The Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, told scholars, researchers, and practitioners to ensure their innovations contribute to sustainable development.

His remarks were made during the seventh International Conference and Exhibition organised by the School of Science, themed, ‘Scientific and Technological Innovations: Catalysts for Sustainable Transformation and Development.’

Abdul postulated that innovation in Science and Technology had always been the bedrock of societal progress. Represented by Deputy Rector Academics, Dr Engr. Ismail Badmus, he stressed the unique position of scientists and technologists as catalysts for transformation.

A professor of Surgery at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Edward Komolafe, on Tuesday, opined that Nigerians will soon find it difficult to get medical practitioners to attend to patients at various hospitals if the Federal Government fails to attend to the issue of “Japa Syndrome.”

He made this known while speaking with The PUNCH on the sideline of a Nigerian Academy of Neurological Surgeons Conference held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, on Tuesday.

The conference has the theme, “Nigeria And Contemporary Neurosurgical Practice,” held in honour of Professors Temitayo Shokunbi and Adefolarin Malomo, who retired at the age of 70 from the services of the University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Teach For Nigeria successfully held the 2024 edition of its Incubation Hub pitch competition, reaffirming its commitment to empowering its alumni to scale their “Be The Change” Projects (BTCP) into social enterprises addressing critical challenges in education and community development.

This year, as in previous editions, innovators underwent a three-month enterprise development training, culminating in a pitch competition where 10 innovators showcased their initiatives for a chance to win a N2 million seed grant.

Teach For Nigeria expresses its sincere gratitude to Oando Foundation for its unwavering support of the Incubation Hub since its inception in 2020. “This partnership has been instrumental in fostering innovation and driving the growth of impactful social enterprises,” the organisation said.

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arch. Sonny Echono, has urged Local Government Area Councils across the country to make strategic investments in tertiary education.

Echono made the call in Abuja shortly after he was conferred with an award of excellence at a three-day annual summit organised by the Association of Chairmen of Local Government Service Commissions (LGSC) in Nigeria.

The theme of the summit was “Addressing Security and Other Contemporary Challenges at the Local Government Areas in Nigeria. Also speaking, the Chairman of LGSC, Hon. Kamal Ayinde Bayewu, commended the Executive Secretary for his tireless efforts in upgrading tertiary education, expressing hope that the award will inspire him to achieve even more.

The European Union voted for €20 million as support to the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) for the implementation of Education and Youth Empowerment in Jigawa, Kano, and Sokoto, as part effort to address Early Child Education (ECC).

This was disclosed by UNICEF Kano field office education officer, Mr Habeeb Saleh in his keynote address presented on technical capacity at the four-day capacity building training on the Learning Lab Approach to Instructional Leadership Team (ILTs) at Tashir Gust Palace in Dutse.

Mr. Habeeb Saleh explained that “Jigawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in collaboration with the UNICEF Kano Field Office had organized a four-day capacity building training to the members of the state’s, Instructional Leadership Team (ILTs) on the new introduced the Learning Lab Approach for effective Implementation a solid foundation for Literacy and Numeracy of Early Childcare (ECC)”.

When the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), a specialised agency of the United Nations with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture, presented a report recently that the world urgently needs 44 million teachers by 2030 to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality, many did not take the warning so contained seriously.

An estimated 15 million new teachers are needed by 2030 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The case of primary education, which deals with the education given to children aged six to 12 years, is pathetic since early learning is key to the success or failure of the whole system. In Nigeria, teachers unions had raised the alarm for years

The United Nations revealed in a report this year that there is dearth of qualified teachers. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) underscored the problem again this week. The council bemoaned the shrinking number of teachers available to impact knowledge within Nigeria and globally, Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon examines the issue.

The Dean, Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Sola Oni, encouraged Nigerians studying abroad or considering international education to utilise their experiences for the benefit of the nation.

This call to action came during SI Global Nigeria’s inaugural conference, titled, “Innovating Education for the Future,” which brought together policymakers, educators, parents, and students to discuss the current state of education in Nigeria and its prospects.

Held in Lagos, the hybrid conference addressed the challenges, regulatory considerations, and collaborative efforts necessary to foster an educational ecosystem that promotes innovation through international exchanges while advancing Nigeria and Africa.

The AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Mohammed Belhocine, is rallying African countries to advocate for additional financing needed to attain SDG4 targets by 2030. He said studies made by UNESCO estimated that Africa would need $90 billion “if we were to reach SDG4 targets by 2030.”

Prof. Belhocine, who made the call at the opening session of the ongoing first-ever Africa Skills Week 2024 in Accra, said, “I think that we need to really bring our heads together to advocate for this.” The five-day programme, on the theme: “Skills and jobs for the 21st Century: Quality skills development for sustainable employability in Africa”, is being attended by stakeholders in education from the African continent.

The ASW is being organised by the African Union (AU) aimed at catalysing action towards improving systems, processes and policies to drive the transformation of skills development across the continent. “As one of the duty bearers, the AU Commission is committed to supporting member states to strengthen key foundational pillars for skills development in Africa.

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for the construction additional Smart Schools in targeted rural communities across the country.

The MoU for the implementation of the NCDMB-UBEC Smart Schools Development Initiative (NUSSDI) took place in Abuja on Thursday. Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi signed on behalf of the Commission while the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, signed for the Board.

Speaking at the brief event, UBEC Executive Secretary Dr. Hamid Bobboyi expressed hope that the partnership will bring significant improvements to the basic education sector. Bobboyi, however, said he was excited with the partnership, noting that while most of the Smart schools established by the Commission were located in urban centres, the MoU focused on the establishment of schools rural communities.

The Founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, has faulted exclusion of students in private universities from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, initiative of the Federal Government.

Babalola, who described the exclusion of private universities’ students from the students loan as unjust, called for their inclusion in the scheme. The legal luminary spoke on Thursday at the International Hydrogen Summit 2024, held at the ABUAD campus, Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

He said: “TETFund was established by the Federal Government. Its source of fund is money collected from private organisations. We all know that private universities are precluded from accessing funds from TETFund.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has said the newly inaugurated Federal University of Education Kontagora, Niger State, would fill the gap of shortage of qualified teachers in the country. Bago commended the Federal Government’s foresight for the establishment of the university, adding that it underscores the critical role education plays, not just in the local community but across the nation.

The governor made this known on Wednesday during the official inauguration of the Federal University of Education, Kontagora, where he expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for advancing education in Nigeria.

A statement on the inauguration by the Special Adviser on Print Media to the Governor, Aisha Wakaso, on Thursday, stated that Bago affirmed that the upgrade of the institution to a federal education university would significantly impact the educational landscape of Niger State and Nigeria as a whole.

The President of the Victor Tulutu Briggs Foundation, Dr Victor Briggs, has announced the award of scholarships to 50 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The development was announced at the maiden youth political participation and governance training programme held by the foundation in collaboration with the University of Port Harcourt.

The event was graced by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Owunari Abraham George Will; the host, Prof Fidelis Allen, high-ranking security personnel and members of the academia. The youth event had in attendance 50 participants across the 23 local government areas of the state, apart from non-indigenes.

The vice-chancellor expressed contentment with the partnership with the foundation, as he appreciated Briggs for his magnanimity. In their remarks, the participants promised to reciprocate by not allowing themselves to be tools in the hands of politicians to perpetrate violence.