From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has expressed its readiness to work assiduously with the apex universities regulatory body, the National Universities Commission (NUC), for the purpose of resolving some obvious challenges in tertiary institution admission processes.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, stated this on Friday in Abuja when he received the Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, who led some management staff of the Commission on familiarisation visit.
Oloyede noted that JAMB and NUC were two agencies of government that occupied a critical position in admission and regulations of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, hence the need for collaboration to achieve a stronger tertiary education system.
On his part, Rasheed announced that the essence of the visit was to strengthen the existing ties in order to improve the quality of intakes in tertiary institutions.
He said: “We have agreed to work together to resolve the problems that are affecting the smooth running of admissions into tertiary institutions. We are working for a common goal and that is to improve the education sector in Nigeria.”
Oloyede and Rasheed exchanged congratulatory messages on their recent appointments, promising to use their wealth of experience to support the Ministers of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and Prof. Anthony Anwukah, in their quest to revamp the education system in Nigeria.
TRCN strengthens partnership with NUT
From Fred Ezeh and Chiamaka Nzenweaku, Abuja
Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has strengthened its partnership with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to promote professionalism in the teaching profession, with the view to bringing to an end the activities of quacks.
To achieve the desired result, a high powered standing committee has been constituted to work out modalities that would help the two bodies achieve their target goal, which is to promote professionalism and end quackery in teaching profession in Nigeria.
They expressed worry over the decline in academic performance of students, attributing it to the activities of unprofessional teachers, who have taken the advantage of weak enforcement to flood the teaching profession.
The Registrar/Chief Executive of TRCN, Professor Josiah Ajiboye, however, expressed confidence that the “new marriage” with NUT would provide a platform for the harmonisation of the database of the two bodies, particularly, in the area of teachers’ registration, certification and licensing.
Professor Ajiboye, who led other management team of the Council on familiarisation visit to NUT headquarters in Abuja, solicited the support and full collaboration of the teachers union, in the effort of the new management of TRCN to sanitise teaching profession in Nigeria. “We want to re-launch ourselves, such that there would no longer be accreditation of faculties of education by the National Universities Commission (NUC) without TRCN representatives being part of such accreditation team,” he said.
NOA: NOA blames older generation for un-Islamic youths behaviour
From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Garba Abari, has felicitated with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, urging them to use the celebration to recommit themselves to proper youth guidance.
The NOA DG traced the manifestation of un-Islamic behaviour in some Muslim youths to the abandonment of role modelling by the older generation and called for a re-orientation. He tasked the adult Muslim faithful to model the virtues of sacrifice, peace, love and tolerance to the younger generation, as the true tenets of Islam and essence of the celebration.
Abari also urged Muslims and, indeed, all Nigerians, to demonstrate the spirit of caring and sharing, as this would make them stand out, as a shining example for the youths and children to follow in their relationships with other members of society.
NOA, in a statement signed by its Deputy Director (Press), Mr. Fidel Agu, also urged the Ummah to remain true to their civic responsibilities and maintain support for government towards fulfilling its obligations.
According to the statement: “The NOA Director General calls on the faithful to be law abiding and security conscious both during and after the celebrations, as progress and development can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace.”
Technology: FG, Ireland partner to boost capacities
From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Federal Government has said it will strengthen relationships with the Republic of Ireland, especially at this time when efforts are on to diversify the economy, using science and technology.
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who stated this when the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Sean Hoy, paid him a visit in his office in Abuja, stated that the collaboration would help to build indigenous capacities through cooperation and mutual assistance.
Onu reiterated government’s efforts in redirecting the economy, from resource-based to knowledge-based, getting Nigerians to become more productive on issues that will add value to the exploitation of the nation’s natural resources.
He also noted that the country had a big advantage, having been endowed with intelligent and hard-working people who are willing to embrace knowledge through proper training and education.
Earlier, the ambassador stated his country’s commitment to collaborating with the Nigerian government in its current drive at diversifying the economy. He stressed that diversification did not stop at only the natural resources but rather on building the people.
