The Executive Director of Vinecrest Schools, Folashade Phillips, has expressed concerns that the dwindling economy occasioned by the rising inflation in the country could lead to a decline in the standard of education at the primary and secondary levels.

She lamented that just like every other business, private schools were also bearing the brunt of the high inflation ravaging the country. She stressed that the economic situation had forced parents to withdraw their children from private schools, expressing fear that they may resort to substandard alternatives.

Philips said, “The economy is not smiling to everybody, both the parents and we the school owners. There are situations where parent are beginning to withdraw their students because of the economic situation and when they do, the fear is that they may want to consider lesser alternatives that may not meet up with the standard.

As part of efforts to produce fit-for-purpose and future-ready graduates by Nigerian universities, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Unilever Nigeria Plc have teamed up to contribute towards the actualisation of the goal in Nigeria.

The programme had thousands of students from across disciplines in attendance. UNILAG was said to be one of 20 universities in the country selected for the training, tagged: “Future Unilever Campus Ambassador Programme (FUCAP).”

Three million youths are the target but about 700,000 of them are expected to have been adequately equipped with the skills in focus for the project by 2026. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the sideline at the event, programme specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, Mr Bharat Kundra, highlighted why youths must have to possess skills beyond what formal -education can offer them.

HillCity Foundation at the weekend in Lagos celebrated its 20th year anniversary tagged; ‘Beyond Impact.’ The foundation has given over 2,500 university scholarships in Nigeria and Uganda with its students in more than 170 universities in Nigeria. It plans to expand to 10 African countries by the time it clocks 25.

HillCity was born out of the need to solve the challenges in our society. There are young people out of school; nobody to show them direction. Few of us came together to form HillCity and the goal is to discover, develop and direct them to the right direction.

In his keynote address, the founder, Obi Imemba, an engineer, explained that it was 20 years of intentional decision that has made the foundation what it is today.

Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Dr Hamid Bobboyi has said public primary schools in the country lack qualified teachers. According to him, of the 694,078 teachers required at the level, only 499,202 are available, leaving a gap of 194,876.

Bobboyi spoke in Lagos yesterday at a one-day partnership meeting/dialogue with the Organised Private Sector on the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme. The event was organised by UBEC in collaboration with the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG).

According to Bobboyi, the inadequacy of qualified teachers at primary school level is contributing to learning poverty in basic education. He added that the problem lies with skewed deployment in favour of schools in urban areas.

The National Union of Teachers has disclosed that only 12 out of the country’s 36 states employed teachers in state-owned primary and secondary schools in 2023.

The data listed the states that recruited teachers in 2023 as Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger and Ogun. The states with the highest number of recruited teachers during that period are Anambra with 5,000; Borno with 4,000; and Adamawa with 3,020.

The figure was contained in a document prepared by the union and obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday. Analysis of the data revealed that 23,092 teachers were employed during the period. The National President of the NUT, Titus Amba, had earlier expressed concerns about the shortage of teachers, adding that many governors ignored the advice of the union that retired teachers should be replaced with new ones.

An unprecedented number of universities have participated in Times Higher Education’s data collection for the World University Rankings this year.

A record 2,858 institutions submitted data between January and March, a 7 per cent increase compared with last year. The universities are based across 133 countries/regions, up from 127 in 2023.

Participation from Africa has overtaken that from North America for the first time; 285 African institutions submitted data, a 20 per cent rise since last year and the biggest increase of any continent. Universities in Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burkina Faso all took part for the first time.

The Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Tanko Sununu, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu has initiated an agenda to remove approximately 20 million out-of-school children from the streets and prioritize education in Nigeria.

Sununu made this disclosure at the groundbreaking foundation laying ceremony of the National Examination Council (NECO) offices in Lafia, Nasarawa State yesterday. According to the minister, President Tinubu has granted approval for a project aimed at improving the quality of education in Nigeria.

“The project will conduct a census to provide reliable and accurate data on schools, students, and teachers from kindergarten to tertiary institutions, both private and public,” Sununu explained. He emphasized that the data will include information on schools, students, and teachers, which will enable the government to make informed decisions to improve the education sector.

Aware of the impact and prominence a good education brings, countries make sure that there is quality content in their curriculum. While education is key to Nigeria’s development as a nation, the quality of education that is available in the country to its citizens does not always match the demands of a globalised world.

A good curriculum will assist schools to produce well-educated citizens who will in turn assist in the growth and sustainability of the nation’s global competitivenes

Some observers argue that the curriculum of Nigeria’s educational system is ill-prepared to face the challenges of the world because its content lacks basic life skills, functional literacy and numeracy. The curriculum remains an important aspect of the Nigerian educational system, and over time it has undergone various changes.

A leading digital learning platform, Gotocourse, has unveiled its GMIND AI 2.0, a cutting-edge AI-enabled solution designed to make Artificial Intelligence boost digital literacy as well as the education system in Nigeria.

The brains behind the initiative stressed that the innovative tool would support educators, writers, and creatives in crafting engaging and effective learning experiences.

The forum with the theme, “GMIND 2.0: Revolutionizing AI Accessibility,” however, appealed to the government to invest in infrastructure enabling access to the internet and computers, especially in hard-to-reach communities across Nigeria.

The Rivers State representative on the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Tony Okocha has identified education as a potent weapon in the fight against unemployment and criminality in the society.

He described education as a very potent tool to fight criminality in the society and develop the minds of future generations of leaders. He commended the facilitator and organiser of the competition, whose theme was “Local Government Autonomy; Bedrock for Rural Development”, for coming up with what he described as a life-changing event.

Earlier in his address, Facilitator of the event and President of Progressive Youths and Students Network (PYSN), Comrade Endwell Otonna thanked Chief Tony Okocha for singlehandedly sponsoring the programme.

A renowned global cultural activist and sports enthusiast, Queen Amb. Dr Krystal Chanchangi has visited Community Secondary School Oraifite, Anambra in the advancement of her campaign for the empowerment of the next generation with quality education.

During her visit, she handed educational supplies to the school management for distribution to the exciting students. She also held talks with the students on a message which centred on the need to believe in themselves and never forget home.

The US-based founder of Africa MultiCultural World Foundation and SSA Youths & Diaspora Police Community Relations Committee committee said her desire to carry out the empowerment in Oraifite is borne out of the need to back to the community she holds in high esteem.

A WAVE of original, homegrown innovations are springing up from young Nigerian scientists and creators VICTORIA AMADI reports on how these young minds showcase creativity through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Young Nigerians in primary 4 to 6, Junior secondary school 1-3 and senior secondary 1 -3, recently trilled the audience with over 120 mind-blowing scientific innovative and problem-solving projects using STEM at the just concluded maiden edition of STEMite Zone Fair, a platform where students across the five administrative divisions of Lagos State – Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja and Lagos. It also created an environment that enabled students look at opportunities to change the way things are done.

Speaking on Nigeria’s educational system, the Founder, STEMite Zone Fair, Ms. Ibukun Elebute, noted that there is a huge gap between theoretical and practical teaching, with more attention paid on the former.