The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, has urged the Federal Government to extend the Student Loan scheme to private universities. Suleiman said the decision would not only promote equal access to education funding, but also bridge the gap between public and private universities in the country.

Presently, the Act establishing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) only makes provision for students in public tertiary institutions to benefit from the loan. But, speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the 50th birthday colloquium of the Founder of MIVA Open University, Sim Shagaya, the Sterling Bank boss said expanding the student loan scheme to private universities would bridge the gap in education funding.

Suleiman emphasised that education is crucial for Nigeria’s development, particularly tertiary education that prepares students for the workforce. The Sterling Bank CEO pointed out that Nigerian universities face significant challenges, including inadequate physical infrastructure and a shortage of academic staff, ultimately affecting the quality of education.

The Foundation for a Better Environment has trained over 30,000 schoolchildren in environmental sustainability through its EcoSchoolsNG project, which began in 2016. Founder of the FABE Foundation and convener of the EcoSchoolsNG project, Temitope Okunnu, made this known at the project’s 2024 closeout ceremony held recently in Lagos.

“The EcoSchoolsNG initiative was borne out of a vision to empower young people with knowledge, skills, and mindset to become champions of sustainability, stewards of the environment, and pioneers of the circular economy,” Okunnu said.

The initiative, endorsed by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Climate Change and Circular Economy, is sponsored by Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation, Access Bank, and Danone, among others, to promote environmental sustainability.

In a groundbreaking move to transform education, Anambra State has partnered with Edves, an EdTech platform, to power 22 pilot smart schools—one in each local government area with artificial intelligence.

According to the statement, Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration is spearheading this initiative to integrate artificial intelligence, data analytics, and project-based learning into the state’s education system, positioning Anambra as a hub for digital learning excellence.

It mentioned that unlike traditional EdTech, Edves enhances teaching and student engagement through AI-driven personalised learning, adaptive lesson planning, and predictive analytics. This ensures tailored instruction, real-time progress tracking, and a more immersive learning experience for every student.

Enterprise Life has reaffirmed its commitment to education with the launch of the Enhanced Educare Solution, a product designed to empower lives and support them to access education. Speaking at the launch in Accra on Saturday, the Managing Director of Enterprise Life, Mrs Jacqueline Benyi, emphasised the importance of education as the foundation for growth, opportuni­ty, and a better future.

She averred that investing in a child’s education is not only an investment in their future but also in the broader development of society. “As the World Bank states, edu­cation is a human right, a powerful driver of development, and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability,” Mrs Benyi noted.

The Group Chief Financial Of­ficer of Enterprise Life, Mr Mike Tyson, emphasized that Enterprise Life, as part of the Enterprise Group, has consistently developed products to enhance the lives of people in Ghana. He described the Enhanced Educare Solution as a transformative initiative that provides children with access to education despite financial con­straints.

UNESCO, in collaboration with the Beijing Normal University and the Ministry of Education, has launched a two-year project: Closing the Digital Divide: Ensuring Gender-Transformative Digital Skills Education for Women, aimed at empowering women and girls with essential digital skills to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to UNESCO, only 40 to 44 women per 100 men possessed basic spreadsheet skills in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions. Hence, the project, which was launched last week, also seeks to enhance digital literacy and technological inclusion for women and girls, addressing the persistent gender gap in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) education.

The initiative focuses on three key areas which include equipping teachers and teacher trainers with modern, gender-responsive digital education methods; expanding opportunities for girls through mentorship programmes, after-school STEM projects, innovation camps; and facilitating knowledge exchange through field visits to China, where participants will learn from successful models in ICT education.

The University of Rwanda is implementing a funding model focused on diversifying its revenue streams to achieve 63% self-financing within the next four years to be able to continue contributing to education, research and innovation, writes Michel Nkurunziza for The New Times.

This initiative follows Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente’s statement in November 2022 calling for reforms to improve the university’s financial model. Given the limited government budget allocated to the university’s six colleges, the University of Rwanda plans to reduce dependency on state funding.

By expanding its business ventures, seeking research grants and collaborating with industries, the university hopes to achieve greater financial independence, according to the Acting Vice-Chancellor Didas Kayihura Muganga. He said the target is to reduce this dependence to 37% in the next four years.

Today, we are surrounded – indeed, immersed – in a world of digital devices quietly powered by artificial intelligence. Whether through Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s predictive search, Grammarly’s real-time editing, or the invisible algorithms guiding us through traffic and daily decisions, we are engaged in a kind of ambient co-thinking with machines.

Most of the time, we are unaware of the extent to which our thoughts are being shaped, streamlined or scaffolded by these tools. Use is no longer a matter of conscious choice; it is the architecture of our environment.

As a university educator for decades, I have witnessed profound transformations in how students learn, write and interact with knowledge. But nothing prepared me for a moment that occurred last year during a seminar I was leading on global ethics.

In a landmark moment for Africa and Europe, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has teamed up with Sciences Po a public university in Paris, France, to offer students a prestigious, internationally recognised dual degree programme. It has been described as a milestone in academic cooperation between the two continents.

What this means is that students will now have the opportunity to earn two master’s degrees – one from Sciences Po and the other from UCT. The programme follows years of collaboration between the two institutions, and marks Sciences Po’s first-ever collaborative degree offering on the African continent.

The agreement, cementing the partnership, was signed in Paris on Friday, 21 March, and has been made possible through a €120 000 grant by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs supporting the broader strategic goal of developing academic collaborations between France and South Africa. The aim of the partnership is to train experts who are capable of meeting global challenges in governance, public policy and sustainable urban development.

The Liberian student community in Rwanda is celebrating a newfound sense of hope and inspiration thanks to a remarkable gesture by businessman and FC Fassell CEO, Cassell Anthony Kuoh. In his keynote address, Mr. Kuoh shared his vision for empowering students in challenging circumstances. To support this vision, he announced an annual $5,000 scholarship initiative, set to run for five years.

During the fourth-anniversary celebration of the Liberian Students Association of Rwanda (LIBSAR) on Friday, March 28, 2025, Mr. Kuoh not only served as the keynote speaker but also unveiled a five-year, $25,000 scholarship program to assist Liberian students pursuing education in Rwanda.

The event, held by LIBSAR's Nyanza Chapter, recognized Mr. Kuoh's extraordinary contributions with the prestigious "LIBSAR Hero Award," a testament to his unwavering support and commitment to Liberian students abroad. The award acknowledges his exceptional generosity, resilience, and determination to uplift his fellow Liberians through education.

UNICEF is launching a comprehensive assistance programme designed to support vulnerable girls’ secondary education in the West Nile, Lango and the Acholi sub regions of Uganda. The contribution which will see 5,000 vulnerable girls in secondary schools supported to complete their education through a Cashplus Programme for Girls in Secondary School, is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNICEF.

The Cashplus is part of the wider Gender for Development Uganda (G4DU) programme. The G4DU programme aims to provide education opportunities for girls who face significant economic and social barriers that hinder their completion of education.

The beneficiaries of the Cashplus programme are from the districts of Adjumani, Yumbe, Lamwo, Nebbi, Oyam, Madi-Okollo, and Kitgum. These girls will attend government-supported Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools and will also receive critical financial assistance to complete their education.

The Federal Ministry of Education has approved the promotion and confirmation of 47 senior staff members of the National Board for Technical Education.

According to the Board’s Head of the Media Unit, Fatimah Abubakar, in a statement in Kaduna on Monday, the decision was conveyed through a letter dated March 13, 2025, and signed by the Ministry’s Director of Human Resources, Omotayo F. Adeyemi.

It noted that the approval was granted to ensure continued institutional growth and operational efficiency, despite the absence of the NBTE Governing Board since March 2021. The promoted staff members include nine Acting Directors who were confirmed as substantive Directors after undergoing written examinations and a formal oral interview.

The President of the American Polytechnic of Nigeria (APN), Dr. Oludare Akande, has unveiled a N1 billion scholarship fund for prospective students for the 2024/2025 academic year. While speaking to newsmen on Saturday, he stated that the disbursement of the fund would be done through the Dr. Oludare Akande Foundation’s Scholarship Program, and the scholarship portal would officially open on April 14, 2025.

He explained that eligible students would have the opportunity to apply for scholarships of up to N200,000 per year toward their academic pursuits. Akande further noted that the scholarship would primarily be need-based while also serving as a reward for outstanding academic performance.

Akande added that the partnership ensures APN students can seamlessly transition into a world-class educational system while significantly reducing their financial burden. He, therefore, called on prospective students and parents to explore APN’s wide range of academic programs and scholarship opportunities.