgbobaCommunity, Mrs. Phidelia Oseafiana, at the school premises.
TRADITIONAL ruler of Ugboba Kingdom in Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Obi Ezedimbu Nkebakwu III, has called on parents and guardians in the state to place high premium on the education of their children and wards.He noted that the call became imperative as education was a global tool needed to enhance the sustainable socio-economic development of any society, adding that education was a worthy legacy that parents and guardians should bequeath to their children and wards.
Source : Vanguard
Nestle collaborates with Didier Drogba on education
Didier Drogba Foundation, in collaboration with Nestle and International Cocoa Initiative, has announced the opening of its first school in Pokou-Kouamekro, Côte d’Ivoire.
According to a statement from the firm, the school will accommodate 350 children and grant them access to quality education, thus limiting the chances of them engaging in child labour on cocoa farms.
Source : Punch
Kaduna NUT calls off strike, backs El-Rufai’s education reform
The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, has called off its indefinite strike in Kaduna State.
Public primary and secondary school teachers in the state embarked on the strike 10 days ago over the sack of over 21,000 of primary school teachers the state government said failed a competency test.
Audi Anna, the NUT Chairman in Kaduna, on Thursday announced the decision to bring an end to the strike after an emergency meeting of the State Wing Executive Council, SWEC of the union.
NUT had declared the indefinite strike action over the sack of the teachers who failed the competency test.
Source : PremiumTimes