The Ministry of Education has introduced Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education for teacher trainees.

The initiative aims at revolutionising Ghana's education system by incorporating STEM principles from the grassroots level to tertiary education. Launching the STEM in the training institutions at the Ministry of Education in Accra, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, commended University of Cape Coast (UCC) for its proactive approach in curriculum development, emphasising the transformative impact of STEM education on students' lives.

The session was attended by key stakeholders including government officials and education experts such as a delegation from the UCC, led by the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis; a representative of the Head of Department of Science Education, Dr Kenneth Adu-Gyamfi, and the Head of the Department of Mathematics and ICT Education, Dr Forster Danso Ntow.

The government has released Sh30.5 billion for secondary school capitation and university students’ scholarships. The disbursement comes just a few weeks before schools break after the First term of this year's calendar.

In a statement, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said the funds will be received by institution heads next week. "Of the total amount, Sh7 billion will cater for capitation for public schools at the Junior Secondary School level while Sh16 billion will cover capitation grants under the Free Day Secondary School education programme," Machogu's statement reads in part.

The government has also released Sh6.794 billion for loans towards the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and an additional Sh3.98 billion for scholarships through the Universities Fund (UF).

The Federal Government through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) said it had spent N23 billion to fund research across the country.

Assistant Director, Research and Development (R&D) at TETFUND, Dr Hadiza Ismail, made this known at a validation workshop on “Strengthening Research and Innovation Funding Agencies in West Africa” at TETFUND headquarters in Abuja.

While highlighting the agency’s continuous financial support for research through the National Research Fund, Hadiza said the agency was also working hard to ensure that research outputs are linked to industry to bring about desired development.

Teach For Nigeria(TFN), a non-profit organisation, has opened applications for its eighth cohort of fellows.
The group is dedicated to addressing education inequities by building a movement of leaders from diverse academic fields to teach in underserved communities on full-time basis.

The organisation noted that applicants must be Nigerian nationals aged between 18 and 35, and must have completed the National Youth Service Corps programme on or before July 2024, and hold a university degree with at least second-class honours.

The TFN fellowship is a two-year paid commitment that mobilises fresh graduates and professionals as fellows to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children.

Disturbed by the menace of out-of-school children in the country, Beta Nigeria, a movement campaigning for improved education is set to start a campaign on ‘return back to school’.

It said the campaign is essentially to ensure that pupils who dropped out of school are return and to ensure its sustainability.

To this end, it started engaging some stakeholders from civil society and media organisations in a collaborative effort to amplify the demand for education reform – a critical investment in Nigeria’s future stability and prosperity.

Major reason for the socio-economic crisis, particularly unemployment, being experienced in Nigeria is that the focus or reason for introducing polytechnics into the country has been abandoned by successive governments, educationalist have stated.

These were some of the views expressed by the Chairman, Governing Council, Lagos City Polytechnic, Mr Babatunde Odufuwa; and the keynote speaker, Mr Oluropo Olubode Dada, at the 15th convocation of the polytechnic.

Odufuwa started by recalling why polytechnic education was introduced into Nigeria, saying: “Polytechnic education was essentially introduced into the country to produce technical manpower, provide technical knowledge and skills to give training and impart necessary skills for the production of technicians, technologists and other skilled personnel.

Federal Government, on Monday, said it will undertake a mini-census focusing on education, to help the current administration effectively tackle the myriad of challenges in the sector.

Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, made this known in Abuja while declaring open a two-day capacity-building workshop for desk officers in the ministry, parastatals departments, and agencies.

The workshop was on the implementation, collation, harmonization, and reportage of federal government Presidential priority areas/Ministerial Deliverables and roadmap for the Education Sector.

THE Federal Government has declared that open and distance learning remains the future of education in Nigeria in view of the high number of those seeking university education annually.

Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, SAN, who said this charged the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other regulatory agencies to come up with quality assurance mechanisms to strengthen open universities in the country.

Mamman spoke in Abuja at the unveiling and maiden matriculation ceremony of Al-Muhibbah Open University, Abuja, where he also urged the management of the Open University to offer programmes that are relevant to the local communities.

With AI-powered tools, Prof. Apori said students could personalise their learning experiences, receive real-time feedback and access a wealth of educational resources tailored to their individual needs, which did not only enhance student engagement and academic performance but also fostered a culture of lifelong learning essential for the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century.

Furthermore, he said, AI held the potential to bridge the gap between urban and rural education by providing remote and marginalised communities with access to quality educational content and virtual learning platforms

Beyond education, he said AI also held tremendous promise for driving economic growth and fostering sustainable development in the country and added that AI could play a pivotal role in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing society, from health care and agriculture to environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation.

Around the world today, education is under attack. From Afghanistan to Nigeria, Colombia to Yemen, students and teachers are attacked, abducted and killed, while schools and universities are targeted, destroyed and used for military purposes.

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) identified more than 3,000 attacks on education in 2022 alone – a 17% increase from the previous year. With escalating conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and other global hotspots, the number of attacks on education – and attacks on human rights – is expected to increase in 2024.

To strengthen systems to better protect education from attack globally, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) announced today a US$500,000 grant to GCPEA. This three-year Acceleration Facility grant will enable stronger global and regional policies and coordination around school protection, and improve the quality and availability of education in emergencies and protracted crises data and knowledge products.

A British-Nigerian co-educational institution, Abuja World Academy is set to be unveiled in Abuja, the nation’s capital, soon.

According to pioneers of the institution, it is billed to kick-off academic activities by September this year, incorporating Cambridge International Curriculum, to empower students with a distinct advantage for success when advancing to the world’s best universities.

Already two British educators Mrs. Dominique Dyer, who will serve as the Executive Headteacher and Mr Joe Daly who will serve as Head of School have been hired to bring their wealth of experience in basic education to impact on the students.

Nigeria’s leading edutech firm, ProjKonnect, has announced the launch of its digital educational application designed to create a viable pathway for personalised learning for both students and young professionals.

This is aimed at steering a paradigm shift within the Nigerian educational ecosystem in a bid to champion educational accessibility and innovation.

The strategic launch of the ProjKonnect App aims to further contribute towards the development of a new generation of Nigerian youths, particularly university undergraduates, who are equipped with the required skill sets necessary to favourably compete in the 21st century.