Pelumi Akinboye Says

Education is Power,Information is the Strength.

Pelumi Akinboye Says

Education is Power,Information is the Strength.

Pelumi AKinboye Says

Education is Power,Information is the Strength.

Pelumi Akinboye Says

Education is Power,Information is the Strength.

Pelumi Akinboye Says

Education is Power,Information is the Strength.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Unilorin Fresh students to get PC tablets

All newly admitted students of the University of Ilorin will have a PC tablet each to boost the institution's ICT drive and enhance e-communication between the students and their lecturers.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, disclosed this last Wednesday (October 2, 2013) while answering questions on a special Unilorin 89.3 FM live interview programme, 'Talk to the VC', to mark his one year in office.

The media chat, moderated by Segun Alabi of Unilorin 89.3 FM, has Abiodun Fagbemi of The Guardian, Layiwola Olarenwaju, Daily Sun; Arowona Abdulazeez, Nigerian Pilot; Hammed Shittu, This Day, and Olusegun Adebayo of Youth Spring news magazine, as members of the interview panel.

Prof. Ambali said, “We hope to start a new era with those coming in because we have to empower them to face the challenges of the ICT world,” adding that “all the curriculum and courseware will be on the tablet so that you have the whole classroom on your hand.”

The Vice-Chancellor charged the students to concentrate on their primary reason for coming to the University, which is learning, noting that his administration is committed to providing a comfortable environment for the students with adequate accommodation facilities on campus.

Prof. Ambali also noted that the University was committed to producing graduates endowed with requisite entrepreneurship skills in order to prepare them for the larger society.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the University, in addition to reviewing its academic curriculum every five years to reflect current trends, is partnering professional bodies and industries to ensure that graduates are exposed to skills that will be of value to them and to the development of the society at large. He disclosed that the Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund), has approved funds for the establishment of a permanent Entrepreneurship Centre in the University.

The Professor of Veterinary Medicine identified improved security on campus, staff development, infrastructural developments, and improved internet connectivity as some of the achievements recorded in the last one year under his leadership.

Prof. Ambali also noted that significant steps are being taken to boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the University through such ventures as the University Plantation and the Zoo as well as through alumni contributions.

The Vice-Chancellor then expressed appreciation to staff members of the University for their commitment and dedication towards the development of the institution.

Describing the journey so far as “a good experience”, Professor Ambali appreciated God for making it possible for him to have been able to make a difference in the lives of staff and students of the University.

The Vice-Chancellor, who described leadership as living by example, attributed the peaceful atmosphere that pervades the University campus to the transparency in the management of the University affairs and the fact that the authority always carries all stakeholders along in all its dealings.

Prof. Ambali pointed out that the contributions of the University of Ilorin has been widely acknowledged in terms of research output, stable academic calendar, and the production of highly skilled and disciplined graduates.

He noted that in the last 12 months, security of lives and property has been improved upon, and, as such, people can move around freely while members of staff can comfortably stay in their various offices and laboratories without fear of any security threat.

The Vice Chancellor submitted that the University has been able to sponsor staff to conferences, improve on the access to internet connectivity as well as support the students in carrying out their educational and social activities, adding that the University is working to be one of the topmost Universities in the world.

Projecting into the future, Prof. Ambali pledged to continue to support staff welfare, security of lives and property on campus, and provision of a favourable environment for learning and research, and improvement on lecture delivery by providing better lecture rooms.

SOURCE

WORK-STUDY: LENDING A HAND, INFLUENCING STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

The average Nigerian student is wrought with different challenges in the bid to get an education. Most of the times, these challenges are more financial than intellectual. There have been cases of students who were bright and passed through public school with flying colors, but could not afford to purchase Jamb forms. You find most times that the lady selling recharge cards at the junction, or the boy who is a conductor on a molue was forced to do what they do because they needed to make enough money to go back to school. Not every child is from a wealthy background, and so the education which some treat with so much levity is a prized possession worth fighting for to some.
I have no intention to mull over the sufferings of the “masses” in this article, my main aim is to let every student struggling with financial stability know that there are opportunities available on and off campus to support themselves while in school without having to lose their dignity in the process as is common with a majority of students in tertiary institutions.
                            

A work study program is naturally designed to help participants get acquainted with the rigors of balancing both academics and work. Thus, most institutions consider the student’s academic standing before allowing him/her be a part of the program. At the University of Lagos for instance, to participate in the work study program, a student must have attained at least a 3.5 G.P.A after his/her first year at the university. This assures the authorities that the student is indeed intellectually capable to withstand the pressures that might come with combining work and studies. Preference is usually given to students who are from quite humble backgrounds who otherwise have little or no support from their home front, and who are industrious enough to want to work while schooling to take the stress off those at home. Currently, I can only categorically name the University of Lagos as one of the foremost institutions in Nigeria that operates a very functional work-study program. Students are placed to work in different facilities on campus, and are paid a reasonable wage on an hourly basis. Time sheets are given to the students, which must be signed duly after each day at their place of work. The work study program helps the student in more ways than one. Apart from the fact that such a student would be privy to important information on student initiatives inside and outside the school, the student also is privileged to have firsthand information on scholarship positions outside the country and could be a beneficiary of such.
A lot of the above depends on the willingness of the student to be involved in school-related activities. A lot of students sign up for the work-study program and never see it to the end because they feel the work is too “boring”, or they are ashamed to be seen by their fellow students working on campus, they feel “uncool” trying to make ends meet, and thus shy away from being beneficiaries of opportunities that sometimes are life changing in effect. As a participant of the work study program at the University of Lagos in the not-so-distant past, I was able to get the opportunity to work with the most efficient people I have ever met. Posted to work at the University of Lagos Main Library, I was glad to be surrounded by people who lived and worked for the love of books! (Nerdy, I know).  Combining the work study and my academics was not really a problem because I was surrounded by a wealth of knowledge, and as a student of History, I couldn’t have been in a better place. That aside, I realized that the work study program did a lot of good for students. Apart from providing them with additional funds to cope with the financial demands that come with getting an education, it also provides them with the skills they need to survive in a typical working environment. I can say for a fact that majority of the people I came in contact with during the work study got steady jobs outside the university with the help of the people they had met during their time working in school. Others even got ideas of business ventures to embrace outside of their initial course of study in the university.
More tertiary institutions should have work study programs that harness the student’s abilities to study and work at the same time. Apart from paying these students, institutions could experience growth using these students in the appropriate manner. Now imagine a scenario where we have universities that pay students to be research assistants to seasoned academics, imagine the wealth of knowledge that would be generated and the impact same would have on the development of tertiary education in Nigeria. It would also make institutions financially independent. It is simply helping students to help the institution, giving students who are struggling with the payment of their fees the opportunity to be able to do so and still contribute to the greatness of their school. 


Alvan Ikoku College of Education 2013/2014 NCE Merit Admission List Now Released

This is to inform all the prospective NCE Student of the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri that the NCE first Batch Admission list has been released.

For Now, the school management has not uploaded the admission list online (On their website), but it has been pasted at Shell Camp (Degree Unit) of the school main campus.

How to check Alvan Ikoku College of Education NCE Merit Admission List:

All Prospective Candidates are to go to the school to check their names as it has not been uploaded online.

Best Of Luck.
Don’t Forget To Share This Post with Your Friends

UNIBEN Direct Entry Screening Result Is Out for 2013/2014!

Direct Entry applicants of the great University of Benin can now check their screening result by logging on to http://uniben.waeup.org/ with their username and password. 

The result has just been released in the school's readiness to comply with NUC's October 31st deadline on 2013/2014 admissions. Check your result now and follow wait for the Uniben 2013/2014 Direct Entry admission list.

Good luck 

NUC Scholarship: 2014-2015 Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID)

NUC Scholarship: 2014-2015 Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID)

As part of efforts to achieve the goals of Vision 20:2020 and the Transformation Agenda, the Federal Government of Nigeria plans to develop a critical mass of professionals who would serve as catalysts of change and agents of scientific and technological advancement, as well as sustainable economic development. This would be achieved through the sponsorship of outstanding students for postgraduate studies in the top 25 universities in the world. To this end, the Federal Government has instituted the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development.
The PRESSID Implementation Committee now invites applications from qualified candidates for the second edition of the scheme (2014/2015 academic session).

Eligibility Criteria for the Scheme

Interested candidates should:
  • be graduates from the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions, who would have completed their National Youth Service by October 2013;
  • have obtained First Class Honours degree from any recognised and approved University in the following disciplines and aim at postgraduate degrees in the specified and allied disciplines:
  • Sciences: Nuclear Physics, Operations Research, Industrial Chemistry, Quantitative Genetics, etc
  • Basic Medical Sciences: Anatomy, Physiology, Medical Biochemistry, etc;
  • Special Aspects of Biology: Biometrics, Molecular Biology, etc;
  • Economics: Econometrics, Development Economics, etc;
  • Engineering & Technology: Aeronautical Engineering, Mechatronics, Metallurgy, Material Science and Production Engineering, Nanotechnology, Cyber-Security, Software Engineering, etc;
  • Medicine: Oncology, Human Genetics, Hepatology, Nuclear Medicine, Geriatrics, etc

Exceptions

*In the case of Medicine, candidates must have a minimum of 2 Distinctions in their Part 3 and Part 4 MBBS examinations; In all cases, candidates must:
  • be below 30 years of age by October 2013;
  • be computer literate; and
  • be ready to be bonded and to work, preferably, as academic staff in any public university or research institute for a minimum period of five (5) years.
Please note that universities in the United States of America require candidates to sit for the Graduate Record Exams (GRE) before they can secure admission.
For further enquiries, please contact the Committee through pressid@nuc.edu.ng or presidentialscholarshipscheme@gmail.com.
Only shortlisted candidate will be invited for further screening.

How To Apply

Visit the scholarship website via the link below;
>>2014/2014 PRESSID Postgraduate Scholarship Application<<

Check Out the Top 400 Universities In The World

A study by the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings has shown that no Nigerian university made the top 400 in the world.

The report, ‘World University Rankings 2013-2014,’ which was released on Wednesday, also showed that no African university was on the list of 100 most reputable in the world.

WHO MADE THE TOP 10 LIST?
The top 10 universities in the world, according to the report, are:

1. The California Institute of Technology, with 94.9 aggregate score. 
2. Harvard University (USA), 93.9;
3. University of Oxford (UK), 93.9; 
4. Stanford University (USA), 93.8.
5. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), 93.0;
6.  Princeton University (USA), 92.7; 
7. University of Cambridge (UK), 92.3; 
8. University of California, Berkeley (USA), 89.8; 
9. University of Chicago (USA), 87.8; 
10. Imperial College, London (UK), 87.5.

WHAT HAPPEN TO AFRICA UNIVERSITIES?
In Africa, only three South African institutions made the list. They are the 

1. University of Cape Town, ranking 126th and scoring 50.5;
2. University of Witwatersrand, between 226th and 250th; 
3. The Stellenbosch University, between 301st and 350th.

EUROPE TOP UNIVERSITIES
In Europe, The UK varsities top the list in Europe. Here is the List in full :
1. Oxford University as the leader, followed 
2. The University of Cambridge 
3. Imperial College, London.
4. ETH Zürich-Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich (Switzerland) is fourth in Europe and 14th in the world. 
5. The University College, London (UK) is fifth and 21st in the world.

IN ASIA
Asia Varsities are well represented on the list too. Here is how they stand:

1. The University of Tokyo (Japan), 23rd in the world, is leading in Asia. 
2. The National University of Singapore, 26th in the world, is second in the continent. 
3. The University of Hong Kong, 43rd in the world; 
4. Seoul National University (Republic of Korea), 44th in the world; 
5. The Peking University (China), 45th.

IN THE AMERICA(s) CONTINENT(s)
In North America, the USA had the top 19 universities. 

1. The University of Toronto (Canada) came 20th, at 78.3.
2. The University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) leads in South America and ranks between 226th and 250th. 
3. The University of the Andes came second between 251st and 275th; 
4. State University of Campinas (Brazil) is third between 301st and 350th.

IN OCEANIA
Australia has the first five universities in the Oceania. They are 

1. The University of Melbourne (34th), 
2. Australian National University (48th), 
3. University of Queensland(63rd), 
4. University of Sydney (72nd) 
5. The Monash University (91st).


The Times said the rankings “are the only global university performance tables to judge world-class universities across all of their core missions — teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.”

It added that, “The top universities rankings employ 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available, which are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.”

By reputation, however, the organization said Harvard University had 100 per cent. It was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (87.6 per cent), University of Cambridge (81.3), University of Oxford (73.0) and the University of California, Berkeley (72.4).

The report said the ‘World Reputation Rankings’ employed the world’s largest invitation-only academic opinion survey to provide the definitive list of the top 100 most powerful global university brands.

Check Federal Polytechnic Offa 1st Batch Admission List for 2013/2014

This is to inform all prospective students that the list of candidates offered provisional admissions for First Batch ND I (Full-Time) 2013/2014 academic session has been released on-line.

Candidates are advised to check their names on the internet (www.fedpoffaonline.net). Admitted candidates are advised to follow the following procedure:

(i) Print the admission letter on-line and present to the Admissions Officer for signing.
(ii) Pay acceptance fee of Six Thousand Naira only (N6000.00) at the following Banks: First Bank, Eco bank, Sincere MFB, Iyeru MFB, Ibolo MFB,
(iii) Print acceptance receipt on-line and change to official receipt in the Bursary.

Please note that this exercise must be completed on or before Saturday, 19th October, 2013. Candidates who failed to complete the procedures will forfeit the
offer.

SIGNED
Admissions Officer
For: Registrar. 

ASUU Strike Completes 100 Days

One hundred days after members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities embarked on a nationwide strike, the end is not in sight yet, CHARLES ABAH writes

In countries like South Korea, the first 100 days of a child is very symbolic. Within this period, the life of the child and that of his parents are often celebrated. In keeping with the tradition of the people, prayers and various types of gifts are offered to the gods during parties organized to mark the event. This is accompanied with much feasting in the child’s home. The purpose of such ritual is to increase the newborn baby’s chances of becoming successful on earth.

Globally, it is also common among political appointees or government officials to celebrate their first 100 days in office. For instance, President Barack Obama of the United States celebrated his first 100 days in office with pomp and ceremony. The period in the US serves as a benchmark to measure the early success (or otherwise) of president.

In Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan and many state governors also celebrated their first 100 days in office. Of course, the celebrations took place with much fanfare. Advertorials were placed in the newspapers and parties were held in government houses to mark the achievements of the political office-holders during their first 100 days in office.

Unfortunately, there are no celebrations today as Nigerians mark the symbolic first 100 days that lecturers in the country’s public universities embarked on industrial action.

The lecturers, who commenced the strike on July 1, are protesting the non-implementation of an agreement they signed with the Federal Government in 2009, as well as the non-payment of their earned allowances.

Many people are compelled to ask what the country, particularly the education sector, has achieved in the first 100 days of the ASUU strike. Since the strike is still in progress, analysts conclude that nothing significant has been achieved. In their thinking, several dialogues and meetings targeted at resolving the crisis have failed to yield positive results. Therefore, there is really no cause for celebration.

A lecturer at the Lagos State University, Ojo, Prof. Ademola Onifade, notes that contrary to expectation, the current struggle by ASUU has achieved nothing for the lecturers and public universities.

He says, “In politics and governance, politicians celebrate the first 100 days on the positive side. But here we are, nothing has been accomplished in this struggle. I suspect that the game plan of the Federal Government is to wear us out. The authorities do not want to address our requests. However, if their target is just to wear us out, they will not succeed.”

But judging by recent statements made by the representatives of the government, there is an indication that the crisis will be resolved. Indeed, President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo have promised that the crisis would be over soon.

Earlier, the FG, acting through the Governor Gabriel Suswam-led committee, had released N100bn for infrastructure development in the universities and another N30bn for the teachers’ earned allowances. But the leaders of ASUU dismissed the sum as a token, saying it was comparable to a drop in the ocean of their requests.

While both parties continue to seek the best way to settle their differences, the mood in many homes and in the public universities affected by the strike remains sober. Academic activities in these institutions are still suspended. The students and their parents are forced to deal with the frustration and feeling of hopelessness arising from the strike, just as the striking lecturers, who claim that they have not had any meaningful dialogue with the FG, continue to despair.

The lecturers have not been paid their salaries for the past two months. But this seems to be the least of their worries. The Chairman of ASUU, Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, Prof. Ade Akinola, who says there is no political colouration in their demand, notes that the body’s major concern is to save the universities from dying.

He says, “ASUU will continue to call on Nigerians to help beg the Federal Government to be patriotic and see reason in not allowing public tertiary education to die. The FG should honour the agreement mutually entered into in 2009 and further reinforced by the Memorandum of Understanding of February 24, 2012. It was in general to save the public universities from total collapse.”

Also, a communications specialist, Mr. Muyiwa Akin, thinks this is not the right time for ASUU and the government to trade blame. He says that both parties should find a mid way to resolve the crisis.

“All the parties should realize that they should protect the interest of the students. In my thinking, sincerity is lacking in this matter. The signing of the agreement took place some years ago and if perchance, the FG is not able to meet its own side of the deal, it should be open about that.

“Again, the government should show sincerity and commitment in funding education and keeping to agreements, just as ASUU members, who are seeking the improvement of the quality of education, should consider the fate of the students. For, without the students, there will be no ASUU and without ASUU, there will be no students,” he says.

Meanwhile, ASUU insists that the 100-day-old strike has no political colouration.

In a statement by its National Strike Coordinating Committee, obtained on Monday, the union dismissed the October 1 broadcast of the President in which he referred to the strike as politically motivated.

The statement read, “The primary goal of our union is to work for the repositioning of the Nigerian university system for global competition in terms of comparable facilities and staff quality. This goal we have pursued with diligence as a trade union.

“The Umaru Yar’Adua/Goodluck Jonathan government did not accuse ASUU of playing politics all through the three years (2006-2009) negotiations that produced the 2009 agreement. As Vice-President, Jonathan made significant input into the negotiation process. In 2012, when the MoU was signed despite doubts about government’s sincerity, President Jonathan did not impute political motives. Even the landmark report of the Committee on the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities was not interpreted as political.

“Why is it now when ASUU insists that the Federal Government should deliver on what it undertook to do under the 2009 agreement, the 2012 MoU and the 2012 Needs Assessment Report that the union is being accused of embarking on a political strike?

“ASUU members, and, indeed, progressive Nigerians, know too well that the accusation of politicization of strike is a cheap blackmail. If anything, it is the Federal Government that is trying to whip up political sentiments over matters that are straightforward and clear to all and sundry.”