Is Formal Education Truly a Scam?

I met this youngster after a hectic day in school at the domitory, her head buried in her books. Suddenly she screams out, 'what kinda life is this? Who created education in the first place? My mates are out there in the entertainment world making a name and doing other profitable things and I die here in the name of school!' Trying to interrupt her outburst, she quickly added, 'Saddest part is that they end up earning more than we ever could dream of.'
At this point, I needed to disabuse her mindset.

It's actually true that there's a life after school and the present labour market in the country places higher value on your skills and intellectual involvements over grades.

However, the benefits of formal education is glaring unless you choose to shut your eyes at it. it helps you to discover yourself and pursue your passion.

Knowledge they say is power, formal education gives you an edge over those that couldn't pay the price of education because now you're properly informed and knowledgeable. That alone is a foundation on which you can build your mansion of passion.

Education also helps to shapen your time management, social and organizational skills as well as your opinions and perspective. Schooling itself is a ground for networking and improvement. You will only say schooling is a scam if you have only passed through the school without the school passing through you. There are lot of extracurricular activities you can engage in at no cost which can help you prepare for the labour market. If you still think formal education is a scam, then I'm afraid you are the one scamming yourself.

Going through schooling is tough but invaluable. Don't sell yourself short if you ever get the chance to attend!
To pay the price of ignorance...? Ask a pageant manager who was denied her right of making it to the international level with her girl and still could not recover due to stunted knowledge as a drop - out from school.

47 Percent of Online School Students are Prone to Dropping Out, NMA Reports

With the intrusion of COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2020, students and educators have taken to online classes as an alternative study measure to maintain academic and career balance.

 

According to a recent research by the NELOC Media Academy, results show that the increase in demand for online education rose by about 173% in the last few months, particularly due to the pandemic.

However, by its projections, this number may not decrease anytime soon. This is largely due to the fact that individuals (students, teachers and parents alike), institutions and the larger society is practically coming to terms and accepting the new digital reality. 

 

At the same time, the study also records that there has been a high number of online school dropouts as many students abandon their courses for many reasons. The survey revealed reasons ranging from the incompetence of lecturers in handling online teaching tools, inconvenient online learning platforms, huge internet data costs, network breaks, device storage or compatibility and student's emotional disposition among others.

The NELOC Media Academy Report was launched as an in-house growth publication to record the progress of the academy as well as monitor desired changes in the culture of learning media related courses. The Academy is an offshoot of the parent company NELOC Media, a digital marketing company.

 

Speaking to the press for NELOC Media Academy, the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nelson Vincent Ayomitunde emphasized that considering the future of learning, a student who drops out from an online course has lost value in no small measure. According to him, "it is not enough to put up online courses and sell these courses. A learner who signs up and later drops out isn't getting what they paid for. And while that's not entirely your responsibility as a teacher, it will still affect their experience of the course."

Mr Nelson also encouraged the lecturers at the academy to gain mastery of digital tools to create a course their learners will appreciate.

Wike bags doctorate degree, donates N1bn to varsity

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has been conferred with the Honorary Doctor of Law Degree (Honoris Causa) by the Rivers State University (RSU).The Governor, who donated N1bn to the school, called for a change in the educational standard insisting that the RSU must benchmark its academic programmes to meet global demands.

Wike, who spoke in Port Harcourt at the 34th Convocation of RSU on Saturday in Port Harcourt, said his administration had invested funds generously to improve infrastructure in the school and establish faculties particularly the College of Medical Sciences.

Wike recalled that at the inception of his administration, he constituted the Governing Council of the institution and charged them to develop the blueprint that would engender sustainable transformation in the university.

He explained that his administration also resolved the lingering strike of the academic staff and recalled the staff unjustly dismissed for union activities by the previous government.

The Governor said the action he took within his first two weeks in office restored industrial harmony to the institution.

"Third, we immediately started tackling the university's infrastructural challenges one after the other. We completed, furnished and commissioned the long-abandoned faculty of law complex within our first 100 days in office."

Wike also stated that his administration completed the faculty of Management Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technical Education, and Faculty of Environment Sciences within the second year of his administration.

The Governor said he started and completed the Senate Building in his third year in office, and the College of Medical Sciences buildings in his fourth year in office

He said: "We also built the Basic Clinical Science and the department of Clinical Sciences buildings, which were commissioned last week as components of the Medical College. We then transformed the former Braithwaite Memorial Hospital into the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital with the state of the art equipment."

Wike remarked that the relatively new College of Medical Sciences of the University was on its way to becoming one of the country’s best medical schools as declared by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

The Governor recalled the review of the enabling law of the institution so it would reflect the multi-disciplinary structure and implement an enhanced salary structure for the university staff.

Wike said his administration also restored the multi-campus structure of the university that was cancelled by the military adding that the campuses are located in Ahoada,(East) Emohua, Etche, Sapkenwa; (Tai) Local Government Areas, fully equipped with faculty and administrative buildings, staff quarters and will commence academic activities soon.

He said: "A few weeks ago, we authorised the management to engage 1355 new academic and non-academic staff to resolve the staff shortfalls occasioned by retirements, resignations, and the establishment of new academic departments and centres."

Wike said as the Visitor to the institution, he was satisfied with what had been accomplished with his administration's investments over the last seven and half years.

"No doubt, the billions we have invested have significantly advanced this university in infrastructure, growth and prestige and empowered it with the capacity to produce the kind of graduates that we need to serve our State and country with character, commitment and responsibility", he said.

With all these investment, Wike insisted that the university management must move the institution away from the existing academic model of processing graduates in their numbers after every four or five years, unmindful of the quality of knowledge and skills imparted.

The Governor maintained that RSU would not be rated high and respected globally unless it could link education with cutting-edge research to create new knowledge and innovation that converts ideas into wealth creation, jobs and human progress.

He said: "Graduates lacking adequate knowledge, dexterity and self-transformation cannot be helpful to society, nor will they be useful to themselves.

"Money spent on such graduates may have also been wasted as they will remain socio-economic burdens to their families, friends and community."

Wike said N1bn donation to RSU was to enable the management cater for the needs of the multi-campuses.

He commended the management of the university for conferring on the Doctor of Laws (LL.D) Honoris Causa on him for his services to the university, the State and the nation.

The Vice-Chancellor of RSU, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule said the week long 34th convocation of the university has a total of 3314 students awarded the Bachelor's degree, and 4982 students awarded the post-graduate degree.

Okogbule explained that governor Wike was honoured with the Honorary Doctor of Law Degree LL.D(Honoris Causa) because of the numerous levels of support his administration gave to the university.

Ondomind 

Jubilation as Sanwo-Olu slashes Varsities tuition fee

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been praised for slashing the tuition for pioneer students of the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) Ijanikin/Epe, and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) Ikorodu, by 65 percent.Management of the two varsities had proposed tuition of N195,000 for their pioneer students before Sanwo-Olu slashed it to N68,000.

A statement by the Governor's Special Adviser on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, said the Sanwo-Olu administration will continue to give necessary support to the two universities and work towards making them one of the best in the country.

The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom, Oba Abdul-Semiu Kasali, described the tuition slash as a big relief as more parents would be able to send their children to acquire a university education.

Baale of Parafa in Ikorodu Local Government Area Chief Jamiu Odusanya described the Governor's gesture as welcome development.

Ondomind

Dr D.K. Olukoya appointed as Professor of Biotechnology

Dr Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries and Chancellor of Mountain Top University has been appointed as Professor of Biotechnology by one of Nigeria's top Universities.This is the result of the positive consideration by relevant review Committees and Council of the University following the assessments of his publications by some of the world’s best scholars in Biotechnology, each of whom found him to be eminently appointable as Professor of Biotechnology.

It needs to be underscored that this appointment is indeed well-deserved by Prof. D. K. Olukoya, who is an epitome of all-round excellence.

He bagged a first-class honours degree in Microbiology from the University of Lagos in 1980. He obtained his doctoral degree (Ph.D) at a record time in Molecular Genetics, from the prestigious University of Reading in the United Kingdom, in 1984. Thereafter, he taught Genetics at the University of Lagos and was an external examiner to a number of Universities in and outside Nigeria. He also engaged himself as a distinguished researcher and exceptional Geneticist at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research between 1984 and 1998, during which he produced more than 70 scientific publications in the best local and international journals in the area of Microbiology and Biotechnology. He has also been cited more than a thousand times by scholars across the world.

Not only has the new Professor of Biotechnology cut a niche for himself among eminent scholars in Microbiology and Biotechnology across the world, he had equally supervised many postgraduate students and continues to serve as a mentor and motivator to many Nigerian Microbiologists and Biotechnologists, many of whom have risen to professorial cadres in Universities in and outside Nigeria.

It needs to be mentioned that Prof. D. K. Olukoya was severally offered this position in 1990s, by many Universities. But, he chose to pursue his ministerial destiny, as directed by God.

The authorities, members and friends of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, across the world, heartily congratulate our leader and mentor, Prof. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, on his very eminently deserved appointment as a Professor of Biotechnology.

Ondomind 

FG Unveils New Curriculum For Varsity Education

The Federal Government has introduced a new curriculum for university Education in the country to “reflect 21st-century realities”.Ondomind reports that the new curriculum unbundled the Bachelor of Agriculture, Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication and the Bachelor of Architecture Programmed while establishing some emerging specialisations in these fields as obtained Worldwide.

The Allied Health Sciences was also carved out as a new discipline from the existing Basic Medical Sciences discipline.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new curriculum on Monday in Abuja, the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said the development was part of an effort to make university education more responsive to the needs of society.

Professor Osinbajo who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the introduction of the “Core Curriculum and Minimum Standard to university education” also addresses local issues, meet international standards and “uplifts scholarship in our universities”.

The Vice President commended the National Universities Commission (NUC) for the unbundling of such disciplines as Agriculture and the emergence of three courses, namely, Allied Health Sciences, Architecture and Communication as well as the media services, the three new courses in Nigerian Universities.

He said the new document has truly taken cognisance of the need to provide greater academic autonomy to universities with regard to the development of some percentage of course content.

He therefore, recommended the NUC of the decision to share the minimum credit unit required for graduation in the Nigerian university in the ratio of 70 to 30 percent. Saying it will further create institutional peculiarity.

Professor Osinbajo also applauded the foresight of other disciplines, like agriculture and the emergence of three new disciplines in the Nigerian university system, such as allied health sciences, architecture and communication as well as media studies.

Earlier, Tlthe Executive Secretary, National University Commission, Professor Abubakar Rasheed said in keeping with its mandate of making university education in Nigeria more responsive to the needs of society, NUC commenced the journey to restructure the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) in 2018, introducing in its place the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), to re-examine existing and introduce new disciplines and programmes in the Nigerian University System.

He explained that the new CCMAS is a product of sustained stakeholder interactions over two years, adding that the composition of each panel took into consideration the triple helix model, as a unique feature.

“This involved a blend of academic experts, academies, the government represented by NUC, professional bodies and of course, the private sector, represented by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).

“In order to enrich the draft documents, copies of each discipline were forwarded to all critical stakeholders including the relevant academic units in Nigerian Universities, the private sector, professional bodies and the academies for their input.

He further said “These inputs, along with the curriculum of programmes obtained from some foreign and renowned universities, served as major working materials for the various panels constituted for that purpose.”

NUC explained that the CCMAS documents are uniquely structured to provide for 70% of core courses for each programme while allowing universities to utilise the remaining 30% for other innovative courses in their particular areas of focus.

Ondomind

Road to 2023: Tinubu Promises To Recruit More Teachers, Give Student Loans

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu has promised to recruit more teachers and also give student loans as part of efforts to develop the education sector and also build the youth capacity.Tinubu made the promise at the British Royal Institute in London.

“Youths are the greatest asset of tomorrow,” Tinubu said in Chatham House while fielding questions from participants at the event, adding that they will be part of his “all-inclusive” government, pointing to the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“The education system is to change. We would overhaul it and tinker with some areas with the philosophy that no one would be left behind. There will be student loans for all. We are going to reform the Almajiri system, We are equally going to build more schools, recruit more teachers and train them,” the former Lagos State governor said.

Ondomind

LAUTECH Students' Union Praises Makinde for Suspending No Tuition, No Exam Policy

The Oyo State Governor, Oluwaseyi Makinde, has suspended the policy which prevents tuition defaulters from participating in examinations at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH.

This is a sequel to the plea made by the Students’ Union Government of the institution to Governor Makinde on Thursday, for an intervention in the policy which has made a lot of indigent students have extra semesters on campus.

Speaking via his official Twitter handle, the President of the Students’ Union Government, Anuoluwa Adeboye noted that the governor through the Governing Council Chairman of the institution has suspended the No Tuition, No Exam Policy.

He said: “We are glad to inform the students & general populace that the University Management has received the directive from her visitor, H. E. ‘Seyi Makinde through the Governing Council Chairman to suspend the No Tuition, No Exam Policy. All students are now eligible to write the exam.

“We want to appreciate Oyo State Governor, H. E. ‘Seyi Makinde for swiftly responding to our appeal and granting it immediate approval. This has once again proven to all students that you are our God’s sent, deserving authority, and advocate of education for all in Oyo State.

“While we continue to work on Make-up examinations for those who have missed the previous examinations, we want to urge all students to make use of this golden opportunity to study hard, sit for exams, and excel. We wish you all success in your examinations”, he added.

Ondomind