On the scrapping of degree/HND dichotomy

On the scrapping of degree/HND dichotomy

Albert Einstein, yes the famous scientists, attended Polytechnic - Swiss Federal Polytechnic, precisely (1896-1900).

Buhari’s poor funding killing education –ASUU

Buhari’s poor funding killing education –ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ibadan zone urged President Muhammadu Buhari to save Nigerian universities by paying outstanding N550 billion NEEDS assessment intervention fund.

Girl offered admission to 13 varsities

Girl offered admission to 13 varsities: Educational videos gave me an edge http://punchng.com/girl-offered-a…"

Companies spend billions on corporate training programs, yet rarely see an effective return on investment

Companies spend billions on corporate training programs, yet rarely see an effective return on investment. http://hbs.me/2a60uUsn?sf47658435=1 … #HBSWK

How to become an overnight billionaire in Nigeria

WITH only some 50 years of independent national existence, Nigeria is a country reeking with "new money." The overwhelming proportion of the millionaires and billionaires in the country are "nouveau-riche;" they became rich literally "overnight."  We are talking of people whose wealth does not go beyond a generation.
Indeed, the fantastic wealth of Nigerian billionaires like Femi Otedola scarcely goes beyond ten/fifteen years.   Not only does Nigeria's wealthy few have a short history, they often have a short future as well.  The money comes "miraculously" and goes just as "miraculously."
In my youth, S.B. Bakare was the celebrated Nigerian tycoon.  Highlife stars and juju musicians eulogised him in their records.  But ask a young Nigerian today who S.B. Bakare is, and I can bet my bottom dollar he has never heard of him.

Creating the Best Workplace on Earth BY ROB GOFFEE AND GARETH JONES

Creating the Best Workplace on Earth
BY ROB GOFFEE AND GARETH JONES

Suppose you want to design the best company on earth to work for. What would it be like? For three years we've been investigating this question by asking hundreds of executives in surveys and in seminars all over the world to describe their ideal organization. This mission arose from our research into the relationship between authenticity and effective leadership. Simply put, people will not follow a leader they feel is inauthentic. But the executives we questioned made it clear that to be authentic, they needed to work for an authentic organization.
What did they mean? Many of their answers were highly specific, of course. But underlying the differences of circumstance, industry, and individual ambition we found six common imperatives. Together they describe an organization that operates at its fullest potential by allowing people to do their best work.

FG Scraps Hnd, Converts Polytechnics To Campuses Of Universities Govt scraps HNDs, merges polys with varsities.

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved a comprehensive reform of Nigeria's tertiary education system, scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation's polytechnics.
In effect, the award of the HND will be limited to only the students currently
admitted for the programmes. Also, all the programmes currently being run by the polytechnics, which are not technology-base­d, and which are about 70 per cent, will be scrapped.
Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice
Chancellors of those universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification
of the Universities Councils. The polytechnics will now be limited to award of the National Diploma (ND)
while those desirous of further education will be awarded the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) by the
proximate university. To kick-start the new policy, the nation's two most prominent
polytechnics - Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic - will henceforth be known as City
University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna. And to give legal teeth to these approvals, the FEC approved the submission of two Executive bills to the National Assembly for enactment into law. With education being on the concurrent list, the states may wish to consolidate their tertiary institutions. But if they do not wish to follow the federal example, their programmes will continue to be
regulated by the relevant agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education. The first bill will concretise the

UNILORIN VC opposes JAMB scrapping

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, has said the scrapping of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board may lead to the loss of national unity in matriculation examinations of universities.

In an interview with journalists in Ilorin on Sunday, he stated that it might also not augur well for the individual universities and the students.

According to him, it will be good if JAMB is retained as a central admission coordinating board as it currently operates.

Ambali said, “If JAMB is scrapped national unity may be lost as each university may become parochial or local but all the same that is just the fear, otherwise we have come of age to determine and be just in our admission policies.

FG backpedals on scrapping of NECO, UTME

From ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Abuja
Federal Government has denied scrapping the National Examinations Council (NECO) and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The denial is an apparent backpedalling following the opposition that greeted the move, which Presidency officials disclosed to newsmen. Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, who made the denial yesterday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Education, described the purported scrapping of NECO and UTME as a rumour.
His words: “I don’t know where they got the information that government wanted to scrap NECO. Government as at no time scrapped NECO and UTME. “Even if the government has to scrap any of these agencies, it has to give reasons for its action. No position has been taken.
It is the handiwork of mischievous people who wanted to pitch the government against the people. “Even if government has to scrap NECO or UTME, government has to write the National Assembly to repeal the laws that established them.

ASUP Declares Seven-day Nationwide Warning Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) has declared a seven-day nationwide warning strike beginning from April 22, 2013, following the refusal of government to address the union’s grievances.
ASUP said at the end of the warning strike, if the issues raised were not satisfactorily addressed, it would be followed by an indefinite strike.
In a communiqué issued after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUP held in Abuja ASUP listed its unresolved issues to include: non-constitution of governing councils for polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of technology; non-release of government white paper of the visitation panels to the federal polytechnics; and non-commencement of the NEED Assessments of the Nigerian polytechnics.
Other grievances, according to the communiqué, are the worrisome states of the state government-owned polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of technology across the country; the continued appointment of unqualified persons as Rectors and Provosts by some state governments in their polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of technology; and the failure of most state governments to implement the approved salary package (CONPCASS) and the 65-year retirement age in their polytechnics.

Why Nigerian graduates are not employable -Okojie

National Universities Commission has blamed Nigerian Universities for producing graduates that are not suitable for available jobs.
NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, said the quality and focus of the training offered by the universities were not in tune with the needs of the society and had led to high unemployment.
Presenting the report of the Labour Market Observatory Project on Thursday in Abuja, Okojie said, 'many of the graduates are perceived to lack the skills needed by employers of labour.'
"If education and training institutions do not address marketplace skills, market inefficiency may be compounded as individuals invest time and money in skills that do not provide necessary or relevant training. On the demand side, employer's needs may go unmet, creating inefficiencies and unnecessary costs in the provision of products and services."
The NUC boss said enabling environments must be created to give graduates the option of? starting their own business instead of relying on government.

ESUT sacks eight employees for academic malpractice

The Enugu State University of Science and Technology on Friday sacked eight of its staff members for alleged acts of fraud.
According to the institution’s Director of Public Relations, Mr. Osita Ugwuoti, six of the affected staff members were allegedly responsible for the illegal admission of more than 500 students recently expelled from the school.
Ugwuoti said in a statement in Enugu on Friday that one of the staff members was a senior lecturer and that they belonged to the various departments of the institution, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
“One employee was discovered to be engaged in double employment at ESUT and the Institute of Management Technology, Enugu, and earned salaries from both institutions,” he said.
The director said that another was sacked for mutilating students’ results, sale of degree results and other related malpractices.


Source: TrendsNigeria

‘Nigeria needs 20 years to end teachers shortage’

National Commission for Colleges of Education said in Lagos on Wednesday that it would take the country 20 years to produce the 1.3 million teachers required to bridge existing shortfall at basic education level.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Muhammed Junaid, said this while delivering the 35th pre-convocation lecture at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos.

Embrace dialogue, VC urges NANS

Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has stressed the need for students to engage school authorities and governments in dialogue on issues.

Adewole said this during the presentation of an award of credence to him in his office by the National Association of Nigerian Students on Wednesday.

ASUU’s absurd solidarity strike

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities has once again taken labour activism to absurd lengths by embarking on a nationwide solidarity strike over a purely local issue. In an age when higher institutions in progressive countries are leading agents of research and development, ASUU has succeeded in turning our citadels of learning into centres of puerile unionism. This has to stop.

NUC inaugurates accreditation portal

National Universities Commission has inaugurated its first online Universities' Programme Accreditation Portal at the University of Calabar, Cross River State.

The inauguration is a major step towards digitalising the Nigerian Universities System. This was contained in the NUC bulletin obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, on Tuesday.

According to the publication, the programme which was a public/private initiative between NUC and GUCCI CHIS Nigeria Limited, has opened a new vista and added immense value to the Nigerian education sector, in line with global best practices.

UNILAG ASUU to sue education minister for addressing institution as MAULAG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos branch, has said that it will sue the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, for addressing the institution as Moshood Abiola University (MAULAG) at public functions.
The chairman of the union, Dr Karo Ogbinaka, said this at a news conference tagged, "Wrongful reappointment of Professor Barinemi Fakae as the Vice Chancellor of River State University of Science and Technology," by the institution's visitor, the state governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday.

Solidarity strike: LASU postpones exams amidst students’ protests

Following the warning strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Lagos State University has postponed its examinations amidst students' protest.
The national leadership of ASUU had asked all its members to embark on the strike to protest what the union considered the illegal reappointment of Prof. Barineme Fakae as the vice-chancellor of the Rivers State University of Technology by the state government.
The ASUU leadership described the Fakae's reappointment as underserved and illegal. However in spite of protest by the institution's lecturers the state government refused to shift grounds, insisting that it reserved the right to reappoint the VC.